Experimental broadcasts during World War II in the background. Most of the buildings seen here were destroyed by Soviet bombs in 1941. The first official direct broadcast took place in
Kyiv on 1 February 1939 at Instytutska 2 on the corner of
Instytutska Street and
Khreshchatyk Street. It was 40 minutes long and showed the portrait of
Sergo Ordzhonikidze. The first three television presenters in the history of Ukraine were, in order;
Novela Serpionova and
Olga Danylenko in 1952, and
Olena Nikolaeva in 1953. Nikolaeva replaced Serpionova when she returned to radio broadcasting in 1953. Because Serpionova left before a full year was out, she was largely forgotten by most Ukrainian viewers, and her status as the first television presenter in Ukraine was not recognized until the 60th anniversary of Ukrainian television. May 30, 1954, during the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the
Pereiaslav Council, which commemorated the "reunification" of Ukraine with Russia, history was made. On that day, the first true outdoor broadcast of Ukrainian television took place: a live TV broadcast aired live from the
Kyiv Opera and Ballet Theater, where an official ceremony was held as part of the tricentennial celebrations. The broadcast was conducted using the PTS-49 outside broadcasting van—one of the first mobile broadcast units developed in the Soviet Union, based largely on an earlier American model. Although transmissions remained in black and white, the PTS-49 OB vans significantly expanded television's reach beyond the studio walls. This advancement enabled live coverage from stadiums, sports events, factories, exhibitions, and collective farms—marking what could be considered the true beginning of Ukrainian television as a public medium. (left) and
Olena Nikolaeva (right) had to completely memorize their lines before broadcasts. They are widely thought of as the first television presenters in Ukraine. Regular programming started to go on air beginning November 1956. This building was for many years the 6th tallest structure in Ukraine. In February 2009 the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting claimed that "political pressure on mass media increased in recent times through amending laws and other normative acts to strengthen influence on mass media and regulatory bodies in this sphere". As of January 2009,
Ukrainian Prime Minister,
Yulia Tymoshenko refused to appear in Inter TV-programmes "until journalists, management and owners of the TV channel stop destroying the freedom of speech and until they remember the essence of their profession - honesty, objectiveness, and unbiased stand". In early March 2014, Ukraine-based TV channels were removed in Crimea ahead of the
Russian annexation referendum. 15 more Russian TV channels were banned in March 2016. According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No.509 dated June 13, 2018, analogue broadcasting was disconnected on the territory of
Kirovohrad Oblast and Kyiv from July 31, 2018. The date of the switch-off of analogue broadcasting on the rest of Ukraine is August 31, 2018 A
Research & Branding Group February 2021 poll found that for the first time Ukrainians preferred the
Internet as their primary news source instead of television (51% preferred the Internet and 41% TV). == Timeline of Ukrainian public TV broadcasting history ==