Milanović vs. Primorac debate becomes Croatia’s most-watched TV event
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Zoran Milanović and Dragan Primorac (Photo credit: HINA/ POOL/ Damir SENČAR/)
ZAGREB, 8 January 2025 (Hina/CW) – The live broadcast of the debate between the candidates for the President of the Republic of Croatia, Zoran Milanović and Dragan Primorac, aired by HRT on Tuesday evening, was the most-watched programme across all television networks, the Croatian Radio Television (HRT) announced on Wednesday.
“The debate was followed by 21.07% AMR (Average Minute Rating, or the average number of households viewing a specific programme), making it the most-watched content among all programmes included in the viewership survey,” stated HRT, citing viewership data from the company All Eyes on Screens (formerly AdScanner).
The debate broadcast also achieved an exceptionally high audience share (SHR) of 44.48%, meaning that nearly half of all viewers watching television at that time were tuned in.
The public broadcaster HRT organised the only debate between the candidates for the Presidency of Croatia ahead of the second round of elections, scheduled for Sunday, 12 January.
The debate was also followed via HRT’s non-linear channels, with the YouTube broadcast garnering over 167,000 views, 1,800 likes, and 1,400 comments, making it the top item on the platform’s trending list.
HRT further reported that among the top five most-watched programmes on Tuesday was HTV’s main news bulletin, Dnevnik, which had an AMR of 9.9% and an audience share (SHR) of 24.23%.
Croatia is heading to a second round of presidential elections on Sunday, 12 January, after incumbent Milanović fell just short of an outright victory in the first round.
Milanović secured 49.11%, narrowly missing the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
Primorac received 19.36% of the vote, while the remaining six candidates each gained less than 10%.
The 30-point margin between Milanović and Primorac is the largest gap between runoff contenders in Croatia’s history.
Milanović received 792,106 votes, a significant increase from the 562,783 he achieved in the 2019 election’s first round.
Presidential terms last five years, with a maximum of two terms permitted.
