Data produced by Medialne.sk indicates an important development in viewing patterns in Slovakia. Last Friday (July 6) saw the public broadcaster’s first channel STV1 secure a primetime audience share of 34.1%, as opposed to the long established market leader TV Markiza’s 33.5%. The all-day figure for STV1 was meanwhile 28.9%, or only one percentage point less than CME-backed TV Markiza. Although this indicates that STV1 can now run TV Markiza closer than previously, there is still a huge gulf between the number one and two channels: TV Markiza is currently averaging a monthly viewing share of 35% and STV1 19%. Third place TV Joj claims 15-16% and the other local services STV2 and TA3 4% and 1.6% respectively. Significantly, Czech and Hungarian TV services account for around 10% and 6.3% of viewers respectively, and all others – including cable and satellite – up to 9%.
