N1 TV’s ratings continued to rise with the station having the highest ratings in the SBB network during the live coverage of Saturday’s Serbia Against Violence protests in central Belgrade.
The station’s share reached a record 47 percent in some moments, a press release said.
“We ended the month of May with the 4th highest ratings, in front of 3 stations which have national frequency licenses, leaving behind Prva, Happy and B92 according to TV Beat.
N1 did live coverage of what was considered to be the biggest mass gathering since October 5, 2000 when the Milosevic regime was toppled with reporters at a number of locations covering the protest march and the atmosphere in front of the Serbian Presidency where protesters left written messages.
“N1 was by far the TV with the highest ratings (a share of 24 percent according to TV Beat) between 5.30 and 9.30 pm. We confirmed once again that we have the capacity and professionalism to meet the needs of the audience at a moment when quick and precise information is fundamentally important,” the press release said, adding that Saturday’s coverage continues the trend from the previous four protests when N1 TV had the highest ratings, higher than the public broadcaster and all stations with national frequencies.
“Our recent success comes amid the most brutal campaign being waged against N1 by the president, prime minister and MPs. We have witnessed continuing targeting of our journalists on national TV stations which claim that they organized the protests and allow pro-regime analysts to insult them. That ongoing campaign includes various groups trespassing on N1 TV grounds and the failure of the police to react and escort them out.
“In the month when we were faced with a number of challenge as a society, it has become even clearer how much we need professional and independent media, how important it is for the public to have access to objective reporting and why the media are the pillar of democracy. Freeing the media from the influence of the authorities and the ruling part is one of the main demands of the Serbia Against Violence protests,” the press release said.
