Cultural and Artistic Content on Ukrainian Television: Trends, Challenges and Development Prospects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2524-2652.2026.114Abstract
The contemporary Ukrainian television landscape is undergoing profound transformation driven by socio-political factors, digitalization, and shifts in audience media consumption patterns. In the context of military aggression and global competition for viewer attention, cultural and artistic television content acquires exceptional importance as an instrument of humanitarian security, a means of preserving collective memory, representing national identity, and supporting creative practices. The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the dynamics of cultural and artistic content on Ukrainian television, determine its functional and value-oriented role, and outline strategic directions for strengthening the cultural media segment under conditions of media convergence and digital transformation. The methodological framework of the study includes systemic and content analysis, comparative media monitoring of television audience ratings, tools of the structural-functional approach, and elements of media and cultural studies. The empirical basis comprises audience data for April–August 2025, content characteristics of flagship cultural television projects, and indicators of shifts in media consumption patterns, particularly the expansion of FAST-formats. The findings reveal that despite the dominance of news and entertainment genres, culturally-oriented programming forms stable semantic cores in the television space: public broadcasting ensures the preservation of cultural memory and the development of intellectual discourse; national talent and music shows act as mass cultural communicators; documentary and historical cycles restore cultural continuity and strengthen identity-building practices. The study confirms a growing demand for meaningful content, fragmented thematic formats, and multi-platform consumption. A set of strategic solutions for strengthening cultural broadcasting is proposed, including the establishment of state grant mechanisms, development of co-production models, introduction of cultural programming quotas in prime-time slots, launch of a dedicated FAST channel of Ukrainian culture, creation of an open digital archive of cultural audiovisual heritage, and development of educational programmes for producers and documentary filmmakers.
Downloads
References
BigDataUA. (2025). Ohliad pokaznykiv perehliadu za kvіten 2025 roku [Overview of viewing indicators for April 2025]. https://www.bigdataua.com/ua/blog/354-oglyad-pokaznikiv-pereglyadu-za-kviten-2025-roku [in Ukrainian].
BigDataUA. (2025). Ohliad pokaznykiv perehliadu za serpen 2025 roku [Overview of viewing indicators for August 2025]. https://www.bigdataua.com/ua/blog/360-oglyad-pokaznikiv-pereglyadu-za-serpen-2025-roku [in Ukrainian].
Dutsyk, D., & Umland, A. (2025). Mizh svobodoiu ta tsenzuroiu: ukrainskі zasoby masovoї іnformatsіi v chasy povnomasshtabnoi vіiny [Between freedom and censorship: Ukraine’s mass media in times of full-scale war] (SCEEUS Report No. 9). Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies. https://sceeus.se/en/publications/between-freedom-and-censorship-ukraines-mass-media-in-times-of-full-scale-war [in Ukrainian].
Georgiievska, V., Sydorenko, N., Gerasymenko, Ye., Dubetska, O., & Yevdokymenko, I. (2023). Trends in Media Development in Ukraine: Social communication and legal aspects. Social and Legal Studios, 6(3), 32–42. https://doi.org/10.32518/sals3.2023.32.
Gradus Research. (2024). Zminy u spozhyvannі medіa v Ukrainі u 2024 rotsi [Changes in media consumption in Ukraine in 2024]. https://gradus.app/en/open-reports/changes-media-consumption-ukraine-2024 [in Ukrainian].
Harmel, M. (2025). Evoliutsiia rozvazhalnoho sehmenta ukrainskykh medіa [Evolution of the Entertainment Segment of Ukrainian Media]. Aktualni problemy innovatsiinoi ekonomіky ta prava, 3, 94–97 [in Ukrainian]. https://doi.org/10.36887/2524-0455-2025-3-20
Holitsyn, A. M., & Frolova, V. M. (2023). Tendentsіi medіaspozhyvannia v Ukrainі u voiennyi chas [Trends of Media Consumption in Ukraine in Wartime]. Marketing and Digital Technologies, 7(1), 128–139. https://doi.org/10.15276/mdt.7.1.2023.10 [in Ukrainian].
Ivanytska, B., Stoliarchuk, N., Shostak, V., Moskvych, O., & Aleksandrova, M. (2024). Representation and Diversity of Ukrainian Culture in Contemporary Media: Impact, challenges and prospects. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6, Article 2024ss0225. https://doi.org/10.31893/multiscience.2024ss0225
Lytvynenko, A. (2023). Ukrainskі Youtube-kanaly na kulturno-mystetsku tematyku pіd chas povnomasshtabnoho vtorhnennia Rosіi do Ukrainy [Ukrainian Cultural and Artistic YouTube Channels during the First Year of the War of the Russian invasion of Ukraine]. Obraz, (2), 25–37. https://doi.org/10.21272/Obraz.2023.2(42)-25-37 [in Ukrainian].
Lytvynenko, A. I. (2025). Osoblyvosti formatіv teleprohram na kulturno-mystets’ku tematyku na ukraїns’komu telebachennі: іstorychnyi postup ta perspektyvy [Characteristics of the Formats of Cultural and Artistic programs on Ukrainian Television: Historical progress and prospects]. Vcheni zapysky TNU imeni V. I. Vernadskoho. Seriia: Filolohiia. Zhurnalistyka, 36(2), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.32782/2710-4656/2025.2.2/34 [in Ukrainian].
Pletsan, Kh. (2023). Universalnі zakonomіrnostі vynyknennia, evoliutsii і funktsionuvannia kulturnoi dyplomatіi v strukturi mekhanizmu rozvytku kreatyvnykh іndustrіi Ukrainy [Universal patterns of the emergence, evolution and functioning of cultural diplomacy in the structure of the development mechanism of creative industries of Ukraine]. Aktual’ni pytannia humanitarnykh nauk, 70(2), 4–16. https://doi.org/10.24919/2308-4863/70-2-1 [in Ukrainian].
Romaniuk, N. V. (2024). Marketynhova dokumentatsiia yak instrument upravlinnia innovatsiinymy produktamy v kreatyvnykh іndustrіiakh [Marketing documentation as a tool for managing innovative products in creative industries]. Entrepreneurship and Trade, 42, 55–63. https://doi.org/10.32782/2522-1256-2024-42-08 [in Ukrainian].
Sendetskyi, A. (2024). Ukrainsko-polskyi kulturnyi dialoh teatralnykh praktyk v ukrainskіi spetsіalіzovanіi perіodytsi 2014–2023 rokіv [Ukrainian–Polish cultural dialogue of theatre theatrical practices in Ukrainian specialized periodicals of 2014–2023]. Ukrainskі kulturolohіchnі studіi, 1(14). https://doi.org/10.17721/UCS.2024.1(14).12 [in Ukrainian].
Soklakov, M. (2024). Cultural production on social media: case study of occupied town. Ukrainian Cultural Studies, 2(15), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.17721/UCS.2024.2(15).10 [in Ukrainian].
Strutynska, T. (2024). Sotsialno-ekonomіchna problematyka rehіonal’nykh televізiinykh novyn v umovakh rosiis’ko-ukraїns’koї vіiny (na prykladi telekanalu “3-Studіia” m. Ivanо-Frankіvsk) [Social and economic problems of regional TV news in the conditions of the Russian-Ukrainian War (on the example of the TV channel “3-Studio” in Ivano-Frankivsk]. Communications and Communicative Technologies, 24, 50–58. [in Ukrainian].
