Television has a long history in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, where regular

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

broadcasting started during the Soviet years in 1951. However the first ever TV broadcast took place on 1 February 1939 in Kyiv. Since then TV broadcasting has expanded, particularly after the

fall of Communism The revolutions of 1989, also known as the Fall of Communism, were a revolutionary wave of liberal democracy movements that resulted in the collapse of most Marxist–Leninist governments in the Eastern Bloc and other parts of the world. Th ...

in 1989, and now there are many different channels and groups in the Ukrainian TV market.

History

The first official broadcast took place in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

on 1 February 1939. It was 40 minutes long and showed the portrait of

Sergo Ordzhonikidze Sergo Konstantinovich Ordzhonikidze, ; (born Grigol Konstantines dze Orjonikidze; 18 February 1937) was an Old Bolshevik and a Soviet statesman. Born and raised in Georgia, in the Russian Empire, Ordzhonikidze joined the Bolsheviks at an e ...

. After being interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, on 6 November 1951, transmissions resumed when the Kyiv TV Studios were opened with a live broadcast of the patriotic movie "The Great Glow" - 6 November has since then been marked as the birthday of Ukrainian television. The next day the telecentre went on the air again celebrating the 34th anniversary of the

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

with a special live broadcast from central Kyiv, the first outdoor broadcasts in Ukrainian TV history. On 1 May 1952, Labor Day, a live concert was aired on film (shot in the small and only pavilion of the studios known as "Studio B") starring Ukrainian singers, soloists of the Kyiv

Taras Shevchenko Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko (; ; 9 March 1814 – 10 March 1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist, public and political figure, folklorist, and ethnographer. He was a fellow of the Imperial Academy of Arts and a member of the Brotherhood o ...

Opera Theater. The anchorwoman of the concert was the Kyiv Telecentre's first announcer – Novella Serapionova. In 1953, the construction of the building of the Kyiv Telecentre on

Khreshchatyk Khreshchatyk (, ) is the main street of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. The street is long, and runs in a northeast-southwest direction from European Square (Kyiv), European Square through the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Maidan to Bessarabska Sq ...

was completed, right after

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

's broadcasting studios were both completed. Regular programming started to go on air beginning November 1956. Until that year, the Kyiv TV Station went on air twice a day showing feature films or documentaries on a test basis. Live broadcasting was the only form of broadcasting during those early years from Kyiv, as well as relays from Moscow via Smolensk and Rostov-on-Don transmitters and film sent from there. Videotaped productions (save for news programming and special coverages that were aired live) became the usual form for many productions in the mid-1960s. As a result of an ongoing expansion of broadcasts to other parts of Ukraine thru the building of remote studios and broadcast transmitters, it was needed for DerTelRadio - the State Committee of Radio and TV of Ukraine, operators of the TV service - to consider stating nationwide broadcasts, coupled with the future launch of satellite broadcasting. The long-awaited national channel signed on at last on January 20, 1965, under the name UT-1 (Ukrainian television-1), today

Pershyi Pershyi (, ; meaning First) is the Ukrainian public television channel, operated by the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. It is the only Ukrainian TV channel covering over 97% of Ukraine's territory. Its programs are oriented toward all ...

, while on March 6, 1972, a second channel, UT-2, signed on - on the basis of part of the original 1956 channel. The UT network switched to SECAM Colour in 1976, its 20th anniversary. In 1983, construction began on new broadcasting studios at 42 Melnyk Street, which opened after the fall of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1993. After the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

, Ukrainian television became more free. In February 2009 the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting claimed that "political pressure on mass media increased in recent times through amending laws and other normative acts to strengthen influence on mass media and regulatory bodies in this sphere". As of January 2009,

Ukrainian Prime Minister The prime minister of Ukraine (, , ) is the head of government of Ukraine. The prime minister presides over the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the Ukrainian government. Following the 1991 D ...

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

refused to appear in Inter TV-programmes "until journalists, management and owners of the TV channel stop destroying the freedom of speech and until they remember the essence of their profession - honesty, objectiveness, and unbiased stand".Inter TV Channel Denies Businessman Firtash's Being Among Shareholders Of Company
,

Ukrainian News Agency The Ukrainian News Agency ( ) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, as well as a popular photo reporting service. Since February 2008 the company is part of the Inter Medi ...

