Hungary ends public‑media leadership terms and overhauls broadcaster structure under new media law

Hungarian media law leadership termination MTVA restructuring independent media board public‑media reform

Effective 27 June, Hungary’s amended media law terminated the mandates of the Media Council president and members, the head of Duna Media Non‑Profit Ltd., and the chief executive of the Media Service Support and Asset Management Fund (MTVA). The Ministry of National Development, led by ministerial commissioner Judit Grósz, will supervise a transitional management period until new executives are appointed through a public tender.

The reform also dissolves the current MTVA and Duna Media entities, merging them into a newly created Magyar Rádió és Televízió Non‑Profit Zrt. An independent nine‑member Media Board, half appointed by parliamentary groups and three by professional media organisations, will replace the former public‑service foundation. A separate press‑support fund will be administered by the NMHH to finance independent outlets.

Legal scholars, including constitutional lawyer László Majtényi, warned that the previous system had functioned as a “propaganda apparatus” for the governing party and stressed that the new framework must prevent political interference in public media. The law passed with a two‑thirds majority in the National Assembly and is set to reshape Hungary’s public‑media landscape.