Media Consumption Habits in Poland in 2024

Everything is fine, except for the high tension from the East

Online

Digital advertising set new records in 2024, with spend rising 20% to over €2.21 billion. SEM and display formats remain dominant, while video advertising surged 44%. DOOH, though still with room to grow, accounts for roughly 3% of total spend. Internet users now spend an average of 3.5 hours online each day, with the fastest growth among older age groups.

YouTube has become the “television” of the silver generation: 97% of internet users aged 50+ watch video there, 80% do so regularly, and 46% every day—mainly news, educational tutorials, and music. Notably, 46% of these “digital silvers” report that over the past three years, they have increased online viewing at the expense of traditional TV.

Big-tech and retail-media sites enjoy the widest reach across all ages. Meta and YouTube maintain near-universal reach, while 7- to 14-year-olds favour TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Meta is losing engagement (down 1.5 hours per month; sessions falling from 304 to 280), and although Instagram still outranks TikTok in reach, its engagement is declining faster. Influencer marketing is moving toward niche specialisation, and from 2025 creators are expected to embed within marketing teams to help craft campaigns.

Last year’s most-downloaded new apps were Threads and ChatGPT. Threads grew rapidly due to deep Instagram integration and a low entry barrier, positioning itself as an attractive alternative to X. Asian marketplace apps Temu and AliExpress have also expanded quickly, closing in on Polish giant Allegro.

Pay TV & Streaming

Pay television remains the leading entertainment medium, reaching 69% of households. Streaming services continued to grow, with revenue up 12% in 2024. Both subscription VoD (SVoD) and transactional VoD (TVoD) are expected to expand further as viewers increasingly pay for individual titles.

Traditional TV

Poland’s TV market now offers 185 channels, ten more than a year ago, and for the first time, the average viewer spends under four hours a day in front of the screen. Linear television is losing viewing time primarily among 35–54-year-olds (with the 15–34 cohort already watching the least), and even viewers aged 65+ have reduced their viewing, although they still spend more than 12 hours weekly on TV.

Advertising clutter remains high: the average viewer is exposed to about 5,200 spots each month, with the heaviest load on thematic channels. In 2024, a total of 49 million spots aired (+4% y/y), yet aggregate ad time contracted. Thematic stations continue to draw budgets from flagship channels, with Polsat Group’s themed networks among the biggest winners over the past four years. Fifteen- and 30-second commercials dominate (with 15-second spots leading), while very short copy is rising and new creative executions are growing faster than sponsorship billboards.

After the government change, PiS voters migrated from public broadcaster TVP to Telewizja Republika, following key journalists who, after a high-profile occupation of the state-TV newsroom, moved to the private station. As a result, Republika has entered the ranks of Poland’s most-watched news channels.

Radio

Radio remains one of Poland’s most popular media: more than 83% of Poles listen at least once a week and 63% every day, especially those aged 40–59. Among 15–24-year-olds, 76% tune in weekly. Reach is broad across educational levels and stronger in rural areas. Listening peaks in summer, with audience ratings rising during holiday travel. Radio primarily serves as background entertainment, notably on long car journeys.

Out-of-Home (OOH)

OOH advertising has rebounded from the pandemic slump and now represents 5.5% of ad spend. Digitisation of displays continues, reducing the availability of traditional 12 m² formats, which will over the next year be offered chiefly by regional firms. Core formats for effective campaigns remain 18 m² posters and large-format billboards (36 m² and 48 m²) along major transport routes. Meanwhile, illuminated citylights are proliferating, driven by landscape-preservation regulations that restrict classic outdoor ads.

Video Games

The video-game market generated roughly €1.0 billion in revenue in 2024 and has become genuinely inclusive: both women and men play, with the largest group of enthusiasts aged 25–34.