(January 23, 2009) In early March 2014, Ukraine-based TV channels were removed in Crimea ahead of the Russian annexation

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

. Later that month, the Ukrainian National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting ordered measures against some Russian TV channels accused of broadcasting misleading information about Ukraine. In February 2015 the law "On protection information television and radio space of Ukraine," banned the showing (on Ukrainian television) of "audiovisual works" that contain "popularization, propaganda, any action of law enforcement agencies, armed forces, other military or security forces of an invader" was enacted. One year later Russian productions (on Ukrainian television) had decreased by 300 to 400 percent.During the year, showing Russian media product fell to 3-4 - National Council

Den Den may refer to: * Den (room), a small room in a house * Maternity den, a lair where an animal gives birth Media and entertainment * ''Den'' (album), 2012, by Kreidler * Den (''Battle Angel Alita''), a character in the ''Battle Angel Alita'' ...

(5 February 2016) 15 more Russian TV channels were banned in March 2016. According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.509 dated June 13, 2018, analogue broadcasting was disconnected on the territory of

Kirovohrad Oblast Kirovohrad Oblast (), also known as Kirovohradshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (''province'') in central Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kropyvnytskyi. The oblast's population is It is ...

and Kyiv from July 31, 2018. The date of the switch-off of analogue broadcasting on the rest of Ukraine is August 31, 2018 A

Research & Branding Group Research & Branding Group () is a Ukrainian non-governmental marketing and sociological research company. Research and Branding undertake a number of significant sociological public opinion polls on public policy, public opinion and politics in ...

February 2021 poll found that for the first time Ukrainians preferred the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

as their primary news source instead of television (51% preferred the Internet and 41% TV).

Timeline of Ukrainian public TV broadcasting history

Early Development (1939–1950s)

* 1939: The first experimental television broadcast in Kyiv occurred on February 1, featuring a 40-minute transmission of photographs of Sergo Ordzhonikidze from a small studio in central Kyiv. * 1951: Marks the beginning of the modern era of Ukrainian television. Trial airings occurred on November 5, 6, and 7: ** November 5: Airing of the film ''"Alitet Leaves for the Mountains."'' ** November 6: Propaganda film ''"Velyka Zahrava" (The Great Glow).'' ** November 7: First live broadcast — coverage of the October Revolution demonstration from Khreshchatyk Street. * 1952: The first television announcers appeared: Olga Danylenko, Elena Nikolaeva, and Novella Serpionova. * 1954: The first mobile TV station (PTS-52) was introduced, enabling live coverage of major events, including the 300th anniversary of the Pereyaslav Council and a Dynamo Kyiv football match.

Institutional Growth and Expansion (1960s–1980s)

* 1956: Launch of the first news broadcasts and the formation of the Kyiv Experimental Television Theater. * 1963: Introduction of ''"Evening Tale,"'' the Soviet Union’s first daily children’s television program, hosted for 25 years by Panas (Petro Vesklyarov). * 1965: Introduction of the "UT" brand and establishment of a unified republican television service with UT-1. * 1968: Kyiv Television Center became the first in Ukraine to transmit color broadcasts using the SECAM standard; Tamara Stratienko hosted the first color broadcast. * 1972: Launch of UT-2 television channel. * 1976: Launch of UT-3. * 1980: Introduction of portable Betacam video equipment for field journalism.

Independence Era and International Integration (1990s–2000s)

* 1991: Formation of the State TV and Radio Company of Ukraine following the country’s independence. * 1993: Ukraine’s state broadcaster became a full member of the European Broadcasting Union, enabling participation in international events such as the Eurovision Song Contest and the Olympic Games. * 1995: Reorganization into the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTKU) and rebranding as First National (Pershyi Natsionalnyi), pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 12. * 2002: Satellite broadcasting began in cooperation with the National Space Agency of Ukraine, expanding global reach. * 2008: NTKU initiated internet broadcasting of its programming.

