President Petr Pavel’s New Year speech proved to be a television milestone, emerging as the most-watched address by a head of state in the last seven years in the Czech Republic. According to Czech Television’s report on Tuesday, the speech attracted an average of 1.04 million viewers aged fifteen and above on channels CT1 and CT24. This staggering viewership accounted for 34.52% of all viewers, solidifying its position as the most-watched New Year’s speech by a head of state in the past seven years.

The overwhelming viewership was distributed across major TV stations, with the total audience surpassing 1.66 million people. CT1 led the way with 795,000 viewers, while CT24 had an additional 240,000 viewers. The speech also resonated with audiences on other channels, including Nova (444,000 viewers), Prima (139,000 viewers from 2 pm), and CNN Prima News (186,000 viewers).

František Lutonský, Executive Producer of Broadcasting and Digital Products at CT24, highlighted that the New Year’s speech by President Petr Pavel garnered nearly 400,000 more viewers than the previous Christmas speech by former President Miloš Zeman.

During the televised address, President Petr Pavel acknowledged the agreement among governing coalition parties while critiquing their communication shortcomings in explaining their decisions. He also emphasized the need to initiate preparations for adopting the euro, signaling a significant policy shift.

Moreover, President Pavel underscored that the Czech Republic is fulfilling its commitment to the North Atlantic Alliance by allocating two percent of the GDP for defense spending. The record-breaking viewership of the New Year’s speech indicates a keen interest among the Czech public in the President’s perspectives on key issues and policy directions as the country navigates the challenges and opportunities in the coming year.

Article by Prague Forum