In the opening weeks of TOPLYGA broadcasts on BTV, Lithuanian football has already attracted 430,000 viewers, while the most-watched match recorded the highest rating for domestic club football in the past decade.
In February, the LNK Group, in partnership with production company Dimedia, signed a cooperation agreement with Lithuania’s TOPLYGA. Under the deal, matches are broadcast every weekend on BTV and streamed via the LNK.LT platform, Saturdays and Sundays at 14:00. The partnership ensures high production standards, consistent national exposure, and a long-term platform for the growth of Lithuanian football.
A Clear Upward Trend
The early weeks of the season point to a clear conclusion: the new broadcasting model is working.
Compared to the same period last year, the average match rating across the first eleven games has increased by 74 percent, according to consolidated Fifty5Blue audience data. Even more striking is the growth in audience share, which has surged by 185 percent year-on-year.
Not only have relative metrics improved. Actual reach has also grown significantly. The average audience per match has risen to 81,600 viewers (+27 percent), while average viewing time has increased to 26 minutes (+29 percent).
Within just the first weeks of the season, approximately 430,000 viewers have tuned in to Lithuanian football for at least one minute. This already represents a substantial portion of last season’s total reach, one that is now expected to be surpassed well before the end of the current campaign.
Individual fixtures have also delivered standout results. So far, the most-watched match has been the clash between FK Kauno Žalgiris and FK Sūduva Marijampolė, which achieved a 1.02 percent rating, the highest for Lithuanian club football in the past ten years.
Focus on Quality and Viewer Experience
“These numbers are important, but what matters even more is the direction we are taking,” said Dimedia producer Mykolas Adamavičius. “We are deliberately moving towards higher broadcast quality, more and better replays, clearer match dynamics, and an improved ability for viewers to ‘read’ the game. The goal is not just to show matches, but to make them genuinely engaging to watch.”
“Together with the LNK Group, we aim to create a strong, clear, and attractive Lithuanian football product. This is only the beginning.”
As the season progresses, continued growth is expected, with an increasing number of matches and consistent content development further strengthening the position of Lithuanian football on television.
“Football is the most popular sport in the world, so it is important for us that Lithuanian football on television looks high-quality, professional, and appealing,” said LNK Creative Director Vaida Žemaitytė-Skirmantienė. “These early results show that audiences are noticing. For us, this is not just a project. It is a long-term investment in the future of Lithuanian football.”
Fans can look forward to another exciting weekend of TOPLYGA action. On Saturday at 14:00, FC Hegelmann will face FK TransINVEST on BTV. On Sunday at 18:30, attention turns to the headline fixture of the round: FK Žalgiris Vilnius vs FK Kauno Žalgiris.
Source: https://toplyga.lt/naujiena/btv-kanalu-auditorijos-augimas-ir-rekordas/9370