Transition to Public Broadcasting (2015–Present)

* April 7, 2015: Enactment of legislation establishing public broadcasting in Ukraine. * January 19, 2017: Official formation of the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NSTU) as a public joint-stock company, marking the completion of the transition from state-controlled to independent public broadcasting.

Digital television

In 2007 and 2008, experimental DVB-T broadcasts of few channels started in Kyiv and

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

. Those turned out to be successful. Yet the DTT National Program is not approved by the government, thus the process is stuck. Because there are two versions of the program submitted: from the Ministry of Transport and Communications as well as from the State Committee of Television and Radio, there is no particular progress in 2008. On 26 November 2008, the National Program of the Ministry was approved, but the final version and the public announcement of this fact is still on hold. Current version of the program does not take into notice any kind of Government financing, and the budget is to be private only, which will highly affect the TV industry and commercial broadcasters. Besides there are 3rd parties, such as Television Industry Committee and National Association of Broadcasters which represent the communities of National and regional broadcasters respectively. Both organizations help the switchover not to affect the business of over 20 National and over 150 regional broadcasters. The International Forum 'Digital Broadcasting in Ukraine' is the annual event that takes place in Kyiv, Ukraine. Its mission is to gather the most of international consultants and Ukrainian specialists to solve industry's problems in the DTT field. In 2008 the 2nd International Forum took place in Kyiv also.

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Deloitte Deloitte is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom. It is the largest professional services network in the world by revenue and number of employees, and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, along wi ...

and the Ministry of Communications of Finland representatives share the vision of possible plan of DTT implementation in Ukraine, delivering the best experiences from UK, Finland, France and US. Still none was taken into notice yet. It is now confirmed that Ukraine's national terrestrial TV network, which is scheduled to be launched in September 2011, will use the DVB-T2 standard for all four nationwide

FTA FTA may refer to: Arts and media * '' The Faery Tale Adventure'', a computer game * Festival TransAmériques, an annual dance and theater festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada * Free The Army tour, the F.T.A. Tour or F.T.A. Show, an American anti ...

multiplexes, for both SD and HD broadcasts. Before settling for DVB-T2, Ukraine was testing both DVB-T/MPEG-2 and DVB-T/MPEG-4 options, and some experimental transmitters operating in those standards are still alive.

Other technologies

Commercial

MMDS Multichannel multipoint distribution service (MMDS), formerly known as broadband radio service (BRS) and also known as wireless cable, is a wireless telecommunications technology, used for general-purpose broadband networking or, more commonly ...

digital TV services work in Kyiv and some other cities. DVB-C services delivering premium channels (in addition to standard analogue channels) launched in cable networks of

Kremenchuk Kremenchuk (; , , also spelt Kremenchug, ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. The city serves as the administrative center of Kremenchuk Raion and Kremenchuk urban hromada within ...

Poltava Poltava (, ; , ) is a city located on the Vorskla, Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Poltava Oblast as well as Poltava Raion within the oblast. It also hosts the administration of Po ...

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

and some other cities.

Broadcasting

As of February 2019, television broadcasting in Ukraine is available in a colour digital format, via: *

digital TV Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative adv ...

satellite TV Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location.ITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems ...

* cable television (

Volia ''Volia'' is an extinct monospecific genus of mekosuchine crocodylian closely related to '' Mekosuchus'' and '' Trilophosuchus''. ''Volia'' is known from a collection of largely fragmentary remains including skull bones and limbs recovered fr ...

, regional operators) * online services and IPTV (the most famous ones are Divan TV, Sweet TV, MEGOGO, Handy TV) There is a choice between several free-to-air commercial broadcasters as well as the public broadcaster, the

Suspilne The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine JSC (, ''NTSU''), also known as Suspilne (, , ) or previously UA:PBC, is the national public broadcaster of Ukraine. As such it was registered on 19 January 2017.Pershyi Pershyi (, ; meaning First) is the Ukrainian public television channel, operated by the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. It is the only Ukrainian TV channel covering over 97% of Ukraine's territory. Its programs are oriented toward all ...

and an art station,

Suspilne Kultura Suspilne Kultura () is a Ukrainian public TV channel showcasing culture in Ukraine, operated by the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. History The State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company "Culture" emerged in Ukraine in 2002 as ...

