YouTube channel as a component of convergent media: role, influence and perspectives

The article aims to analyze the role of local media in shaping the public agenda during large-scale military actions in Ukraine and how to increase audience loyalty and engagement through convergent practices. In particular, the content, growth dynamics, target audience characteristics, and specific features of the YouTube channel Dnipro TV as a convergent media are considered. The city television channel has successfully transformed from a traditional broadcaster into a convergent media through its YouTube channel and other social networks. This has allowed it to expand its audience, maintain influence, and adapt to changes in the media landscape. It is noted that during two years of full-scale aggression, the number of subscribers to the Dnipro TV YouTube channel has nearly tripled. The channel hosts all the content produced by the creative team of Dnipro TV. The videos can be accessed directly from the YouTube page or via the respective section on the website. The chosen research period is characterized by, on the one hand, increased demand for local content from the city's TV channel audience due to the hostilities and security threats to the population. On the other hand, there is the involvement of the global community in events in Ukraine and the interest of displaced persons, with local content on the YouTube channel being accessible from any country. Thus, only 64.7 % of users watch videos on the YouTube channel from within Ukraine, while over 35 % view local content from other countries. The analysis also highlights changes in the audience's gender composition: before the war, women constituted the majority, while in 2023 and 2024, the male audience made up 54 %, compared to 45.9 % female. The convergent local media Dnipro TV attracts its audience with news broadcasts, a series of original programs, and talk shows, all of which can be found on YouTube and watched at a convenient time. We believe that the development of this channel as a convergent media with multiplatform content representation holds great promise.