Category: TV ratings

The 16^th edition of the EURO 2020 European Football Championship kicked off with a lavish ceremony at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome on 11 June. For the first time the event is being held at 11 stadiums in 11 cities by 11 UEFA national associations in honor of the 60^th “birthday” of the championship. The event is long awaited by the football fans, because due to the complicated pandemic situation it has been postponed for a year. Second consecutive edition of the championship includes 24 teams that promise a spectacular battle for the prestigious first place. On the chart we present a comparison with the results from the previous editions of the championship, according to the reported TV ratings:

The last four championships from 2008 to the current year are arranged in chronological order, and the average values ​​are grouped according to their different phases. For the purposes of the comparative analysis, we chose a broad target group, covering all people aged between 15 and 64 years. The data represent an average rating for all matches played in the specific phase, and when a match is broadcast by more than one TV channel, the total reported rating is accumulated. For example, this year the official opening ceremony of the championship was broadcast on BNT 1, BNT 3, Nova TV and Diema Sport 2 and the result with which it appears on the chart is a sum of the ratings of the four channels. With each subsequent edition, the opening ceremony of the championship becomes more spectacular and interesting for the audience. If in 2008 and 2012 the interest in it is lower than in the other phases of the championship, then the last two championships attract much more spectators for the official part. In 2021 the opening ceremony took place in the capital of Italy, and for the entertainment of the fans took care musicians from the local police orchestra, dancers, as well as Andrea Bocelli and Bono from U2. The ceremony started at 9 p.m., lasted one hour and was broadcast simultaneously on BNT 1, BNT 3, Nova TV and Diema Sport 2. The parallel broadcast of the opening ceremony of EURO 2020 on four TV channels contributes to the high result in 2021.

Traditionally, each championship begins with group phases in which all qualified teams participate. In general, the interest in them is the weakest compared to the other stages of the race. During EURO 2012 the group phases reached the highest average rating – 8.3%. In the next two editions of the championships the interest in this phase decreases and remains relatively constant – 5.8% (EURO 2016) and 5.7% (EURO 2020).

In 2016 is the first European Championship in the group stage of which 24 teams play, instead of 16 teams, as in the previous ones. This condition leads to the formation of a completely new phase – round of 16. The data show that the audience’s interest is growing compared to the previous stage, and this year the rating of the round of 16 even exceeds the rating of the quarterfinals. The match with the highest score in this stage of the championship was broadcast on 28.06 (Monday), between the teams of Croatia and Spain and reaches a 12.39% rating in the target group All 15-64. The figures in the chart show that as we approach the culmination, viewers’ interest in front of TV screens increases. The data for the quarterfinals in the previous three championships prove exactly this rule, as in EURO 2008 the achieved average rating of the quarterfinals is 53% above the average rating of the matches in the group stage. An exception is the current championship, in which the results of the quarterfinals are lower than those in the previous phase. The match from this stage of the game with the highest TV audience interest is the match played on 02.07 (Friday) between the teams of Belgium and Italy – 10.67% rating in the target group All 15-64.

The semi-final phase of EURO 2020 has the highest reported average rating among the last four editions of the championships. The matches Italy-Spain (06.07) and England-Denmark (07.07) registered an average rating of 13.2% and this is an increase of 59% above the average rating from the previous phase of the championship. The semi-finals from the previous years also have high results, and in 2012 and 2016 the values are relatively close – 12.0% (EURO 2012) and 11.6% (EURO 2016).

On 11.07.2021 (Sunday), the final match of the championship was played at Wembley Stadium in London. The curious thing in this case is that Italy was a symbolic host and England a visiting team. After an even score in regular time, the players reach a climax worthy of a final, and the winner is decided by taking penalties in the awarded overtime. The final is broadcast on BNT 1, BNT 3, Nova TV and the newly launched in July – Diema Sport 3, and the average rating that reaches is the record for EURO 2020 – 15.8% in the broad target group All 15-64. This result ranks it third among the finals of the championships in question, and a probable reason for the lower rating compared to previous editions is the elections held on the same day for MPs and the defocused attention of the audience.