, the

Suspilne The National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine JSC (, ''NTSU''), also known as Suspilne (, , ) or previously UA:PBC, is the national public broadcaster of Ukraine. As such it was registered on 19 January 2017.1+1 media 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, StarLightMedia and Inter Media Group, which is the smallest Ukrainian major broadcaster. One of the main Ukrainian news channels, Channel 5, belongs to a former president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko. Regional television in Ukraine consists primarily of independently owned networks not affiliated with major broadcasters in each region. Subscription television consists of various providers. The largest providers are

Kyivstar Kyivstar () is a Ukrainian telecommunications company, providing communication services and data transmission based on a broad range of fixed and mobile technologies, including 4G (LTE) services, in Ukraine. The Kyivstar mobile network covers a ...

Viasat Viasat may refer to: *Viasat (American company) (founded 1986) ** Viasat hack, a cyberattack on the Viasat KA-SAT network that happened in February 2022 *Viasat (Nordic television service) Viasat is a direct broadcast satellite, satellite and pa ...

and

. In remote areas, there are many small independent providers that provide either satellite or cable television services. Community television launched in mid-2010s to broadcast

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

protests. As of 2019, the sector is represented by

Hromadske.tv hromadske (; lit. ''Public'') is an independent online media in Ukraine. The station was announced in June 2013 by 15 journalists, before commencing operations on 22 November 2013. It is registered as an NGO.Music Box UA * 8 channel * EU Music * 4ever Music * BoutiqueTV * Eko-TV * Milady Television * Malyatko TV * Pershyi Avtomobilny Channel *

Pershyi Dilovyi Channel Pershyi (, ; meaning First) is the Ukraine, Ukrainian public television channel, operated by the Suspilne Ukraine, Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine. It is the only Ukrainian TV channel covering over 97% of Ukraine's territory. Its programs ...

* Telekanal 24 * CHP.Info * Nadiya (Hope Channel Ukraine) * Sonce TV * PORT-MONE TV * CNL Ukraine * Discovery Channel Ukraine * TLC Ukraine * National Geographic Channel Ukraine *

Nat Geo Wild National Geographic Wild (shortened as Nat Geo Wild and abbreviated NGW) is a global pay television network owned by National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (73%) and the National Geographic Society (27% ...

Ukraine * Da Vinci Learning Ukraine *

Deutsche Welle (; "German Wave"), commonly shortened to DW (), is a German state-funded television network, state-owned international broadcaster funded by the Federal Government of Germany. The service is available in 32 languages. DW's satellite tele ...

MTV Global MTV Global (formerly MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV as 24-hour music video and entertainment pay television network officially launched on 1 August 1987 as part of the worldwide MTV network. Initial ...

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American Cable television in the United States, cable television channel, channel owned by Paramount Global through its Paramount Media Networks, network division's Paramount Media Networks#MTV Entertainment Group, MTV Ente ...

Nickelodeon Global Nickelodeon Global (formerly Nickelodeon Europe and Nickelodeon Export) is a specialized children's television channel and the international version of the American Nickelodeon channel. It is operated by Paramount Networks EMEAA in Europe, the ...

Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (sometimes disambiguated as Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon or Nick Jr. on Nick, and sometimes referred to as Nick, Jr.) is an American morning programming block that airs on Nickelodeon every weekday. It was launched on January 4, 1988. Nick ...

Nicktoons Nicktoons is the brand name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company (Paramount Global) in their copyright bylines. Since ...

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are located a ...

Ukraine *

AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...

* FX *

FX Life FX Life is an international pay television network, owned by Disney Entertainment, a division of The Walt Disney Company, as a replacement to Fox Life. The network has been discontinued in several markets over time, and is currently active in Gr ...

Local

* Kyiv 24 news * Pershiy Zakhidniy * Black Sea TV *

ATR ATR may refer to: Medicine * Acute transfusion reaction * Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related, a protein involved in DNA damage repair Science and mathematics * Advanced Test Reactor, nuclear research reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory, ...

