The Parliament's Committee on Information, Computerisation and Media on Wednesday adopted by a majority vote a report on the operation of the HRT public broadcaster in 2017 and an annual report on the work of the HRT Supervisory Board and supervision of the legality of the broadcaster's business operations in the same period.

HRT director-general Kazimir Bacic said that in 2017 the HRT established a stable management structure and put an end to negative trends from the previous period.

“The production of domestic programmes increased in 2017… financial results are positive, the HRT’s accounting and financial operations are responsible and viewer ratings have been rising continually,” Bacic said.

He noted that the HRT operated at a profit in 2017 and that he expected financial results to be good also this year and in the coming years.

Committee member and Bridge MP Nikola Grmoja voted against the report, asking Bacic why the HRT’s advertisement revenues were falling and whether that had to do with a decline in the HRT’s reputation.

He also asked for an explanation for what he described as bias in choosing guests in news programmes, to which Committee chair Suncana Glavak of the ruling HDZ party said that as any other television, the HRT, too, had the right to invite to its programmes whomever it wanted.

Bacic said that the number of advertisers was declining in the entire media market because they were turning to new digital formats.

He stressed that viewer ratings were growing continually and that in terms of viewer ratings the HRT was ranked 15th among 74 television companies in Europe and its neighbourhood.

“We try to invite different guests and always keep balance in choosing them,” said Bacic.