Planning PR activities on the Polish market? Without knowledge of the media market and good relations with journalists, it can be difficult. Or maybe you want to invest in an advertising campaign in traditional media and are wondering whether allocating the entire budget to TV spots is a good way to win the loyalty of Polish customers? You don’t have to read the omens any longer – we’ve put together a summary of the most important statistics you should know about the Polish media market in 2022.
Table of contents:
- General data on Polish media
- Television in Poland
- Radio in Poland
- Press in Poland
- Internet media in Poland
General data on Polish media
1. The Polish media market is highly competitive and diversified. Radio and television are still popular, the printed press has not disappeared (although its electronic editions are popular), and online media have a huge reach – in some age groups they are the dominant media.
2. According to a National Media Institute study conducted in 2022, 92% of Poles have access to a TV, 88.5% to a smartphone, 80% to a radio receiver and 66% to a computer or tablet.
3. Statistically, Poles spend just under 5 hours online, 4 hours and 20 minutes listening to the radio, 4 hours watching TV and 2 hours browsing social media.
ALT: How much time do Poles spend on media?
4. There are many publishers operating on the Polish media market, most of them with foreign capital. There is no single clear leader that captures a dominant share in all segments, but the largest ones include the Agora Group, the Bauer Group, the Ringier Axel Springer Group, and ZPR Media.
Television in Poland
5. Over 90%, or over 33 million Poles, declared that they had watched television in the last 30 days. Looking at the age groups among which this form of spending time is most popular, there is no doubt that television is most often watched by seniors (as much as 95.9%), people aged between 55 and 64 (95.2%), and those aged 45-54 (93%).
6. In contrast, television is least popular among those aged 25-34 (this is “only” 87%). The Millenial generation often declares that they do not have a TV set at home, or they do, but the only thing they use the receiver for is watching VOD platforms such as Netflix or HBO Max.
7. Interestingly, children and teenagers are keen to watch TV. The 4-9 age group is as high as 91.5 per cent of TV viewers, the 10-15 group 95.2 per cent and the 16-24 group 88.1 per cent.
8. As can be seen, television still matters in Poland. Although the average time we spend in front of our televisions is falling year on year, Poles watch TV for an average of 4 hours, 6 minutes and 34 seconds every day. These figures are impressive, especially as social media takes up “only” two hours of our time per day.
9. The top channels are occupied by stations belonging to Telewizja Polska (the only one controlled by the State Treasury), Grupa Polsat and Grupa TVN. This has not changed for many years.
ALT: Ranking of the most popular TV stations in Poland
10. At the end of 2021, the most popular TV station in Poland was TVP1. TVP1 is the leader in terms of both average viewership and the percentage of the audience watching TV at any given time. Just behind it are Polsat and TVN. Further down the list of most popular programmes are TVP2, TVN24, TVN INFO and TV Puls.
11. The list of stations looks slightly different if we look at the leaders among the most opinion-forming media. Indeed, the most quoted TV station in Poland is TVN24 (quoted almost 2,000 times in August 2022 alone). The second position in the ranking is occupied by Polsat News (1.3 thousand citations), and the third – by TVP3.
Radio in Poland
12. Over 75% of Poles declare that they listen to the radio. According to a study by the National Media Institute, around 27 million people listen to radio at least once a month.
13. Radio is most popular in the 35-44 age group, and least popular among teenagers. Only 65.7% of 10-15 year-olds admit to using this form of entertainment. The young generation of Poles is decidedly an audio-visual generation, and if they do choose media for listening, it is podcasts rather than classic radio programmes.
14. Radio is listened to by approximately 78% of 16-24 year-olds, 83.5% of 25-34 year-olds, 85.9% of 35-44 year-olds, 84.4% of 45-54 year-olds, 82.4% of 55-65 year-olds and 77.9% of those over 65.
15. According to data collected from the Radio Track survey, average radio listening reaches 4 hours and 20 minutes each day. This is more than the TV audience!
16. Radio is favoured by its easy accessibility. Poles admit that radio usually accompanies them on their way to work – in cars or on public transport. They also often listen to the radio at work itself.
17. Interestingly, radio’s popularity is growing marginally in Poland. This is in stark contrast to television, whose viewing figures are declining year on year.
18. According to the 2022 Audio Content Consumption Survey conducted by the National Media Institute, for many years the most popular radio station in Poland has been RMF FM, which is owned by the German Bauer Media concern. In second place in terms of listenership is Radio Zet (owned by Eurozet). Together, the two stations account for more than 40% of the total radio market.
ALT: Ranking of the most popular radio stations in Poland
19. Just behind the Big Two in the ranking are: Radio ESKA, Jedynka – Programme I of the Polish Radio, radio group Audytorium 17, RMF MAXXX, Radio VOX FM, Radio TOK FM, Antyradio and Radio Złote Przeboje.
20. The RMF FM is crowned not only the king of Polish radio in terms of listenership, but also in terms of opinion-forming. For years it has been invariably the radio station most frequently quoted in other media (over 1,000 references per month). The station is often the first to inform Poles about high-profile events from Poland and the world. In second place is Radio Zet, and in third place is Program I of the Polish Radio.
