The bill that prohibits broadcasters from receiving funding from abroad has been approved by Parliament in its third and final reading.

The proposed amendment to the Broadcasting Law received support from 86 members of Parliament.

The bill, prepared by the Georgian Dream faction, forbids broadcasters from receiving funding from foreign sources, including for social advertising.

More specifically, the Broadcasting Law will include a provision that prohibits broadcasters from receiving direct or indirect funding in exchange for airing social advertisements.

The law also bans broadcasters from accepting direct or indirect funding from foreign powers—whether in the form of money or any other material goods (except for commercial advertising, teleshopping, sponsorship, and product placement).

Additionally, the law will prohibit foreign powers from purchasing broadcasting services (other than for commercial advertising and product placement), or from directly or indirectly financing or co-financing the preparation or airing of programs.

For the purposes of the law, "foreign power" is defined as: A subject that is part of a foreign state’s government system; An individual who is not a citizen of Georgia; A legal entity not established under Georgian law; An organizational entity, including a fund, association, corporation, union, or any other type of organization or group of individuals established under the law of a foreign state or international law.

Furthermore, during the discussion process, a provision was added to the bill, stating that if a broadcaster fails to comply with the law's requirements by June 1, 2025, the sanctions imposed by the regulatory commission will not be enforced.