Ukraine's multimedia international broadcasting platform (MPIU) has launched the YouTube channel UATV magyarul — its ninth channel in a foreign language. The logic of the launch seems obvious: there is a Hungarian minority living in Ukraine in Transcarpathia. But audience figures defy this intuition.
Where people actually watch
Of the channel's 340,000 views, 96% come from abroad. Of these, 69% come directly from Hungary. Among the top cities by views are Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, and Miskolc. Romania accounts for 5.1%, Slovakia for 4%. In other words, the main audience is not Transcarpathian Hungarians, but citizens of an EU member state that systematically blocks military aid to Ukraine.
The most popular content includes Zelensky's addresses, reviews of Ukrainian weapons, and front-line news. Hungarians in Hungary are watching this en masse — despite the fact that their state and pro-government media have spent decades creating the opposite picture of the world.
Why this matters right now
According to Reporters Without Borders, the Orbán government effectively controls over 80% of Hungary's media space. As documented by the analytical center Political Capital, this media monopoly broadcasts pro-Russian narratives not only within the country, but also to Hungarian-speaking communities in Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine — through outlets financed by Budapest.
"Hungary's information influence on Transcarpathia contains significant signs of disinformation. Often — in the interests of the terrorist state Russia."
— Yaroslav Yurchyshyn, Member of Parliament, media expert, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
In this context, UATV magyarul is not a service for a minority. It is an attempt to enter the Hungarian information space directly with the same YouTube that pro-Orbán media have been using for years.
Who runs the channel and why it matters
The channel is hosted by Tibor Tompa — head of the Hungarian community in Kyiv. He conducts author interviews with people who advocate for Ukrainian-Hungarian rapprochement: volunteers, scientists, historians. Among the guests already recorded are Hungarian volunteer Lajos Gyulai and author of the book "Obsessed with Power: Hungary of Viktor Orbán" Stefano Bottoni.
The choice of face is not accidental. An ethnic Hungarian from Kyiv, not a Kyiv official in a tie — this is an attempt to avoid the frame of "Ukrainian propaganda against Hungarians."
- The channel has had over 1,000 subscribers since its launch
- MPIU's previous new channel — in French, launched in May 2025
- In total, MPIU operates 9 channels in foreign languages
The question is not whether Hungarians will watch UATV. They already are. The question is whether this dynamic will change once Orbán notices the channel as a competitor — and whether pressure will emerge on YouTube to restrict it.
