Plans have been submitted in Hungary to the National Media and Infocommunications Authority for the launch of a new media service under the name Rainbow TV, according to information shared with online outlet Media1 by the entrepreneur behind the project.
The proposed project would operate as both a linear television channel and an online streaming platform, combining traditional broadcasting with digital access.
The application outlines 24-hour programming structured according to national media classification rules. Planned content includes cultural and entertainment programmes, music and artistic shows, lifestyle and culinary features, talk shows, and interviews. The proposal also includes content addressing LGBT history and related topics, alongside general programming aimed at a broad audience.
Rainbow TV will also include coded content: 18+ content will be restricted to adult audiences.
The identity of the media entrepreneur behind the application has not yet been disclosed, although they have indicated that further details will be shared closer to launch.
The proposal comes in the broader legal and political context of a recent European Court of Justice ruling on Hungary’s 2021 child protection legislation. The court found that Hungary’s legislation—originally introduced to strengthen penalties against paedophilia but later amended to restrict the promotion of homosexuality and gender ideology to minors—violates EU rules on multiple fronts, including fundamental rights and internal market provisions.
The ruling, issued just weeks after the defeat of the governing conservative parties in the general elections, was passed in a case brought by the European Commission and supported by multiple EU member states.
