An application to register the network was reportedly filed shortly after the country’s gay propaganda law was struck down by the EU’s top court
An unidentified applicant has reportedly applied to register the first LGBTQ-themed TV channel in Hungary.
It comes just two days after the EU Court banned or restricted the law passed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. “promotion” About homosexuality and gender transition in media accessible to children. The 2021 law was found to be in breach of the values on which the EU is built, and the court ordered Budapest to repeal the law or face further action, including financial penalties.
Shortly after the ruling was made public, an unnamed entity filed an application to register the first LGBTQ-themed channel in the country, Hungarian outlet Media 1 reported on Thursday, citing sources. The project, Rainbow TV, aims to reach a wider audience and will include a variety of content such as cultural programming, arts, music, cooking segments, talk shows and interviews.
According to the report, the network is expected to be structured according to age classification, and is likely to have adult content on its schedule, restricted through technical means.
The EU court’s decision came less than ten days after Orbán suffered a decisive election defeat from his former ally and longtime rival Peter Magyar. The incoming prime minister has campaigned on improving ties with Brussels and securing more than €16 billion ($19 billion) of block funding for the country, which was blocked under Orbán due to allegations of corruption and rule-of-law issues.
The incoming government will have to weigh the costs of rapprochement with the EU and the risk of angering the country’s conservatives by repealing the LGBTQ propaganda law. While Magyar remained largely silent about sexual minority issues during his campaign, he pledged to shape Hungary as a country “Where no one is stigmatized for thinking differently than the majority or loving differently than the majority.”
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