What do Poles Think About Lex Pilot? Poll for “Fakty” TVN and TVN24

Fakty.TVN24.pl | February 13,2023

In the Kantar poll for “Fakty” TVN and TVN24, respondents were asked what they thought about the idea that the authorities would decide on the order of TV channels on their TV sets – which would mean that public television channels would be in the first positions. 71% of the respondents were against this solution. The idea was supported by 20% of those asked, and the answer “difficult to say” was chosen by 9%.

The telephone survey was carried out by Kantar on February 7-8, 2023, on a nationwide, representative sample of 1,000 people over 18 years of age.

What is Lex Pilot?

“The entry into force of this act is an attempt to decide where and from what sources Poles should obtain information,” – comments Weronika Mirowska, president of the “Grand Press” Foundation. PiS does not hide that it is about TVP.

Government television is to be broadcast as much as possible, as often as possible, and always on the first channels in each TV set. According to the changes in the law pushed by PiS, the first five channels are to be reserved only for TVP channels. The order of the next 30 will be decided by the National Broadcasting Council and thus de facto by the authorities. “Telewizja Polska is a propaganda station and does not follow the journalistic line, but the political line of the PiS government,” believes Bartosz Wieliński, deputy editor-in-chief of “Gazeta Wyborcza”.

Timing is not accidental here, either. The authorities want the law to enter into force in a few months at the latest, i.e., at the peak of the election campaign. “For several years, the authorities have been trying to control the sphere of commercial television as a risk area, which for them is synonymous with freedom of speech,” notes Bogusław Chrabota, editor-in-chief of “Rzeczpospolita”.

The Specter of Bankruptcy

Experts are alarmed that lex pilot means higher costs for viewers and the specter of bankruptcy, even for cable operators. It also has serious financial consequences for small televisions, thematic channels, and distributors, who will not be able to adapt to the changes. The act will force operators to sell each channel separately and not in packages – as so far. It may not be worth it to anyone. – This will limit the activities of cable TV operators, but also broadcasters because they will have no one to broadcast for – says Jerzy Straszewski from the Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications.

– The changes that the operators would be forced to make mean that in the time provided for in this act for entry into force, but also in the long term, it is unrealistic for them to switch all their equipment to what the government proposes – convinces Weronika Mirowska.

The bill is now in the parliamentary committee. Despite opposition from PiS, the opposition managed to pass the motion for a public hearing. It will take place in three weeks.