The following chart presents detailed information on the performance of each EURO 2020 match in three target groups – All 15-64, men and women:

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Only three months after the last parliamentary elections, Bulgaria votes again for members of parliament in the National Assembly. The distinguishing feature of the elections held on July 11, was that for the first time in most of the sections the machine voting was obligatory. This feature, as well as everything about the elections, were followed in special studios by the leading national televisions – BNT 1, bTV and Nova TV. To our analysis we added 7/8 TV, which in the previous elections managed to attract the attention of viewers. Traditionally, the most recognizable hosts of the TV channels commented and analyzed what was happening with interesting interlocutors from different spheres of the political and economic environment of the country. Journalism, virtual reality, live coverage of hotspots in the country and abroad were a significant part of the program of the three national televisions during the election day. Which of them attracted the most viewers aged 18 and over you can see in the presented below chart:

The morning information blocks – “The day begins with Georgi Lyubenov” (BNT 1), “This Sunday: The new parliament – we are electing again” (bTV) and “Wake up … Bulgaria is electing!” started warming up the audience at the same time, at 7:00 a.m.. The early time slot between 6:00 and 8:00 o’clock in the morning is the only daily time frame in which Nova TV dominates. After 8:00 a.m. the audience in front of the screens increases, and it is clear from the chart that most of them prefer watching bTV. 7/8 TV lags the leading media with almost zero values ​​until 14 o’clock. Traditionally, the lunch time zone, in which News programs are broadcast, is among the most watched during the day. The graph shows that between 12 and 13 o’clock the viewers of Nova TV and bTV peak and increase by 40% and 52% respectively, while the audience of BNT 1 decreases by 23%. The afternoon time slot between 13 and 15:30 o’clock is scheduled for entertainment movies on all three channels, and it is noteworthy that only bTV interrupts its program at 14:00 for a brief news review, but this does not particularly affect the rating in this hour. Again at the same time, exactly at 15:30 o’clock, the live studios start with analyzes and comments about the election day on all three leading televisions. At the same time, the viewers’ interest in 7/8 TV is growing and the channel reaches its first peak for the day – 0.52% rating. As we approach the culmination of election day, interest in what is happening in the country is gradually growing. This is most evident from the high results that are reported for television between 19:00 and 22:00. During this time slot bTV again definitely dominates. Here it is important to note that the televisions with rights to broadcast the matches of the European Football Championship – BNT 1 and Nova TV – began to broadcast “live” the final of the tournament at 21:30 o’clock. This is the main reason for the sharp “jump” of BNT 1 rating, which displaces bTV from the leading position after 10 p.m.

To supplement the information regarding the performance of the televisions, we prepared additional charts with data on the achieved results in other key target groups. You can check them in the image gallery below:

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Every spring and autumn, the big commercial televisions compete for the attention of the viewers with interesting and popular entertainment formats. The announcement of the new titles and their strategic arrangement in the television program are eagerly awaited. In the last season there was no shortage of those that provided hours of entertainment and emotions to viewers in front of TV screen. Below in the table we present highlights from the weekly prime time program of the two leading televisions bTV and Nova:

It is obvious that on weekdays, in the same time zone and day, for the attention of the viewers compete the entertainment programs “MasterChef” on bTV and “Power couple” on Nova TV. The other clash is on Sunday night, when “Bulgaria’s got talent” and “Paparazzi” on bTV compete for viewers against the new title on Nova TV – “Rachkov’s forbidden show”.

We have analyzed the performance of the programs for target group A 15-64 and we present to you in separate charts for bTV and for Nova TV the average ratings in all seasons of the specific programs. The graphic information is supplemented with tabular data for rating of the first and last episodes, average rating, average audience (in thousands of people) and number of episodes during the Spring 2021 season. Repetitions of broadcasts are excluded from the analysis to eliminate data distortion:

Last spring, the well-known shows “MasterChef”, “Home makeover” and “Bulgaria’s got talent” found a place on bTV, which has the highest average rating in 2021 – 13.2% (or around 608,000 viewers per episode in average). In 13 episodes of castings and live broadcasts of semifinals and finals, viewers witnessed a contested competition of talented participants of all ages for the title “Talent of Bulgaria” and a prize of BGN 50,000. The format is well known to the audience, but this year marks a decline in viewership. Compared to 2019, when the show was last broadcast, its average rating dropped by 20%. It is worth noting the strong performance of the first episode for 2021, but the show failed to keep the interest of the audience and next episodes reported a significantly lower rating. The difference in the rating of the first and last episode is 27%.

