Presidential debates in Poland have evolved into a television and online phenomenon, with their scale surprising even the candidates’ own campaign teams. Of particular note is the unprecedented success of TV Republika, which has recently recorded record-breaking viewership numbers.
A Political Marathon That Drew Millions of Viewers
On April 11, the town of Końskie became Poland’s political epicenter. First, an open debate organized by TV Republika took place in the town square, followed by another debate in the local sports hall, hosted by Rafał Trzaskowski’s campaign team. Trzaskowski did not participate in the Republika debate and delivered—put mildly—a lackluster performance in the one organized by his own team. He was primarily remembered for his remark about using “urban telecommunication” (instead of “public transportation”).
According to Nielsen data, the debate organized by Trzaskowski’s campaign team—simulcast by TVP (in the process of being dissolved), TVN, Polsat, and numerous other broadcasters (including Kanał Zero and TV Republika, both of which used the government station’s feed)—was watched by a total of 6.22 million viewers. That’s an impressive figure, reflecting the high level of public interest in Poland’s presidential election. Equally noteworthy, however, is that an earlier debate held in Końskie’s marketplace—organized by Telewizja Republika, wPolsce24, and TV Trwam—drew a solid 1.89 million viewers.
TV Republika’s true triumph came during Monday’s presidential debate hosted in its own studio. “Republika achieved a historic record in viewership yesterday. Throughout the day, the ‘Free Speech Zone’ station captured a market share of 12.28%,” reported Niezalezna.pl. That result places TV Republika at the top of Poland’s news channels.
Dominance on the Internet
TV Republika has also seen spectacular success online. According to the streaming data site streamscharts.com, the station’s presidential debate became the most-watched stream on YouTube in Poland. Kanał Zero, which rebroadcast the Republika debate, led the viewership rankings with over 280,000 simultaneous viewers, while the official TV Republika channel itself attracted almost 150,000 viewers.
Even more impressive are the figures for the debate’s total reach. According to the “Polityka w sieci” profile, the combined reach amounted to as many as 480 million views, making it one of the biggest media events in Poland in recent years.
The debate also generated a huge buzz on social media. The hashtag #DebataRepubliki on Platform X (formerly Twitter) was used nearly 30,000 times, dominating nationwide trends for hours. This phenomenon illustrates how live political broadcasts have transformed from a traditional television format into true multimedia events that engage audiences across numerous platforms simultaneously.
Surprise in the Campaign Teams
The level of interest in the presidential debates has caught the candidates’ teams off guard, as they had not anticipated such high viewership. In this context, the direct confrontations between candidates become a key component of the campaign, allowing for side-by-side comparisons of their proposals and personalities.
Those who have skipped the debates are losing out; Rafał Trzaskowski and Sławomir Mentzen did not participate in two of the three debates held so far. Karol Nawrocki, Szymon Hołownia, Joanna Senyszyn, Krzysztof Stanowski, and Marek Jakubiak were present at all three.
How important are these debates? Marek Jakubiak told Niezalezna.pl in Końskie: “They’re extremely important because they address the breaking of the law. They carry far more weight in the context of what’s happening here.” Mariusz Błaszczak (PiS) echoed that sentiment, stating that election debates are crucial in a democracy.
Thanks to the success of the debates it has organized, TV Republika has emerged as one of the key players in Poland’s media landscape during the presidential campaign. The station has already announced more debates—both ahead of the first round of voting, in an entirely unique format, as well as a one-on-one showdown before the second round. Regardless of the eventual election outcome, this year’s presidential debates will go down in Polish media history as events that managed to draw millions of citizens to their screens, making TV Republika a leader in viewership within this segment. And who knows—perhaps it will be TV Republika’s debates that ultimately determine who becomes head of state.