* Lale * Grad TV Odesa

International

1+1 International 1+1 International is an international TV channel aimed at the Ukrainian diaspora, broadcasting throughout North America and Europe. It is the international sister channel of the Ukrainian channel 1+1 and started broadcasting in March 2006. The ...

* Inter+ *

FreeDom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

(also broadcast in DTT in Estonia, Tet Pay TV DTT in Latvia and local MUX in Lithuania) * Kvartal TV International

Criticism

Some political and public activists criticize Ukrainian television, mainly some national channels, for broadcasting large amounts of content of Russian origin. According to calculations of

Boycott Russian Films Boycott Russian Films () is a Ukrainian civic campaign that supports a boycott of Russian films and television series. It is a part of a broader boycott campaign called " Do not buy Russian goods!" started by the Ukrainian social movement Vid ...

activists, in September 2014 the amount of Russian productions on the leading Ukrainian channels (" Ukrayina", " ICTV", "NTN", "

Novyi Kanal Novyi Kanal ( , ) is a Ukrainian television channel. The channel is a part of the Starlight Media broadcasting group, created by Viktor Pinchuk. History The channel was launched on July 15, 1998. At first, it was broadcast only in Kyiv, but ...

", "

Inter Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, ...

", "

STB State Security (, ), or StB / ŠtB, was the secret police force in communist Czechoslovakia from 1945 to its dissolution in 1990. Serving as an intelligence and counter-intelligence agency, it dealt with any activity that was considered oppositio ...

", "

2+2 Two two may refer to: * Two Two (투투), a Korean pop group * Jacob Two-Two, a fictional character in several books, films, and a TV series See also * 2 (disambiguation) * 2+2 (disambiguation) * 2/2 (disambiguation) * Tootoo * Tutu (disambig ...

", " TET", "K1", "

1+1 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

") was approximately 40%. In October and December activists noticed increasing of amounts of Russian content on these channels, then Ukraine was at war with Russia. Also activists criticise Ukrainian channels for their language policy. In October 2014 activists have published statistics on content language on Ukrainian channels. According to them, at the time 29% was completely

Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...

content, 39.3% completely

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

content, 23.5% Russian language content with Ukrainian subtitles, and 8.2% bilingual content (both Ukrainian and Russian).

2019 Ukrainian presidential election

During the

2019 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 March 2019. As none of the 39 candidates on the ballot received an absolute majority of the initial vote, a runoff was held on 21 April between the top two vote-getters: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a t ...

, various Ukrainian television channels supported a candidate for President of Ukraine. Five groups supported Poroshenko: *

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

's Channel 5 and Pryamiy supported Poroshenko and were very critical of

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

and

. *

Dmytro Firtash Dmytro Vasylovych Firtash (; born 2 May 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman who heads the board of directors of Group DF. He was highly influential during the Yushchenko administration and the Yanukovych administration. As a middleman for the R ...

's very powerful

supported

Yuriy Boyko Yuriy Anatoliyovych Boyko (, ; born 9 October 1958) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician who served as one of the Second Azarov government, Vice Prime Ministers of Ukraine between 2012 and 2014,

and Poroshenko. *

Rinat Akhmetov Rinat Leonidovych Akhmetov (born 21 September 1966) is a Ukrainian billionaire and businessman. He is the founder and president of international investment group System Capital Management (SCM), and is the wealthiest man in Ukraine. Akhmetov i ...

's TRK Ukraina, which is owned by Akhmetov's System Capital Management Holdings, supported Poroshenko,

Oleh Lyashko Oleh Valeriiovych Liashko (; born 3 December 1972) is a Ukrainian politician, journalist and soldier who was a long time member of the Verkhovna Rada and leader of the Radical Party. Liashko was elected as a deputy to the Verkhovna Rada in 2006 ...

, and

Oleksandr Vilkul Oleksandr Yuriyovych Vilkul (; born 24 May 1974), also known as Aleksandr Yuryevich Vilkul () is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who is currently serving as Head of the Ukrainian Military Administration of Kryvyi Rih. He has previously s ...