“MasterChef” is the other established over the years production of bTV, which follows the competition of the best hobby chefs in the country. The challenges in MasterChef’s kitchen are also well known to the audience. The interest, generated by the show’s seventh season, is the lowest compared to all previous ones – 9.04% (or about 417,000 viewers per episode on average). Compared to the previous season, this represents a drop in the average rating by 15%.

A drop in viewership was also noted by “Home makeover”, whose social character is unique to our market. The show reached an average rating for all 11 episodes of 9.4% (or about 433,000 viewers on average per episode) and this for the production is the season with the lowest viewer interest.

Nova TV’s spring program was also saturated – with the imposed entertainment show “Your face sounds familiar”, the format “Power couple”, testing the participating couples and the new entertainment talk show – “Rachkov’s forbidden show”:

The highest average rating among them is reported for the 9^th season of “Your face sounds familiar” – 15.8% (about 729,000 viewers on average per episode), which gathered its best participants from previous seasons in competition for the audience vote. Despite the selection of stars, this show also marks a decline in viewership by 10% compared to the results achieved in 2020.

“Rachkov’s forbidden show”, which every Sunday night was in direct competition with the leader of bTV – “Bulgaria’s got talent” and the tabloid “Paparazzi”, is distinguished by a good performance. The entertaining and humorous content is liked by the viewers and they rank it second among the show programs of Nova with an average rating for the season of 12.21% (about 564,000 viewers on average per episode). Impressive are the high results of the first and last episode, which were strategically broadcast a week after the start and respectively after the end of the alternative on bTV – “Bulgaria’s got talent”.

On third place in terms of viewership on Nova TV with an average rating of 11.66% (or about 538,000 viewers on average per episode) is the 2^nd season of the show “Power couple”. Despite the reported decline of 6% of the average rating compared to the previous season, this is a format that keeps the audience’s interest stable in all 41 episodes. The challenges and emotions that the couples go through continue to excite the audience in the 2^nd season.

From the presented data we can summarize that all programs with more than one season show a decline in their average ratings, which is a clear sign that the audience needs a content refreshment.

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The entertainment shows and the series produced in Bulgaria presented another portion of amusement to the TV viewers last spring. The interesting plot lines and the diverse cast distinguished the series and found their fans among all ages. In the table we have schematically marked the main titles on weekdays in prime time of the two leading televisions, bTV and Nova, and in this article we will focus on the Bulgarian series:

It is notable that the arrangement of all titles is strategic and contrasts new or already established series and shows. For example, the reserved time slot of bTV for a hit Turkish series at 20:00 o’clock against the imposed in Nova TV programs – “Your face sound familiar” on Monday, “Stolen life” on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and “Kitchen nightmares” on Friday. It is obvious that both televisions broadcast Bulgarian series at the same time only on Friday night at 21:00 o’clock. “All Inclusive” and “Sunny Beach” are light and entertaining series and attract an audience with a preference to the same comedy content.

With the charts below we give you the opportunity to assess how successfully each of the domestic series has presented itself. The information visualizes the achieved average ratings for the wide target audience “all aged 15-64” (A 15-64), and we trace them back in time from the first broadcast season:

The charts contain data only for the Bulgarian series broadcast in the spring of 2021. Unlike Nova TV, which constantly invests in its successful series and relies on them, the bTV chart contains information only about the two Bulgarian titles broadcast this year. This does not mean that in recent years bTV did not support other Bulgarian series. “Citizens in excess”, “Relationships” and “Dear Heirs” are the titles that the media broadcast in the past years and continues to broadcast them in the present, but our analysis is focused only on the new seasons, skipping the reruns.

The tables below contain information on the ratings of the first and last episode, the average rating per season, the average audience reached in thousands of people per episode and the number of episodes in the last TV season and the data are for the target audience A 15-64.

