In the first half of 2026, Czech Television stations recorded the highest share of the television market in the general audience aged 15 and over, both for all-day viewing and during prime time. They also achieved the highest share in the 18–69 age group for all-day viewing. In the 15–54 age group for both all-day and evening viewing, and in the 18–69 age group for prime-time viewing, the Nova group had the highest share. This is shown by data from the official ATO audience measurement.
The results for the first half of the year were primarily influenced by the broadcast of the Winter Olympics, the Ice Hockey World Championship and the still-ongoing Football World Cup, which boosted the share of the ČT sport channel and contributed to the Czech Television channels gaining more than three percentage points year-on-year in the first half of the year, reaching an overall share of 32.48 per cent (15+, all-day). Their share was also three percentage points higher in other viewer groups during the first six months of the year. Such a significant year-on-year increase meant that the leading commercial television groups lagged behind last year’s first-half results.
ČT sport the standout performer
Thanks to the aforementioned sporting events, ČT sport was the channel with the highest year-on-year growth. Its share in the first half of the year exceeded six per cent (6.14 per cent, 15) and rose by 2.3 percentage points year-on-year. The market shares of ČT2 (to 4.45 per cent) and ČT24 (to 5.07 per cent) also increased by half a percentage point. The news channel CNN Prima News also continued to grow, rising by 0.3 percentage points to 2.75 per cent (15), as did Prima Krimi, which rose by 0.2 percentage points to 4.64 per cent. The ongoing football championship helped Nova Action in June, which was reflected in its half-year average share rising by 0.2 percentage points to 1.69 per cent.
The channel with the highest share of the television market remains TV Nova’s main channel with 16.89 per cent (15), ahead of ČT1 (15.69 per cent) and TV Prima’s main channel (9.93 per cent). With its half-year results, ČT sport secured the position of the fourth-largest channel in the first half of 2026.
The programme of the half-year: the ice hockey match against Canada
The Czech ice hockey team’s match against Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Turin and Cortina became the most-watched programme of the half-year. The match, broadcast on 18 February, was watched by 2.15 million viewers aged 4 and over on TV alone, with a share of 59 per cent. Other Olympic sports – women’s snowboarding, the women’s 5,000-metre speed skating event and the Czech Republic v Switzerland ice hockey match – also attracted the largest audiences. Rounding off the top five most-watched programmes was the ice hockey match between the Czech Republic and Canada, this time at the World Championships in May, with 1.8 million viewers (4).
Source: mediaguru.cz