Georgia’s Parliament has approved amendments to the Law on Broadcasting, allowing entertainment, sports, educational, and cultural broadcasters to receive foreign funding.
Under the changes, restrictions on direct or indirect financing from foreign entities will no longer apply to specialized broadcasters that do not cover news or socio-political content. The exemption applies to channels focused on sports, education, knowledge-based programming, and entertainment.
At the same time, the law introduces stricter rules for prohibited funding. If a broadcaster receives funding in violation of the legislation, the Georgian National Communications Commission will have the authority to require the broadcaster to transfer the funds to the state budget, in addition to imposing other sanctions by law.
The amendments were adopted in their third and final reading and will take effect after being signed and published in accordance with legislative procedures.
