When TVP Info suspended its broadcasting on December 20, 2023 due to changes in the functioning of public media, TV Republika recorded a huge increase in viewership. Viewers of the so-called national media with right-wing views quickly found the most recognizable hosts there, and the station is constantly stoking the mood around the political situation in Poland. Compared to the old TVP Info, you can even say that TV Republika has increased its “offensive”.
Viewership records are breaking, but what does it look like in practice? Experts curb their enthusiasm
However, apart from the increase in viewership among TV viewers, the station also emphasizes the growing popularity on YouTube, where it broadcasts its program live. Experts in an interview with the portal point out that the number of subscriptions is not the most important thing. The challenge for the broadcaster will be to maintain the interest of viewers who have access to a lot of content on the Internet. Also the political ones.
And not everyone who started watching TV Republika takes the station seriously. In an interview with the portal, Internet communication and social media expert Wojciech Kardyś calls such recipients “cynical viewers”. – I think that after the holidays, a real audience for Sakiewicz’s television will crystallize. Loyal fans will stay, cynical ones will get bored, he says.
Other experts also point out that the results of TV Republika are not reliable compared to the actual results they may bring. – The number of subscriptions does not translate into views or a constant number of viewers. Returning viewers are the most important thing, and all data shows that the majority of watch time does not come from subscribers. Today, on the Internet, declarations of what I want to watch and what we actually watch are two different things, he said
In the interview with the portal, the station’s earnings issues were also discussed. Let us remind you that only viewers who watch the station in a traditional way and are subject to audience research conducted by Nielsen generate profit from broadcast advertising. However, revenues from broadcasting on YouTube and publishing content there turn out to be not as high as some might think.
Contrary to what you might imagine, these are not crazy amounts. 70 thousand views on YouTube for a record-breaking video is nothing great and these are views that really generate negligible revenues. A large part of the films on the Republika TV channel do not exceed 10,000. views, and we are delighted in the media with one video that has surpassed 70,000. – says the owner of the oLIVE media agency, Olivia Drost.
The expert also believes that the revenues from AdSense (views on YouTube) of the entire Republika TV channel were barely enough to pay the station’s stars, such as Danuta Holecka or Micha³ Rachoñ, if they receive the same rates in the new station that they could previously count on in TVP. – And what about the costs of production, studio, employment of operators, editors, producers and other team members – he adds.
“TV Republika does not create an intellectual whole image of the world”
In turn, prof. Maciej Mrozowski, a media expert from SWPS University, in an interview with, believes that TV Republika will not achieve such a great success that it could turn the media market in Poland upside down. He says directly that TV Republika will not become the Polish equivalent of the American news station Fox News, which is known for supporting the Republican Party and conservative ideas.
The viewership of this television results from waves of emotional moods. This television will not become the Polish equivalent of the American Fox News, because it does not create an intellectual whole of the world image. TV Republika refers to atavistic, extreme emotions, such as fear. The people who succumb to them are people rejected by the previous authorities, which were managed by PiS years ago. However, the emotion that only PiS could help them was exhausted when even the party’s core electorate began to notice that PiS people were getting rich off the stolen state money. There is currently no social basis for the development of far-right television in Poland – says prof. Mrozowski.
The author of the article, Mariusz Kowalski, explicitly puts forward the thesis that TV Republika is likely to “remain a niche, far-right television service provided by PiS.” He points out that the station, despite generous funding from state-owned companies during the rule of the United Right, was not properly reformed, both in technical and program terms. He also mentioned arrears in the payment of employee salaries. “Sakiewicz’s channel still looks old and resembles local television from the 1990s,” he believes.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
