The channel became well known as the first major broadcaster during the 2004 presidential election offering critical broadcasting on candidate Viktor Yanukovych.[2] The whole staff of the channel went on hunger strike when (at the time, late 2004) the government threatened to close it.[3]
According to the Ukrainian media watchdogTelekrytyka Kanal 5 and TVi were the only remaining TV channels mid-May 2010 with independent and fair TV news coverage.[4]