TV Republika was the most-watched television station on September 10, when Russian drones attacked our country. “We were the first to report on drones crossing Polish airspace. We were everywhere something important was happening. People appreciate that. They know we are independent and capable of making good television,” Tomasz Sakiewicz, editor-in-chief of TV Republika, told Niezależna.
Republika took first place in viewership among all audiences over 4 years of age. According to data from the research group Nielsen, the station had an 8.67% market share. This result allowed it to surpass the competition, including TVN24 and Polsat, which reached 7.15% and 6.80%, respectively. The next places went to TVN (6.86%), TVP2 (6.29%), TVP1 (5.83%), TVP Info (3.62%), Polsat News (2.64%), Wydarzenia 24 (1.47%), and wPolsce24 (1.65%). In total, Republika programs were watched by 408,474 viewers in the general group, of which 54,593 were in the 16-49 age group and 116,774 in the 16-59 group. The total reach (RCH) of Republika that day was 3,491,278 viewers, including 668,205 in the 16-49 group and 1,273,436 in the 16-59 group. Materials related to the drone attack also enjoyed huge interest online. On YouTube, the station’s content reached over 3 million views that day.
“It is clear that Republika has become the main source of information for millions of Poles. We are not only the most-watched news television, but especially in such moments, when important, surprising, and unexpected things happen, Poles massively turn on our station as the primary source of information. They want to know what is happening and they place great trust in us,” Jarosław Olechowski, head of Republika editors, told Gazeta Polska Codziennie. The day of the attack was a challenge for reporters, but many reports were shown by the station first. “We didn’t hide a thing – we showed reality as it was. We were on the ground wherever possible,” Olechowski told Niezależna.
Nevertheless, on the day of Russia’s attack on Poland, Roman Giertych decided to attack journalists and call for the closure of Republika. “It is clearly visible that the government coalition, and especially individuals with ambitions like Roman Giertych, are terrified by the very fact that millions of people get their information from TV Republika. They are frightened because they have no control over it. After what happened with the public media, they assumed they would control the flow of information. Republika has created a real alternative. Today, they want to find new methods to silence the biggest source of information for people who do not want to listen to government propaganda. If we have the support of viewers, they will not succeed,” Tomasz Sakiewicz told Niezależna.