The Streaming Overload
2022 will mark a real change in the Central and Eastern European markets as the major international TV players move away from linear TV and switch to other forms of distribution to reach their consumers directly through new OTT services. This streaming overload will bring consumers more content than they could ever imagine. But only the future will tell how much time and money will CEE users be able to spend on such services, bearing in mind the living standards and media habits in many Eastern European countries.
On June 14, The Walt Disney Company launched Disney+ in CEE. Earlier, in March, HBO started offering its new streaming service HBO Max which replaced the well-established HBO GO. Both services offered great discounts at launch, and even a “lifetime” membership in order to quickly gain subscribers.
Another major service set for launch in 2022 (probably in June-July) is SkyShowtime, which will offer content from Comcast and ViacomCBS, including brands like NBCUniversal, Sky and ViacomCBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+ Originals, Sky Studios, Universal Pictures and Peacock.
Discovery, after the merger with Warner, will also continue to expand the reach of its discovery+ streamer. Back in early 2021, the platform signed a partnership with one of the biggest European telco operators, Vodafone, to include discovery+ in the latter’s content offers. This could push for an early rollout in Vodafone’s active markets in the region: Romania, Czechia and Hungary.
On top of that, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Viaplay and the abundance of local streaming whose main advantage is the domestic productions already provide for an extremely saturated market where few will be able to survive.
Even the world’s streaming leader Netflix admitted in April that it suffered “casualties” for the first time since 2011, and a part of this was to blame on the war started by Russia in Ukraine which led to the platform’s exit from Russia and the effective loss of around 700.000 subscribers.
Other reasons included account sharing and losss of licensed classic TV hits. These developments will most likely lead to Netflix launching and ad-supported service after years of keeping commercials off in order to stick out from the competition, but exactly this “coolness” has made the service so expensive, and it is starting to lose the price war to aggressive players like Disney+ and HBO Max.
In CEE, the pricing will definitely play the main role in gaining a solid base of paying subscribers. Currently, the market looks like this (per Digital TV Research): 23 million users at the end of 2021 with the prospect to reach to million by 2027.
Poland will be the market leader in 2026. Together with Russia, it will account for 64% of the region’s SVOD subscribers by 2027, down from 79% in 2021 as other countries will grow faster. The experts predict that Netflix will continue to lead the sector with 8.18 million subscribers by 2027, up from 5.82 million at end-2021. Disney+ will likely reach 4.69 million subscribers by 2027. HBO Max is expected to remain in third place with 3.11 million users.
The production of local content will play an important role in Netflix’s push to keep its leadership on the market. The company recently announced the opening of a new office in Poland dedicated to investments in local productions and aiming at boosting the service’s expansion across neighboring markets. That office is also expected to drive growth in Ukraine which is expected to turn into a booming market after the war ends.
Local players should not be underestimated either as they will always have the local appeal for the local users. The most-popular of them, like CME’s Voyo, are operated by the major commercial broadcasters in the various territories. Most of them argue that they do not regard the international giants as their main rivals because they offer something that the international services don’t have. However, in reality they are all fighting for the same, not so big potential user base, which also demands a low price and a rich content offer.
The Polish market presents a very good example of the toughness of competition among a variety services.
The Polish premiere of Disney+ is considered to be one of the most important events of 2022 with over 800 films and over 1000 series from the library of titles and 150 original productions. The monthly price is PLN 28.99. People who registered at disneyplus.com by June 13, paying for the annual subscription, will pay PLN 229.90 corresponding to eight monthly payments, not twelve. With one account, users will be able to watch series and movies on four devices at the same time and create seven separate profiles. Disney+ will be literally available on all sorts of platforms – from Smart TVs, to services like Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV HD, and also PlayStation, Xbox, apps and via popular pay TV providers like Polsat Box, Plus, Netia and Polsat Box Go, where as part of the promotion in selected subscriptions, Disney+ will be available for free for 12 months.
The HBO Max platform was launched on the Polish market at the beginning of March this year, replacing and complementing the previous service called HBO GO. In May, the third month after the launch, HBO Max had 4.69 million users in Poland. It offers several hundred films and series, both from external partners and original HBO productions, Warner Bros. or DC. Currently, the regular monthly price is PLN 29.99 (slightly more expensive than Disney+). As part of the account, the HBO Max user can watch content on three devices at the same time, as well as create four profiles.
Compared to its competitors, Netflix is a true doyen on the Polish VOD market. The website launched in Poland at the beginning of 2016. According to a Mediapanel study, in May it was visited by 13.44 million Polish internet users, each of whom spent an average of 5 hours, 14 minutes and 39 seconds on the platform, which makes Netflix an undisputed streaming leader. Currently, Netflix offers 3 types of subscription in Poland, differing in price and possibilities. The basic plan costs PLN 29 a month and allows to watch content on one screen at the same time in SD quality. The Standard plan for PLN 43 per month offers Full HD picture quality and the possibility of using it on two devices at the same time. The Premium plan for PLN 60 per month offers 4K quality and watching movies and series simultaneously on four screens.
