DW: Audience and Trust in 'Unified News' Telethon Have Significantly Decreased.

'Unified News' Telethon Becomes More Expensive but Less Popular

The Ukrainian budget is spending more and more funds on the development of the 'Unified News' telethon, but its effectiveness and popularity are declining. This conclusion was made by DW journalists after analyzing the situation.

Since February 2022, the state has allocated more than 1.6 billion hryvnias to private telethon producers. This amount exceeds the annual budget of all television channels and radio stations of 'Public', NABU, or the Ministry of Temporarily Occupied Territories.

According to Nielsen data, the telethon's audience decreased from 11 percent at the beginning of 2023 to less than eight percent in September 2024. For comparison, during the first weeks of the full-scale invasion, up to 25 percent of Ukraine's residents watched 'Unified News'.

According to a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, viewer trust in the telethon significantly decreased: if in May 2022 it was trusted by 69 percent of viewers, then by February 2024 this figure had decreased to 36 percent.

In 2024, the budget of 'Unified News' increased again - five private producers will receive almost 700 million hryvnias (16.5 million euros) for it. The draft state budget for 2025 provides for further funding at the same level.

The State Audit Service, which reviewed state procurements at the request of the head of the parliamentary committee on freedom of speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, assessed the use of funds as "conditional". In its 90-page report, the service noted the lack of clear criteria for effectiveness and fair pricing in the procurement of information services.