Georgia moves to seize banned foreign funding for broadcasters

Georgia’s authorities are planning to seize foreign funding received by television broadcasters in violation of the country’s ban on overseas financing, as the ruling Georgian Dream party continues tightening control over the media sector.

The parliamentary Committee on Legal Affairs has already approved amendments to the Law on Broadcasting initiated by MPs from the ruling party, News.Az reports, citing News Georgia.

Under the proposed legislation, if a broadcaster receives “prohibited” foreign funding, the regulator will be able not only to fine the company, but also to demand that the funds be transferred to the state budget. If the broadcaster fails to comply voluntarily, the money will be recovered through the National Bureau of Enforcement.

At the same time, the authorities are proposing an important exception to the strict ban on foreign funding introduced in spring 2025. At that time, Georgian Dream effectively blocked broadcasters from receiving foreign grants, donations and other forms of financing, with the exception of commercial advertising revenue.

The ruling party is now proposing to allow foreign funding for so-called specialised broadcasters — channels that do not cover politics or news and instead focus on niche formats such as sports, education, culture, documentary or entertainment content.

If the amendments are adopted, the ban will no longer apply to such channels. They will be allowed to receive funding from foreign donors, directly or indirectly, including through grants, sponsorships and project co-financing.

However, the draft law leaves open a key question: who exactly will determine whether a broadcaster qualifies as “specialised”, and according to what criteria. The mechanism is not clearly defined in the text of the amendments.

At the same time, the initiative significantly expands financial oversight of the media sector. The Communications Commission will gain the right, subject to court approval, to request banking information not only from broadcasters themselves, but also from their direct or indirect sponsors.

If the information is not provided voluntarily, the regulator will be able to obtain banking secrecy data directly from banks and microbanks.

The authors of the bill say the amendments are necessary to prevent broadcasters from bypassing the ban on foreign funding through intermediaries and affiliated structures.

The initiative is expected to be submitted for a vote at a plenary session of parliament in the near future.

News.Az