Last spring, the Bulgarian series returned to the air of bTV, which in recent seasons have been a hallmark of Nova TV. One of them is “Sunny Beach”, whose premiere episodes aired in the spring of 2020. The series is a romantic comedy that brings together famous artists from different generations in a modern sea adventure. Interest in the series declines with 38% this year compared to 2020. The reason for this decline is the fact that in February and March 2020 the first four episodes were broadcast, after which, due to the announcement of state of emergency in the country, the media decided to stop all its productions. The show resumed airing this year, but the first four episodes were repeated. Another thing that makes an impression is that the production maintains an average rating close to the first and last episode and manages to maintain the interest of the audience from beginning to end.

Unlike “Sunny Beach”, the series “Scars” started with high audience interest but failed to keep it until the last episode. The final series reached a 3.77% rating, which is 53% below the result of the first episode. In essence, the series is a contemporary family drama and is a remake of a dramatic Turkish series from 2019.

This year, viewers of Nova TV had the opportunity to enjoy the sequels of the series “Stolen Life”, “Brothers” and “All Inclusive”. They were joined by the current title “Missing PD”, which attracted viewers every Friday. Famous actors take part in the production, which carry the TV viewers into an intriguing criminal plot. Unfortunately, the new series of Nova TV failed to establish itself and ranks last in terms of average rating – 7.4%.

In the spring of 2021, viewers also witnessed the final 11^th season of the medical drama “Stolen Life”. Despite its long life, the series holds the attention of the audience and enjoys an average rating close to that of the previous season – 9.6%. The difference in the results of the first and last episode is minimal, which means that fans of the series follow to the end the development of their favorite characters.

The second season of “Brothers” turned out to be more interesting for the viewers and reached 8% higher average rating compared to the fall of 2020. The first and last series have the highest results. However, it ranks third among the Bulgarian series broadcast on Nova TV.

“All Inclusive” is a sitcom, which for the third season is a favorite among television audiences. The results of the current season fail to reach success in the first season, but the series remains the leader. The light and fun content is easily perceived by the audience and the production is more watched than the alternative on the same day and time zone on bTV “Sunny Beach”.

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The election day has always enjoyed high audience interest, both from active voters and from people who do not go to the ballot box. This spring, the parliamentary elections challenged leading television stations to compete in a battle for viewers throughout Sunday. Interactive studios, discussions with popular guests, political scientists, sociologists and a strong presence of the presenters were among the main means by which the national televisions tried to attract the audience. To the three big televisions we added 7/8 TV station. To find out which of them did best, we present a chart with data on the achieved ratings by hours among the population of the country over 18 years of age:

From the early hours of the morning, the televisions followed the course of election day. The graph shows that the content of the information blocks of bTV and Nova TV was the most preferred. In the earlier hours between 07:00 and 10:00 bTV leads with a slight advantage over its main competitor, but in the hours before noon, between 10:00 and 12:00 o’clock, Nova TV turns out to be the most watched. “The day begins with Georgi Lyubenov” on BNT 1 gradually attracts the audience and manages to keep it between 09:00 and 12:00. With a “jump” in the rating, the bTV news program turned out to be the most preferred among the viewers with the right to vote. Although the channel continues with up-to-date information every hour, between 13:00 and 17:00 o’clock it loses its audience, which transferred to competitive TV channels. In the afternoon, the interest in the development of the elections increased and led to an increase in the viewership of 7/8 TV, which from 12:30 o’clock began to broadcast live commentary studio. The special election program of bTV with hosts Anton Hekimyan and Svetoslav Ivanov won convincingly in the evening between 17:00 and 22:00 o’clock. It is interesting to note that after 22:00 o’clock BNT 1 reaches its highest rating for the day and wins the audience. After 23:00 all televisions start gradually losing viewers’ attention.

To give a more complete picture of the preference of the different target groups during the election day, we prepared additional charts. The more curious of you can see them in the gallery:

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For additional information, please contact our team via the contact form.

In the previous article, our team presented in detail the change in the time we spend in front of TV during the various stages of isolation on weekly basis. The main conclusion we have reached is that television is becoming an increasingly common choice for entertainment by people. The average daily time that the entire population of the country at age 4+ spends on watching TV in 2020 increases by 9% or above 22 minutes compared to 2019.

