For the past six months, TV Republika has been the most-watched news channel in Poland. But that’s not the end of the story. In June, the station ranked second among all television channels in the country, surpassed only by TVP1. None of this would have been possible without the support of viewers, including the readers of Gazeta Polska. The year 2024 has seen record-breaking investments, largely funded by contributions from thousands of Poles, writes Jacek Liziniewicz in Gazeta Polska.
According to TV Republika’s financial statements, the station’s operating costs in 2024 amounted to PLN 71,591,438.86. The majority-nearly PLN 51 million-was spent on external services, such as building new studios, renovations, and equipment purchases. These expenses were, of course, balanced by revenue. In 2024, the station generated PLN 39 million in content sales, while another PLN 34.5 million came from donations made by viewers and supporters of Telewizja Republika. This alone shows that the station could not exist without the generosity of its fans.
“What has been happening since 2023 and throughout 2024 is the most advanced crowdfunding project in the history of Poland and Polish media. The fact that ordinary Poles contributed tens of millions of złotys to build a television station that, within a year, became a market leader is truly unprecedented-not just in Poland, but globally. Nothing like this has ever happened in the television or media industry anywhere in the world. It shows the tremendous strength of grassroots organization among our viewers. It proves that when Poles come together to achieve a common goal, they can move mountains. For 30 years, we’ve been wondering how to build independent media, while major media corporations were being created by secret service collaborators, former communists, or those inheriting networks from the old PRL regime. It turns out the key was self-organization. That is the most important lesson of this success,”
says Michał Rachoń, Program Director of TV Republika.
The Best in History
The financial efforts of Polish citizens have translated into remarkable success in the media market-success that, if it weren’t true, would sound like the plot of a Hollywood film. A tiny station suddenly starts outperforming all competitors, week after week. “Today, we are the largest television network in Poland. For the past six months, Nielsen has consistently shown that we are the top news channel in the country. In fact, on many days we are the most-watched TV channel overall, competing only with TVP1. Sometimes they take the lead, but we’re right there. We also have over 100 million views per month on YouTube, making us the biggest Polish media presence on that platform. This significantly expands our reach. According to Nielsen, around 10 million viewers watch Republika via traditional TV, and several million more via YouTube. So it’s safe to estimate that around 12 million people are watching TV Republika,” says Tomasz Sakiewicz, Editor-in-Chief and President of the station. Republika’s success was recently confirmed again by the ratings on July 16.
He recalls that the station has grown 70-fold over the last year and a half. This incredible achievement happened in record time and at a relatively low cost. “We have a huge market share. If you calculate how much we spent to gain that share, I don’t think there’s another example in the world of a TV station as cost-efficient as Republika. Our monthly budget is probably equal to the production budget for a single drama series on the channels we compete with. And with just a fraction of their budgets, we have become the second most-watched station in Poland. Of course, our investments were significant, but when you compare them to similar-scale operations, which typically spend hundreds of millions of złotys, we remain highly cost-effective. We manage every złoty with care, negotiating hard and looking for multiple suppliers,” says Jarosław Olechowski, Head of News at TV Republika. It’s easy to imagine what kind of advertising campaign a company would need to replicate Republika’s success.
Focused on Growth
This doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges ahead. The station still relies on viewer support. “We are aware of massive attacks being prepared against Republika from various sides. These have been in the works for some time and are now intensifying, likely due to the government’s recent defeat. The root cause is the emergence of a powerful new media outlet that serves as an alternative to the state-controlled narrative,” says Tomasz Sakiewicz. He adds that the station faces ongoing discrimination in the advertising market. Advertisers are routinely intimidated and emotionally pressured into boycotting Republika. As a result, while similar channels may have 250 advertisers, Republika has 150 fewer. Station executives are certain that this is a result of unfair competitive practices.
“Those who control the media financing market-mainly large media conglomerates we’ve now surpassed-also control the advertising market. We estimate that we’re currently receiving only 1 to 5 percent of what we should be getting based on our viewership. And yet, we’ve achieved tremendous success despite these challenges,”
says Michał Rachoń.
This is why the station remains focused on continued growth and moving forward. As Tomasz Sakiewicz explains, all the media ventures he manages are profitable, but out of a sense of responsibility, it was decided that no dividends would be paid out. Instead, all profits are reinvested into developing the Free Speech Zone, including Republika itself.
“We are planning to build a mobile broadcast van and are in the final stages of fundraising for that project. We also want to complete the investment in our new headquarters. That includes constructing a fourth, full-sized studio. We may also need to build a second server room to expand our production capacity. We plan to install new editing workstations as well. These are major upcoming projects. We continue to invest in new programming and productions and are expanding our team by hiring new journalists. These investments-in both technology and people-are equally important. We’re pursuing both tracks: equipment and content,”
says Jarosław Olechowski.
Everyone at the station is proud of the accomplishments so far. They point out that in 2024, a brand-new headquarters was built from the ground up in record time. State-of-the-art news studios were created, with cutting-edge solutions such as robotic systems, LED walls, fully equipped control rooms, and all necessary infrastructure. In addition, the station financed the cost of obtaining its broadcast license.
Below, we present coverage of the construction of the House of Free Speech.
Read the full article in the latest issue of Gazeta Polska. The weekly Gazeta Polska is available with a convenient digital subscription. Check out the digital subscription offer HERE » prenumerata.swsmedia.pl or call us at 605 900 002 or 501 678 819.