In a European context, Czechs are among the nations that have long been highly engaged television viewers. Even in an era of increasing media fragmentation, television in the Czech Republic maintains strong reach, stable viewership, and the ability to attract a broad audience throughout the week. While watching TV remains a common daily activity in Central and Eastern Europe, viewers in Western and especially Northern Europe spend significantly less time in front of the screen.

Last year, an average of 5.4 million Czechs aged 15+ watched television every day, representing 66% of all TV viewers in this age group. ‘At least once a week, television was watched by 84% of viewers, seven million people. Even in today’s fragmented media environment, television maintains its key benefit – the ability to reach a large number of viewers with premium and trusted content,’ explains Michaela Suráková, Managing Director at Atmedia, which represents twenty thematic TV channels in the Czech market.^[1]

The average daily viewing time last year was 3 hours and 30 minutes. ‘Traditionally, the highest values were recorded in the winter months – in January and December, daily viewing time exceeded four hours,’ adds Michaela Suráková. During the work week, Czechs spend just under 3.5 hours per day in front of the TV, with viewership rising significantly on weekends. Sunday remains the most-watched day of the week, with viewers spending more than four hours in front of the screen.^[2]

Czech TV Viewership Far Exceeds Northern Europe

Television viewership in the Czech Republic has remained high over the long term, a pattern characteristic of the entire Central and Eastern European region. Among the Visegrád Four countries, Hungary consistently reports the highest values, with viewers aged 15+ spending an average of 5 hours and 8 minutes per day watching TV last year.^[3] It is followed by Poland, where viewership in the same age group reached 4 hours and 31 minutes daily.^[4] Slovaks spent a similar amount of time watching television last year – for viewers aged 12+, the average was 3 hours and 44 minutes per day. ^[5]

TV viewership across all V4 countries remains stable year-on-year – slightly increasing in Poland and Hungary, while slightly declining in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. ‘Despite the slight decrease, television viewing in the Czech Republic remains high, similar to other Central and Eastern European countries. In comparison with Western and especially Northern Europe, it is a completely different story,’ Michaela Suráková points out. In countries such as Norway, Sweden, and Iceland, viewers typically spend between one and two hours per day watching TV – significantly less than in the V4 countries.

New Unified TV Currency Expected to Increase Overall Viewership

Television viewership in the Czech Republic could rise in 2026 thanks to the introduction of a new unified TV currency from February 1. In addition to live and time-shifted viewing (up to three days), it now also includes out-of-home viewing on large screens – for example, in restaurants, bars, or public screenings. ‘The market expects an increase in total viewership of 6 to 10%, depending on the target audience. We already have the first data, but it is still too early to draw general conclusions,’ says Michaela Suráková.

Beyond the expected growth in viewership, the expansion of measurement is important for another reason. ‘TV channels and advertisers will gain a much more accurate picture of television consumption. Out-of-home viewing can be significant in certain cases, for example during major sporting events. Until now, this part of viewership was not captured. That is now changing,’ Michaela Suráková emphasizes, noting that the new unified TV currency came into effect during the month of the Winter Olympics. The new methodology is expected to increase viewership especially for sports and music channels, whose content is often consumed outside of homes.

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