Czech media shows mixed traffic trends amid declining news trust

Recent data reveals a complex landscape for the Czech media market, characterized by shifting audience engagement and declining public trust. According to NetMonitor, several major news portals saw increased traffic in August compared to the previous year. Blesk.cz reached 80 million pageviews, up from 73 million, while Aktuálně.cz grew from 47 million to 49 million. Sport.cz also experienced a 4.8 percent increase, reaching 109 million pageviews.

In contrast, other major outlets saw declines. Denik.cz experienced a drop of over 30 percent, and iDnes.cz fell by more than 8 percent. Media outlets owned by Ivo Lukačovič, including Seznamzpravy.cz and Novinky.cz, also saw decreases of over 5 percent.

Parallel to these traffic fluctuations, the Digital News Report from the Reuters Institute indicates that trust in news among Czech citizens has fallen to 31 percent, a two-percentage-point decrease from last year. The report notes that 41 percent of people now report avoiding news at least sometimes. While public broadcasters maintain the highest levels of trust, the overall trend reflects a broader European pattern of declining media confidence and increasing news avoidance.