In this article, we answer the question of how this “extra” time for television is distributed during different day parts. To reach it, we compared the rating data in the target group All 4+ by hours in average for 2019 and for 2020:

The chart shows that all time zones in 2020 report a higher rating compared to 2019. The normal dynamic day of workers and students begins in the early hours of the day, when the first information blocks of the leading televisions start. This trend has changed in the past year. The serious increase in viewership starts at 8 o’clock in the morning and continues throughout the day. This is completely logical, given that isolation has left us at home and leads to higher levels of television watching during the hours we are traditionally out of home. The rating of the television program during the active part of the day between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. increases by 12%. In the prime-time slot, the hours between 6 p.m. and midnight, this percentage drops to 5%, but it remains the most watched time, respectively with the highest rating. High growth is marked in the hours after midnight, in which people continue to find interesting content to watch. The reported data show that the average rating grows by an average of 13% between midnight and 6 a.m. The explanation of this is the different rhythm that follows the daily life of people in isolation. The distance from the outside world and the long stay at home make us merge the hours of work and rest and sharpen our desire to be constantly “involved” for the changes taking place outside.

The pandemic, the limited opportunities for entertainment outside the home and the work from home lead not only to a longer stay in front of TV, but also to more people, who spend their time in front of TV screens. To track the extent to which television wins different target groups at different day parts, we present to your attention the following chart:

We analyzed the audiences by main characteristics such as gender, type of settlement and economic activity. To understand the change in TV consumption in different parts of the day, we compared the rating achieved by each group in the specific time slot in 2020 vs 2019.

As it has already become clear, the daytime zone marks a high increase in viewership, especially among the people who are kept at home by the pandemic – the economically active part of the population. This circumstance strongly affects the people living in the capital and to a lesser extent those living in the countryside.

The TV program during the daytime is considered more interesting by the female audience, where the achieved rating grows by 13%.

The hours in prime-time, between 6 p.m. and midnight, traditionally enjoy the highest rating among the audience. Also, in this time zone the results in the group of the economically active have the highest growth – 8%. The tendency is kept for the people from Sofia, but also for the audience from the villages, who find more interesting content in prime-time in 2020 compared to 2019. The shows in this time zone turn out to be more liked by the ladies than the men.

The small hours of the day are often overlooked because people are already saturated by information content. In 2020, this statement is questioned by the figures, which show high increase of the rating in the hours after midnight. The group of the economically active population achieves the highest results, in contrast to the economically inactive, whose rating is also growing, but within more moderate range. The imposed isolation has the strongest influence on the people from the capital, who prolong their TV day to the greatest extent. It is interesting to note that this time zone leads to the higher interest among the male audience compared to women. If the program during the active part of the day is preferred by the ladies, then the after midnights shows attract the most men and in their group the rating grows by 14% in average.

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Over the past year, our society has been confronted with the Covid-19 virus. With the announcement of the first cases of the contagious disease in the country, a variety changes in people’s daily lives began. Wearing protective equipment, constant disinfection and social distance have taken root in our lives. The time spent in the office or with friends outside was replaced by home isolation. And if in the beginning the attitude was that strict measures for a certain period will stop the spread of the disease, then over time we realized that we must continue our lives with the presence of the virus among us. This is reflected in all aspects of our daily routine. One of the first changes we noticed was in consumer habits and media consumption. The hours spent at home have increased, and this has contributed to the increase in the time we spend in front of the screens of mobile devices, computers and TVs. To get a quantitative idea, we compared the average daily TV viewing time by weeks for 2019, 2020 and 2021 as of March 28:

The data in the chart are for the target group All 4+ (the entire population of the country at 4+ years old). In the first weeks of 2020, the average duration of watching television is close to the values from the previous year.

In the beginning of March, information about the spread of Covid-19 took over the world news and from the 10th week the interest towards television content began to grow.

The 11th week is marked by the official announcement of the first “lockdown” in Bulgaria and by the constant emergency broadcasts with information about what is happening in the country. News blocks become an integral part of television content for everyone. The desire for information continues to grow strongly for a few more weeks, until the moment when the viewer’s attention is saturated and a more moderate growth rate follows compared to 2019.

Although the situation with the spread of the virus seemed to be under control during the summer months, many people are cautious and continue to spend more time at home. This is clear from the chart in which we see constant growth, compared to the summer months of 2019.

The launch of autumn TV formats brings the audience back to the TV screens. The traditional growth in viewership is also influenced by the deteriorating situation related to Covid-19 in the country, which leaves students and a large part of the workers at home again.

