Use of Netflix and ShowMax in Poland on February 15, 2017

ShowMax is an online subscription video on demand (SVoD) service launched in Poland on February 15, 2017. On the day of its launch, the service registered 172 thousand viewers, compared to only 80 thousand viewers on Netflix. The number of open and viewing times was also higher for the premiering VoD service on the day of its premiere.

The VOD market in Poland

  The value of the Polish VoD and the pay-TV market has steadily increased since 2017. It was forecasted to reach over seven billion zloty in 2019, where the VoD services alone would be contributing 860 million to the total. The value increase also reflects in the VoD users growth. By 2024, it is expected that over 10 million Poles will be using VoD services. As for the most popular SVoD services, Netflix was the undisputed leader in 2019, with almost 60 percent of people subscribing to the service provider. Moreover, Netflix also dominated in terms of VoD applications – reaching over four million users in Poland.

Netflix – the king of VOD services in Poland?

  Netflix has generated 27.43 million U.S. dollars of revenues in Poland as of the first quarter of 2020. By the end of 2020, Netflix is expected to generate a streaming revenue of 74.11 million U.S. dollars in Poland.   The success of the VOD service is due to the content offered to its customers. In 2020, Polish subscribers had access to 3,398 movie and TV show titles on the Netflix platform, out of which 93 were award-winning productions.  The streaming service’s wide variety of movies and series was appreciated by 62 percent of Polish people, so it was perceived as the leading reason  for subscribing.