A dispute over the validity of a non-compete clause is escalating between Czech Television and its former presenter Václav Moravec. The public broadcaster announced that it would seek a contractual penalty from its former employee in connection with his new online project. According to the television, the clause from 2018 is still in effect, while Moravec considers it legally ineffective.
The conflict was sparked by the launch of the paid platform Moravec.cz, which the journalist launched this week. The project includes five different formats, with the discussion program Poledne s Moravcem (Noon with Moravec) attracting the most attention. It airs on Sunday at 12:00 PM, at the same time when the presenter previously hosted Otázky Václava Moravce (Václav Moravec's Questions) on CT screens. According to Czech Television spokesman Michal Pleskot, these activities are in direct conflict with the commitment to refrain from competitive conduct.
The management of Czech Television argues that as an institution managing public funds, it must act with the due care of a good manager.
“Václav Moravec voluntarily entered into a non-compete clause agreement with Czech Television in 2018, which is still valid and has not been terminated. This will involve enforcing the agreed contractual penalty for violating the said commitment,”
Pleskot stated, adding that the specific amount of the penalty would not be disclosed due to the protection of the former employee's personal data.
Václav Moravec interprets the legal situation differently and speaks of a “tug-of-war.” He claims that the non-compete clause is effectively invalid due to a resolution of the supervisory commission from 2025 (editor's note: likely a typo in the text, probably referring to the current context of future decisions or a specific internal act), which deemed such clauses an unnecessary burden on the budget. Moravec also stated that he returned the financial compensation that the television had sent him after his departure.
The presenter is critical of the dispute and intends to focus on building his new brand.
“I am currently focusing on positive things, such as creating programs for a new independent project, rather than constantly dealing with a tug-of-war with an institution with an eight-billion budget that repeatedly deals with Moravec,”
he reacted to media inquiries. According to his legal interpretation, key provisions of the contract were also not fulfilled because he did not sign the necessary affidavits, which renders the clause “dead.”
After the departure of its long-standing personality, Czech Television proceeded with program changes and replaced the original Sunday discussion block with a new format called Nedělní debata ČT (ČT Sunday Debate). The current dispute over the penalty thus represents another phase of the complicated parting between the presenter and the public broadcaster.