The ensuing second lockdown also led to an expected increase in time spent in front of TVs, but this time in a more moderate range. The first weeks of December coincide with the strictest measures imposed in the country, as well as with the final episodes of the popular TV formats. It is clear from the chart that the combination retains the viewer’s attention and the growth achieved on a weekly basis is among the highest since the announcement of the first “lockdown”.

It is important to note that in 2020 the average daily duration of watching TV by the target group All 4+ increases by 9% compared to 2019 and reaches a little over 271 minutes on average per day (more than 4 and a half hours).

The described trend is in line with the world tendency, according to which the time spent by viewers in front of TV screens is slowly and gradually increasing, but the appearance of Covid-19 and the isolation imposed by the virus also have a strong influence on the increase on an annual basis. The growth trend continues in the beginning of 2021 as well. Although the weeks surrounding the announcement of the third lockdown on March 22, 2021, did not mark last year’s picks, the audience continue to spend more time on watching TV – 16% more, compared to the same period, a year before Covid-19.

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This year began with a request for an ambitious spring program from both leading televisions, bTV and Nova. Along with the popular show programs and series, the native production found a place in the battle for viewer’s interest. The long-awaited premieres of “Sunny Beach”, “Scars” and “Missing PD” joined the already familiar titles “Stolen Life”, “All Inclusive”.

Тo get a clearer idea of whether the Bulgarian viewer’s interest in them has resumed and what is the profile of the audience of each of them, we followed the reported ratings of their pilot episodes in several target groups, united by different characteristics – age, location and gender. First, we offer you a visualization of the reported ratings by age groups:

The chart shows that the youngest audience under the age of 18 has the highest rating of the entertainment series “All Inclusive” and “Sunny Beach”, followed by the crime saga “Brothers”. The other series managed to attract half as many viewers under 18 years of age.

In the group of the economically active population A 18-49 the predominance is for the series broadcast by Nova. All four series achieve higher results than bTV’s competing productions. It is worth mentioning that in this age group the series “All Inclusive” is a favorite and is one of the two titles, which achieves better results in the active group A 18-49, compared to the group of adults A 50+. The second title is “Brothers”, achieving a 31% higher rating among A 18-49 compared to the A 50+ group.

Traditionally, adults spend more time in front of TV. That is why the rating among them is higher than those in youth and active age. The chart clearly shows that among viewers over the age of 50, the new family drama “Scars” on bTV enjoys the highest results with a reported rating of 13.5%. The second favorite title among them is Nova’s comedy “All Inclusive”.

Another factor whose influence we consider in the analysis is the type of settlement – Sofia, towns and villages:

Residents of the capital show the greatest preference for the pilot episodes of “Brothers” and “All Inclusive”, whose previous seasons have obviously ignited and retained viewership. Among the urban audience, Nova’s two series, „Stolen Life“ and „All Inclusive“ are leaders, but they are also time-tested productions with several seasons each. They are immediately followed by both bTV series – “Sunny Beach” and “Scars”. The two bTV productions are premieres and obviously their launch was eagerly awaited. People from the villages are split between Nova’s comedy “All Inclusive” and the new family drama on bTV – “Scars”.

To complete the overview of the Bulgarian series, we present you a visualization of the results for men and women:

Traditionally, women’s interest in television productions is more pronounced and they are more ardent fans of the series. It is clear from the chart, in which all the series in question enjoy a higher rating among women compared to men. And here the leader in both audiences is the pilot episode of the third season of “All Inclusive”. It is interesting to note that the productions of bTV enjoy significantly higher results in the female audience than the male – the average rating for women is 26% higher.

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All entertainment formats have already started. Televisions broadcast at least one episode. The “battle” for the audience’s interest in every day of the week is at stake. We tried to systematize the information by days of the week and by channels and to present the results. In the new spring season, 11 shows are fighting for the attention of the viewers in prime time. With a total of four shows, Nova is the leader with a presence in six days of the week with “Your face sounds familiar”, “Power couple”, “Kitchen nightmares” and “Rachkov’s forbidden show”. bTV relies on three shows in four days of the week – “MasterChef”, “The Comedians and friends” and “Bulgaria’s got talent”. BNT 1 does not have the potential of commercial television and is positioned in the battle for viewers with a single show “Saturday night with Mitko Pavlov”, but instead does it quite well, choosing a day when there is no competition in the segment of entertainment programs. We have excluded ” Nikolaus Citiridis’ Show” on bTV from the analysis because it is broadcast every weekday in the late prime of the media.

