The new government led by Donald Tusk saw its first anniversary after eight years of right-wing rule. It has tried to strike a new tone in its relations with Europe and the media but the landscape has been anything but stable. The country’s biggest broadcasters have faced takeover bids, public media remained entangled in political conflict, and digital challengers – from crowdfunded newsrooms to creator-led platforms – scramble for audiences in a fragmented market.

Poland’s two largest private broadcasters, TVN and Polsat, came under heavy scrutiny, both from potential buyers and the state. Warner Bros Discovery began the sale of TVN, working with JPMorgan to find buyers for the €1bn asset, though it later decided to keep its ownership. Early contenders included Italy’s MediaForEurope (MFE), Polish billionaire businessman and former championship racing driver Michał Sołowow, and WP Holding, owner of the Wirtualna Polska portal.¹

In a move widely seen as an effort to secure national media independence ahead of the 2025 presidential election, the government added TVN and Polsat to its list of ‘strategic enterprises’, granting itself a veto over acquisitions by non-EEA or non-OECD buyers. While not an outright block, the decision reflected growing concerns over foreign influence and media ownership concentration in a polarised political environment.

Polsat’s turbulence was homegrown. A succession dispute within the Solorz family – founders of the Cyfrowy Polsat empire – spilled into public view. Leaked letters and court filings prompted concerns over leadership, investor confidence, and the long-term direction of one of Poland’s most influential media empires. Eventually, the founder Zygmunt Solorz removed his children as heirs and appointed a charitable foundation as his successor.²

Public broadcaster TVP also faced uncertainty. A year into rebuilding efforts following a post-election overhaul, its operations were complicated by a standoff over board appointments. The National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT), aligned with the former ruling party, refused to recognise changes in TVP’s leadership and withheld public funds. Since February 2024, KRRiT has lodged funds with the court rather than disbursing them directly to TVP or Polskie Radio. The impasse eased in September, when KRRiT agreed to release a portion of public funds following devastating floods in southern Poland.

Meanwhile, Poland’s traditional TV market continued to fragment. Only six shows exceeded 3 million viewers in 2024 – down from 49 the year before. Average viewing time held steady, but audiences were increasingly scattered across formats and platforms.

Smaller, more agile players thrived amid the disruption. One major beneficiary was TV Republika. The once-niche conservative channel surged in ratings and revenue, picking up some of TVP Info’s right-wing audiences unhappy at the changes at the PSB news channel and who were looking for alternatives sympathetic to the former ruling party. TV Republika’s revenues rose 21% year-on-year to €5.37m, with net profit soaring to €790,000 from just €7,700 in 2023.

Another successful online start-up was Kanał Zero, a YouTube-based news and commentary platform launched in February by journalist and entrepreneur Krzysztof Stanowski. By the year’s end, it had over 1.4 million subscribers, 2,700 videos, and 450 million views. Its revenue reached €6.08m, with EBITDA of €1.3m. Relying on sponsorship, its success demonstrated growing demand for creator-led, personality-driven news. Late in 2024, Stanowski announced a presidential bid, prompting at least one key contributor to leave.

Kanał Zero wasn’t alone in pursuing alternative formats. A major digital launch came from XYZ.pl, a business news site, backed by Rafał Brzoska, a Polish billionaire and the founder and CEO of InPost, a major European logistics company, publicly traded on Euronext. The website went live in October with a freemium model and introduced a paywall in January 2025. Targeting underreported economic and policy topics, XYZ is part of a broader wave of journalist-led outlets offering more focused, independent coverage.

However, one of the boldest – and most controversial – innovations came from public radio. Radio Krakow replaced all human hosts at youth-oriented OFF Radio with AI-generated presenters.³ In one awkward moment, a chatbot conducted an interview with deceased Nobel laureate Wisława Szymborska. Management cited cost savings and format testing, but critics condemned the move as a threat to public service journalism. The decision sparked protests and drew attention to the EU’s forthcoming AI Act, which mandates transparency and ethical guidelines in AI-generated content.

While AI raised questions about journalism’s future, many traditional outlets grappled with more immediate challenges. Newspapers and magazines continued to face declining circulation and advertising revenue, leading to job cuts and labour unrest. Agora, publisher of Gazeta Wyborcza, laid off 180 employees, 14% of the workforce.

Vadim Makarenko
Director of Research Digital, Statista GmbH; former journalist, Gazeta Wyborcza, and former Reuters Institute Journalist Fellow

Changing media

Online as a news source grew somewhat in the last year, possibly driven by an increase in social media for news (+6pp). TV remains strong but along with print is in long-term decline.

Trust in news in Poland rose significantly with almost half (47%) of respondents saying they trust news overall – up 8 points from the previous year. However, many established news outlets recorded declines. Public television (TVP) was one of the few exceptions, managing to partly rebuild its trust score (+4), probably as a result of government moves to de-politicise it.

Footnotes