Digital and Convergent Development Indicators for UATV English Channel in 2022-2023

Abstract

Introduction. International broadcasting of Ukraine, namely the digital UATV English channel, has been active since 2017, but the most active period of rapid growth happened in 2022–2023 with the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. World attention allowed for a natural audience growth to the level of long-standing European and American international broadcasting YouTube channels. Implementing a modern strategy of digital tabloidisation kept the audience involved over time, and the channel maintained periodic natural audience growth, which is evidenced by certain digital and convergent indicators. Relevance of the study. Purpose of the research – research into the digital and convergent indicators of the development of the Ukrainian international broadcasting channel UATV English in 2022–2023 in order to understand their impact on strategic planning and efficiency of the media channel in the current information landscape. Methodology. Theoretical and empirical methods were used. The entire scientific procedure was based on a socio-communication approach. Source description, literature analysis, statistical method, observation, forecasting, historical method. The research period is from January 2022 to January 2024. The necessary data were collected from open-source digital analytics websites and social media platforms, as well as provided by the editorial team of UATV English itself. Results. The available data allow us to assess the efficiency of the current media strategy, implied by UATV English, based on digital indicators (both open-source and inside metrics), formulate conclusions and recommendations for an exemplary media strategy and lay ground for future in-depth research of Ukraine’s international broadcasting system after February 2022. Conclusions. Although the period of global attention has been diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East in the second half of 2023, the UATV English editorial team managed to maintain a high level of audience involvement, alongside providing natural growth of the audience through implying tabloid approaches to content design, using available tools for user engagement, analysing the demand of the audience and answering it with appropriate thematic content. However, there’s still room for standardising and establishing a single and exemplary media strategy and content design to meet the contemporary needs of the audience.