First, we present the average ratings of the shows in three age groups – children and adolescents up to 17 years (A 4-17), the audience of active and dynamic people aged between 18 and 49 (A 18-49) and the audience of adults over 50 years of age (A 50+):

On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays Nova and bTV are in direct confrontation for the viewer’s attention. Nova wins the trust of an active and dynamic audience, while bTV is the leader among the more mature part. On Sunday, the results of the two private televisions among people between the ages of 18 and 49 are very close.

The second graph shows the average ratings of the shows by gender:

The data show that in the days of a direct confrontation bTV won the attention of the female audience, and on Sunday, both men and women prefer “Bulgaria’s got talent” to “Rachkov’s forbidden show”.

With the last graph we present you the achieved average ratings among the audience, based on the place of living:

On Tuesday and Wednesday the competition for the urban audience outside Sofia is equal, at the expense of the viewers in the villages, where again bTV wins and manages to attract 20% more viewers. On Sunday, the undisputed winner among the audience in Sofia is Nova, attracting 47% more viewers, but bTV with “Bulgaria’s got talent” managed to gain the attention of the rest of the TV audience and leads Nova.

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In today’s article we will briefly present the viewership of the central News programs of the three main TV channels – BNT 1, bTV and Nova.

Central evening News is traditionally one of the most watched and preferred programs and is a magnet for retaining and attracting audiences.

The chart below presents the average monthly rating of prime time News of the three main televisions for the period January 2020-February 2021:

The sharp rise in interest in the News after the announcement of a state of emergency on March 13, 2020 is very clear. The rating of the central News of BNT 1 increased by 27% compared to the previous month, while on Nova the rating growth was 15%, and on bTV respectively 7%. March 2020 is also the last month in which bTV unconditionally dominates its main competitor – Nova. Despite the pandemic and the state of emergency, Nova continued to broadcast the already filmed episodes of the Bulgarian series, as well as all the entertainment programs, unlike bTV, which postponed the premieres for a future period and bet on reruns. This decision helped Nova central News to take the lead. The beginning of 2021 is difficult for bTV, which starts with a nearly 20% lower rating compared to January 2020. There is no significant change on Nova, but on the other hand BNT 1 can boast of about 25% rating growth in the first two months compared to the same periods in 2020.

In the following chart we consider two age groups – A 18-49 and A 25-54, expanding the analysis and adding the average rating for men and women within these groups:

The female audiences F 18-49 and F 25-54 have the highest rating in bTV and Nova. In Nova this preference is much stronger and the difference in the rating of the two age groups between men and women is about 20% in favor of women, while in bTV this difference is only 6%.

It is more interesting to note that the central News of BNT 1 attracts more attention of men than women and this is a significant difference of the state TV station compared to the commercial bTV and Nova.

Another interesting point in the analysis is the dynamics of the ratings of the central News during the different week days in the considered TV channels. In this analysis, we focused on the audience A 18-49, which is also perceived as a benchmark and is most often used by commercial television to present the achieved results:

The interest in the central News programs is stronger on weekdays, compared to the weekends. The highest number of spectators is on Monday, and by the end of the working week they are gradually decreasing. From the weekends, Sunday is the most preferred by the audience for watching central News programs. Saturday is the day when viewers traditionally indulge in entertainment and less engaging TV content and the audience is least interested in News. The drop in the rating on Saturday compared to Monday is 20% for Nova, 16% for bTV and 12% for BNT 1, respectively.

The average data for the analyzed period also show that throughout the week on average Nova dominates over bTV, except for Sunday, when the prime time News of bTV attracts slightly more viewers and is most preferred among the analyzed audience A 18- 49. As with the commercial bTV and Nova, the central News program of BNT 1 on weekdays attracts more viewers, and the interesting thing is that the strongest day is Tuesday, followed by Wednesday, and Monday is on third place in terms of rating. On Saturday and Sunday the ratings of the central News of BNT 1 are very close.

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