. Akhmetov's

Opposition Bloc The Opposition Bloc (, ) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine that was founded in 2014 by the merger of six parties that did not endorse Euromaidan. Legally, the party was created by renaming the lesser-known party "Leading Force".

nominated Vilkul. *

Viktor Medvedchuk Viktor Volodymyrovych Medvedchuk (; born 7 August 1954), also known as Viktor Vladimirovich Medvedchuk (), is a former Ukrainian lawyer, business oligarch, and politician who has lived in exile in Russia since September 2022 after being handed ...

's Channel 112 and

Yevheniy Murayev Yevheniy Volodymyrovych Murayev (; born 2 December 1976) is a Ukrainian politician and media owner. He was the leader of the now-banned political party Nashi. Murayev has been a deputy of the Kharkiv Oblast Council (two convocations) and a de ...

NewsOne NewsOne or News 1 or ''variation'', may refer to: * CTV News1, Canadian cable news channel * NewsOne (Ukrainian TV channel), a former Ukrainian TV news channel * News1, Israeli news website * News1 (Thai TV channel) See also * NewsON * * * ...

supported Poroshenko, Lyashko, and Boyko. Medvedchuk's

Opposition Platform — For Life The Opposition Platform – For Life (; , OPZZh) was a Russophilia, pro-Russian and Euroscepticism, Eurosceptic Political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine banned after the 2022 Russian invasion. The party was the successor of Fo ...

nominated Boyko. The godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter is

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...

. *

Petro Dyminskyi Petro Petrovych Dyminskyi (; born 27 November 1954) is a Ukrainian politician, businessman and former footballer for FC Kryvbas Kryvyi Rih. He served as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from 2002 to 2006 as a representative of Ukraine's 122nd ele ...

's ZIK supported Poroshenko's allies allowing them to explain their story while they were under investigation. Three TV groups were very critical of Poroshenko: * Ihor Kolomoisky's

media group supported

. Kolomoisky and Zelenskyy are business partners. *

Andriy Sadovyi Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi (; born 19 August 1968) is a Ukrainian politician and businessman who has served as the mayor of Lviv, the administrative centre of the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine, since 2006. He is the former leader of the Self Re ...

's Channel 24, supported

Anatoliy Hrytsenko Anatoliy Stepanovych Hrytsenko (; born 25 October 1957) is a Ukrainian politician, independent deputy of the 7th Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, former Minister of Defence, and member of the Our Ukraine political party and leader of the Civil Posi ...

and opposed Poroshenko. *

's Nash TV supported Vilkul and was against Poroshenko but neutral to Tymoshenko and Lyashko. Under the state-owned National Public Broadcasting Company, UA:Pershyi was critical of Poroshenko.

Victor Pinchuk Victor Mykhailovych Pinchuk (; born 14 December 1960) is a Ukrainian businessman and oligarch. As of January 2016, ''Forbes magazine'' ranked him as 1,250th on the list of wealthiest people in the world, with a fortune of US$1.44 billion. ...

's ICTV,

and

were neutral.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Since the start of the

invasion An invasion is a Offensive (military), military offensive of combatants of one geopolitics, geopolitical Legal entity, entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory (country subdivision), territory controlled by another similar entity, ...

on , most Ukrainian television channels switched over to the signal of

Rada TV Parliamentary TV-channel «RADA» () is the official television channel of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada). Until its relaunch in December 2021, it showed live broadcasts of the parliament's meetings, and others programs related to the ...

. The channel was made state-owned at the end of 2021. Following , the four biggest broadcasters including the TV channels

, ICTV and

began broadcasting a 24/7 united newscast called ''United News'' () that is produced in turn by the various channels and amended with official information by governmental agencies to "objectively and promptly provide comprehensive information from different regions of the country 24/7".

References

Bibliography

* Wilson,A. ''Virtual Politics - Faking Democracy in the Post-Soviet World''. "

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...

", 2005.

External links

History of television in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Channel One
{{Television in Europe Television channels * Ukrainian entertainment-related lists