Entertainment Content Outpaces News, Messaging Apps Remain Dominant, and Streaming Platforms Surge: How Media Consumption in Ukraine Changed in 2024 — Gradus Research Survey

Significant shifts in the popularity of channels and content types have been highlighted in a new media consumption survey among Ukrainians, conducted by Gradus Research in October 2024. The survey paid special attention to digital and traditional channels, consumption duration, and other specifics of entertainment content, which currently takes the lead. The methodology was developed with input from independent media auditor Kwendi, Suspilne, and OMD Optimum Media Ukraine.

News Loses Its Top Spot Among Media Content Categories

News content has given way to entertainment as the leading category for Ukrainians. Fictional films and TV series, chosen by 79% of respondents, now dominate. They are followed by news and socio-political programs (68%) and music programs (63%). These shifts reflect changes in public sentiment in the third year of the full-scale war in Ukraine: people are less optimistic about a quick end to the conflict, fatigue from news is accumulating, and real-time event tracking has declined.

News is Mostly Consumed via Messaging Apps

Telegram and other messaging apps are the primary channels for news consumption, used by 75% of respondents, followed by social networks like Facebook and Instagram (56%). Video platforms, including YouTube, also play a significant role (51%), indicating the popularity of multimedia news formats.

Video Platforms Dominate as a Source of Entertainment Content

For entertainment, Ukrainians primarily turn to YouTube and similar video platforms, accounting for 63% of media consumption in this category. These platforms are especially popular among young audiences who actively engage with various digital video content types. Social networks and messaging apps also serve as key sources of entertainment content, consumed by 58% and 53% of respondents, respectively.

Telegram’s Usage Remains High

Despite restrictions on its use by government officials and military personnel on service devices, Telegram remains the top messaging app in Ukraine (90%). It is followed by Viber (77%) and Facebook Messenger (51%). The usage of these platforms has slightly decreased compared to March and October 2023. Meanwhile, WhatsApp's share has grown from 21% to 30% over the past year.

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok Top Social Networks in Ukraine

Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok remain the most popular social networks. Overall, 72% of respondents used Facebook in the past week, and 61% used Instagram. These platforms are essential not only for news consumption but also for social interaction and self-expression.

Streaming Services Becoming a Habit

Among streaming services, YouTube Music leads with 45% of respondents. Spotify follows in second place with 15%. Ukrainians increasingly listen to music or watch videos on these platforms, reflecting a gradual shift from traditional media to digital platforms.

"The growing popularity of streaming services and social networks as primary entertainment channels highlights the significant influence of global trends, especially among younger audiences. These changes indicate the formation of new content consumption habits, which are likely to have a long-term impact on the Ukrainian media landscape and shape its further development," commented Evgeniya Blyznyuk, sociologist, CEO&Founder of Gradus Research.

The survey was conducted by Gradus Research using a mobile application where respondents filled out the questionnaire independently. The sample represents the urban population of cities with over 50,000 residents aged 18–60, structured by gender, age, city size, and region, excluding temporarily occupied territories and areas of active hostilities. Fieldwork period: October 25–27, 2024. Sample size: 1,050 respondents.

The full survey report is available on a commercial basis upon request at dn@gradus.app

Report Structure:

• Media Content Consumption Categories (fictional films and series, news or socio-political programs, etc.) by gender and age
• News Content Consumption Channels (messengers, social networks, etc.) by gender and age
• Entertainment Content Consumption Channels (messengers, social networks, etc.) by gender and age
• Devices Used for Content Viewing (by gender and age; dynamics from March 2023 to October 2023)
• Television Ownership and Usage Purpose (by age)
• Messaging App Usage (by gender, age, region, and city size; dynamics from March 2023 to October 2023)
• Social Network Usage (by gender, age, region, and city size; dynamics from March 2023 to October 2023)
• Video Platform Usage (by age and region)
• Viewing National TV Marathon "United News" (overall and frequency by gender and age)
• TV Channel Viewing (by gender, age, and city size)
• Radio Station Listening (by gender, age, region, and city size)
• Music and Video Streaming Services Usage (by gender, age, and region)
• OTT/IPTV Services Usage (by gender and age)
• Paid Subscriptions for OTT/IPTV and YouTube Services (by gender and age)
• Frequency of Using Media Content as Background While Doing Other Tasks (by age)
• Average Time Spent Consuming Content:
• From social networks (daily by gender and age)
• From messaging apps (daily by gender and age)
• From video platforms (daily by age)
• From online cinema platforms (daily by gender and age)
• From websites (daily by gender and age)
• From Ukrainian TV channels (daily by age)
• From podcasts (daily by age)
• From radio (daily by gender and age)
• Circumstances and Methods of Consuming Audio Content (by gender and age)
• Methods of Consuming Video Content (by gender and age)
• Usage of Ad-Blocking Services Online (by gender and age)