Ukraine News Today was a Ukraine-based private
English language
English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...
satellite television channel and
webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand. Essentially, webca ...
ing service.
The channel, which was owned by the Ukrainian
1+1 group and headquartered 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, ...
, presented round-the-clock news bulletins aimed at the
overseas news market. The General Producer was
Tetiana Pushnova.
In April 2016 it stopped satellite broadcasting, to become an online-only service. Prior to that, it was an international satellite television channel. On 26 December 2016, it was announced that its parent company 1+1 was shutting down the online service on 1 January 2017.
History
In the midst of the
Revolution of Dignity
The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...
and
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 ...
, which saw major political change in Ukraine, as well as a surge of perceived anti-Ukraine propaganda from Russia, and in particular from channel
RT, Ukrainian oligarch
Ihor Kolomoyskiy, owner of one of the largest media groups in Ukraine,
1+1 Group, switched the focus of his first 24-hour news channel from
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
matters to Ukraine, before relaunching as Ukraine Today. Kolomoyskyi stated that "Ukraine Today is our contribution in support of Ukraine's European choice".
Previous ventures
The channel has its origins in two previous English-language news channels owned by 1+1 Media and its majority shareholder Ukrainian oligarch
Ihor Kolomoyskyi;
[ Jewish News 1, which closed on 22 April 2014, and the intermediary channel Ukraine News 1 which closed in June 2014.]
Launch of Ukraine Today
Ukraine Today began broadcasting on 14 August 2014, with a live stream on YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and via the Eutelsat Hot Bird satellite, displaying a testcard and scrolling text giving information on how to receive the channel. The channel officially launched on Ukrainian Independence Day, 24 August[ when it began broadcasting news content.
In 2014 Ukraine Today was operated by the ]UNIAN
The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...
TV company.Virgin Media
Virgin Media Limited is a British telecommunications company which provides telephone, television and internet services in the United Kingdom. Its headquarters are at Green Park in Reading, England. It is owned by Virgin Media O2, a 50:50 ...
platform, alongside its sister channel 1+1 International, being the first Ukrainian TV channels to broadcast to the United Kingdom. The Ukrainian embassy in London then joined the channel in 'officially launching' in the UK that December. It was already available in Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and in Washington D.C. on the MHz Networks cable system.
Closure
Less than a year later, in April 2016, it was announced that satellite broadcasting of Ukraine Today would be stopped as a cost saving measure. It would move to being an online-only service.[ Most of the staff, including Ukraine Today's Tom Bell, moved to the Ukrainian broadcaster UA TV.
]
Format
According to the channel, its primary focus is on Ukrainian current affairs, with additional editorial focuses including EU expansion and integration, Russian relations with Europe and America, the defence of European values in both Ukraine and within the EU itself, and the challenges of nation-building in the 21st century.Euronews
Euronews (stylised in lowercase) is a pan-European television news broadcasting, news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. It is a provider of livestreamed news, which can be viewed in Europe and North Africa via satellite, and in most of the ...
style content on 14 August 2014.
See also
* Mass media of Ukraine
* International broadcasting
International broadcasting consists of radio and television transmissions that purposefully cross international boundaries, often with then intent of allowing expatriates to remain in touch with their countries of origin as well as educate, inform ...
References
External links
*
1+1 Media Group page
Ukraine Today
on VKontakte
Ukraine Today presented to British audience
{{1+1 Media Group
Defunct television stations in Ukraine
Television channels and stations established in 2014
Television channels and stations disestablished in 2016
2014 establishments in Ukraine
2016 disestablishments in Ukraine
Companies based in Kyiv
1+1 Media Group