21. Interestingly, this ranking also includes local radio stations, with Radio Gdańsk in the lead.
Press in Poland
22. 65.7% of Poles declare that they read press at least once a quarter (which amounts to around 24 million readers). The older the age group, the more popular the press becomes. Among the oldest Poles, the percentage of press readers is over 75%!
23. The smallest popularity of the press is of course among the youngest age groups. Less than 25% of children up to the age of 9, 45.3% of teenagers up to the age of 15 and 65% of Poles aged 16-34 read press (in any form).
24. Interestingly, almost half of Polish press readers admit that they also read it online. More than 11 million Poles declare interest in e-editions of popular titles.
25. Unfortunately, every year the printed press records a decline in popularity. Polish readers are choosing more easily accessible sources of knowledge or entertainment, led by the Internet. For years, the circulation of the press has been declining, whether it is daily newspapers, monthly magazines or local or guide newspapers. According to data from the beginning of 2021, the average sales of daily newspapers in Poland fell by 18%!
26. Most popular newspapers have already moved online. Thus, the digital version of Fakt, once a very widely read daily newspaper (with a circulation of half a million in 2007) is now among the leading Polish online portals.
27. Among Polish daily newspapers, the leader is the aforementioned tabloid Fakt published by Ringier Axel Springer Group. The second position is held by Gazeta Wyborcza (Agora Group) and the third by the tabloid Super Express (ZPR Media Group).
ALT: Ranking of the most popular dailies in Poland
28. Interestingly, however, it is the press that leads the list of the most opinion-forming media in Poland. At the top of this list is Rzeczpospolita with over 2,000 citations per month. Second place belongs to Super Express (1.4 thousand citations). The podium is closed by Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
29. The ranking of the most widely read weeklies in Poland looks very interesting. The magazine Tele Tydzień (Tele Tydzień) is the king of the press here, offering its readers mainly TV programmes with news from the world of entertainment and show business.
30. Gossip magazines aimed at middle-aged women and housewives, such as Życie Na Gorąco, Chwila dla Ciebie or Twoje Imperium, are also very popular.
31. Among opinion weeklies, the most widely read are: Newsweek, Gość Niedzielny (a Catholic weekly) and Polityka. The most popular, as well as the most opinion-forming monthlies in Poland, in turn, are Forbes magazine and the bi-monthly Press.
ALT: Ranking of the most popular monthlies in Poland in Q2 2022
32. Advice magazines aimed at a very specific audience also enjoy considerable interest in Poland. The leader here is the monthly Kobieta i Życie. Just ahead are Poradnik 50+ and Dobre Rada. As many as six of the ten most-read monthly magazines are aimed exclusively at women!
33. The luxury press for women is also popular (although declining – in favour of digital versions of articles). If you want to buy an advertisement in a luxury women’s magazine, it is worth betting on one of the top three – Twój Styl, Zwierciadło or Wysokie Obcasy Extra. Further places in the ranking are occupied by Pani, Elle and Glamour.
Online media in Poland
34. There is no denying the dominance of the internet today. The press, radio and even television in Poland have had to undergo a revolution and instead of fighting the enemy, they have made it their ally. Thus, most printed newspapers, television programmes, news services and radio programmes are also available online.
35. For many years the most popular Internet portals in Poland have included Onet and WP (they have an average of up to 12 million users per month). Further places on the list are occupied by Interia, Gazeta and websites of traditional media: the tabloids Fakt and Super Express, Radio Zet and Wprost magazine, among others.
ALT: Ranking of the most popular Internet portals in Poland
36. The most opinion-forming portal on the Polish Internet is Onet (over 1.8 thousand referrals to other media on a monthly basis). Interestingly, this portal is visited by Poles of virtually all ages. Advertising here will certainly not be a waste of money.
37. In turn, the leader of business and legal platforms is Business Insider (with an average of almost 10 million visitors per month), which constantly competes for this title with the Money.pl and Bankier portals.
38. Speaking of online media in Poland, one cannot fail to mention the important role played by ‘grassroots’ media available on applications such as YouTube channels, Twitch or TikTok. Podcasts are also growing in popularity in Poland, being made available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
39. Among video platforms, the aforementioned YouTube definitely dominates, attracting an average of more than 26 million Polish users per month. The average Pole spends more than 19 hours there.
40. In Poland, streaming platforms are becoming increasingly widespread and can now confidently compete with traditional television. The most popular of these is Netflix, which is used monthly by around 13 million Poles. In second place is HBO Max (4.5 million), and in third place is a ‘newcomer’ to the Polish market, namely Disney+ (3.8 million). Outside the podium were the TV platforms: TVP VOD, Player (owned by TVN) and Canal+ online.
Not sure how to use this data to grow your brand in the Polish market? Our experts will be happy to help you! We are a Polish PR agency that has been following developments in the Polish media market for many years and using them when working with foreign clients. Get back to us; let’s talk about your business goals.