🇭🇺 Hungarian government votes to dissolve MTVA

The government of Hungary has voted to reform media in the country, including dissolving broadcaster MTVA. MTVA is the current public service broadcaster in the country.

Hungarian parliament votes to change public service broadcasting

The Hungarian parliament has adopted an amendment to the new media law which will see public broadcaster MTVA dissolved. The proposals see major reforms to broadcasting in the country. The parliamentary vote follows Péter Magyar, the current Prime Minister, promising to change broadcast media in Hungary.

The amendment passed with 145 votes in favour, and 39 against. Fidesz–KDNP voted against the proposals, with Péter Magyar’s governing party The Tisza Party voting for it. During the parliamentary debate on the proposal, Tisza MPs criticised public media, comparing the current systems with North Korean and Russian-style editorial practices.

MTVA and Duna Média Service (DMS) will be replaced by two new organisations following the vote. Magyar Rádió és Televízió (Hungarian Radio and Television) and Magyar Távirati Iroda (Hungarian Telegraph Office) will replace the current broadcasters. An Independent Public Media Council will also be formed to oversee these new organisations.

PM Péter Magyar’s plans suggest a return to Eurovision is possible

One of Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s key campaign promises was that he would suspend public media news services until impartial reporting could be assured. During an interview with MTVA following his win in the 2026 Hungarian election, Magyar stated, “we are going to shut down this lie factory”. MTVA and DMS were both formed under the previous Viktor Orbán governments.

At present, it is not known if Magyar Rádió és Televízió would be a legal successor to MTVA within the EBU, or if the new organisation would have to apply for new EBU membership. Cases of membership exceptions have been granted by the EBU in the past. Péter Magyar has previously stated that he intends his ministers to examine the possibility of a return for Hungary at the Song Contest. PM Magyar told ORF that it “makes no sense” for Hungary to not participate at Eurovision.

Hungary’s Eurovision history

Hungary tried to make their debut at Eurovision in 1993, but did not make it past the qualification round, but a year later, they made their debut Friderika and the entry “Kinek mondjam el vétkeimet?”, which placed 4th. Since then, Hungary has competed on 17 occassion, 14 of which saw them qualify for the final.

The country’s most recent participation was in 2019, where Joci Pápai participated with “Az én apám”, which placed 12th in the Semi-Final. Since then, Hungary has not participated in the competition.

Do you think these media reforms will help allow Hungary to return to Eurovision? Who would you like to see represent Hungary at the Contest? As always, please let us know what you think by getting involved in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow ‘That Eurovision Site’ on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Threads, tumblr, Bluesky, and ZOOP for more information about Eurovision 2027!

News source: Telex.hu

Image credits: Attila Kisbenedek / AFP