Our Market

The population of Poland is over 38 million and GDP grew by 3.8 per cent in 2010.

The newspaper market (circulation and advertising) in Poland was estimated to be €428 million in 2010. The total advertising market grew by 3 per cent in 2010 compared to a 12 per cent decrease in 2009. The newspaper advertising market dropped by 8 per cent in 2010 and represented 7 per cent of the total advertising market.

The newspaper circulation market is estimated to be worth approximately €297 million. Circulation value (calculated according to market value) in the paid-for national and daily regional markets declined by 3 per cent and 2 per cent respectively in 2010.

There are four major operators in Poland who, between them, account for 73 per cent of the total paid-for newspaper market (in terms of average daily circulation volumes). Mecom’s operations include Rzeczpospolita, the leading up-market national daily newspaper, business daily Parkiet and 10 regional newspapers across Poland, giving a 21 per cent share of the total market (2009: 18 per cent). Axel Springer, also with a 21 per cent share (2009: 19 per cent), publishes Fakt, Poland’s largest national newspaper. Grupa Wydawnicza Polskapresse is the largest publisher of regional newspapers with a 15 per cent share of the total newspaper market (2009: 14 per cent). Agora publishes the daily Gazeta Wyborcza and the national free paper Metro, and has a 16 per cent market share (2009: 15 per cent).

2010 was the first full year of the operation of the daily newspaper Dziennik Gazeta Prawna created following the 2009 merger of Dziennik (owned by Axel Springer) and Gazeta Prawna. The new title entered the market as a general information and business daily and started competing with Rzeczpospolita. Dziennik Gazeta Prawna suffered a 10 per cent decline in sold circulation and a 19 per cent decline in advertising sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared with the same quarter 2009. In comparison, the sold circulation of Rzeczpospolita increased by 0.2 per cent, with a 12 per cent increase in advertising revenues in the same period.

Online advertising grew by 20 per cent in 2010 (2009: 7 per cent), constituting 14 per cent of the Polish advertising market. There are approximately 15.8 million internet users in Poland, a 6 per cent increase from 2010. Internet penetration in 2010 was at the same level as 2009 at 52 per cent. Presspublica, the owner of Rzeczpospolita and Parkiet, increased its online users by 23 per cent and Media Regionalne by 45 per cent.

Please note that following a Share Purchase Agreement entered into on 30^th June 2011, Mecom Group plc disposed of its 51.01% interest in Presspublica Sp. z o. o. to Gremi Media Sp. z o.o. on the 11 October 2011.