TV2 (Hungary)

TV2 is one of Hungary’s national commercial TV channels. It is one of the two most important TV channels in Hungary. It started broadcasting on October 4, 1997. 

It has become a propaganda channel for the Fidesz-KDNP government parties. According to a survey by CEU’s media department, it is the least reliable media channel.

Ro:TV2 (Ungaria)

 History 
TV2 began broadcasting on October 4, 1997, three days before its rival RTL started, making it Hungary’s first national commercial TV channel.

 Criticism 
Many foreign and Hungarian sources say that since 2016, TV2’s news has become a tool for government propaganda. The channel’s programs almost only show people from the ruling party.

During the 2018 Hungarian parliamentary election campaign, 86% of TV2’s airtime went to government supporters, while opposition views got just 14%.

In the 2019 European Parliament election, government-friendly politicians dominated with 87% of the airtime, leaving only 13% for parties not in the government coalition.

Before the 2022 parliamentary election, like four years earlier, TV2 hosts and news figures, including from the Tények program, campaigned for Fidesz–KDNP on the show’s Facebook page, saying they supported Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. (The channel was fined 3.5 million forints for a similar video before, breaking media laws, but they did it again.) 

In 2022, half of TV2 Group’s operating costs 28 billion forints came from state funding through government propaganda ads. This upset some people, especially after October 10, 2024, when Tények aired a report focusing on opposition politician and EU representative Péter Magyar’s penis. The Media Council fined TV2 for this.

 References 

 Other websites 

 TV2.hu
 TV2's Facebook

Category:Hungarian television networks
Category:1997 establishments in Europe