The opening matchday of the 2026/27 Ukrainian Premier League season delivered exceptionally strong TV audience figures across OTT and IPTV platforms, setting a new record for viewer interest.

According to BigData.ua, Matchday 1 attracted a total audience of 1.8 million viewers, representing a 38.5% increase compared with the opening matchday of last season’s UPL Championship. This significant growth reflects the continued expansion of UPL.TV distribution, the growing audience for sports broadcasting and the strong entertainment value of the matches.

The Shakhtar vs Kudrivka fixture attracted the largest audience, with more than 444,000 viewers. Chornomorets’ home match against Polissia drew 235,000 viewers, while almost as many — 232,000 — watched the clash between Kryvbas and Karpaty.

It should also be noted that only seven matches were played on the opening matchday. The Dynamo vs Livyi Bereh fixture was postponed until 2 December.