The Secretariat of the Ombudsman for the Protection of the State Language informs that two-thirds of all series on the five highest-rated Ukrainian television channels are shown in Russian.
“During the week (June 1-7), the Secretariat of the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language, in order to analyze the language of the broadcast of television series on Ukrainian television, monitored five top-rated television channels: 1+1, Inter, Ukraina, STB and ICTV. The corresponding analysis showed a catastrophic situation with TV series that are produced, dubbed or voiced in Ukrainian: less than half of the total number of TV series are shown in Ukrainian (out of 43 series, only 14 were produced, dubbed or voiced in Ukrainian, others 29 are broadcast in Russian,” the ombudsman’s press service said.
It is noted that in the context of data for each of the TV channels, the situation looks even worse. In particular, Inter and 1+1 TV channels broadcast one TV series each in the Ukrainian language, Ukraina TV channel broadcasts two TV series in Ukrainian.
It is emphasized that the analysis was carried out to testify to the “real situation” on Ukrainian television on the eve of July 16, 2021, when the norm of the language law on the obligation to broadcast films and TV series in the state language comes into force.
“This is a disaster. Therefore, we must by all possible means protect the right of tens of millions of our citizens to watch films on Ukrainian television in the state language and stop the attempts of the pro-Russian forces to postpone or repeal Article 23 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On ensuring the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language,'” the press service of Commissioner Taras Kremin quoted him as saying.