Amazon Prime Video is also available in Poland. New users can take advantage of a 30-day free trial period. After that, a monthly subscription on the platform costs PLN 10.99 per month or PLN 49 if the fee is year-round. Most of the content on Prime Video is displayed in 4K quality.
The Player service belonging to TVN Grupa Discovery was launched in 2011, initially under the name of TVN Player. According to information obtained by Wirtualnemedia.pl in March this year, Player had approximately 1.5 million subscribers. It offers a large content library, in addition to movies and series, it also includes selected TV channels (including access to Eurosport, which is additionally paid). Player’s offer of original TVN productions is solid, mainly concerning series. The cheapest option related to the need to watch ads costs PLN 8 per month, for a package without ads, the subscription is PLN 18 for 30 days. There is also a Eurosport Extra Player package with advertisements (PLN 15 per month) and a Player without advertisements + TV channels for PLN 30 per month. There are also many other special offers, including Player without advertising + HBO (PLN 30 per month) or Player without advertising with Canal+ and HBO (PLN 60 per month). Player also offers a catalog of movies on demand, which can be rented for amounts from 10 to 18 PLN.
Polsat launched its streaming platform in the fall of last year. Polsat Go is a platform available for free with advertising blocks. Polsat Box Go, in turn, offers paid packages. The Polsat Go Box Premium package for PLN 30 per month provides, among others access to one hundred TV channels, series premieres, movie news (also in 4K), and selected movie hits. There is also the Polsat Box Go Sport package, which for PLN 40 for 30 days also offers access to sports channels, including Polsat Sport, Polsat Sport Premium, Eleven Sports, Canal+ Sport 3 and Canal+ Sport 4.
Since 2020, the Canal+ online platform, operated by the French TV broadcaster Canal+, has also been operating in Poland. Canal+ online replaced the nc+ Go platform, which was associated with considerable restrictions regarding, among others, terms and time of using the offered content. The strength of the offer are the original Canal+ productions. The basic Canal+ package costs PLN 45 per month (PLN 29 for the first 3 months). However, there are also additional options: Canal+ and Netflix package - for PLN 49 / month for 3 months, then PLN 65 / month; Canal+ and HBO package - for PLN 39 / month for 3 months, then PLN 55 / month; Canal+, Eleven Sports and Polsat Sport Premium package - for PLN 44 / month for 3 months, then PLN 60 / month; etc.
Viaplay launched last August in Poland, mainly relying on a strong sports offer. Its subscriber base remains under a million, but the Scandinavian player continues to invest in Poland and local productions.
Another major service set for launch in 2022 (probably in June-July) is SkyShowtime, which will offer content from Comcast and ViacomCBS, including brands like NBCUniversal, Sky and ViacomCBS, Showtime, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+ Originals, Sky Studios, Universal Pictures and Peacock.
Discovery, after the merger with Warner, will also continue to expand the reach of its discovery+ streamer. Back in early 2021, the platform signed a partnership with one of the biggest European telco operators, Vodafone, to include discovery+ in the latter’s content offers. This could push for an early rollout in Vodafone’s active markets in the region: Romania, Czechia and Hungary.
On top of that, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Viaplay and the abundance of local streaming whose main advantage is the domestic productions already provide for an extremely saturated market where few will be able to survive.
Even the world’s streaming leader Netflix admitted in April that it suffered “casualties” for the first time since 2011, and a part of this was to blame on the war started by Russia in Ukraine which led to the platform’s exit from Russia and the effective loss of around 700.000 subscribers.
Other reasons included account sharing and losss of licensed classic TV hits. These developments will most likely lead to Netflix launching and ad-supported service after years of keeping commercials off in order to stick out from the competition, but exactly this “coolness” has made the service so expensive, and it is starting to lose the price war to aggressive players like Disney+ and HBO Max.
In CEE, the pricing will definitely play the main role in gaining a solid base of paying subscribers. Currently, the market looks like this (per Digital TV Research): 23 million users at the end of 2021 with the prospect to reach to million by 2027.
Poland will be the market leader in 2026. Together with Russia, it will account for 64% of the region’s SVOD subscribers by 2027, down from 79% in 2021 as other countries will grow faster. The experts predict that Netflix will continue to lead the sector with 8.18 million subscribers by 2027, up from 5.82 million at end-2021. Disney+ will likely reach 4.69 million subscribers by 2027. HBO Max is expected to remain in third place with 3.11 million users.
The production of local content will play an important role in Netflix’s push to keep its leadership on the market. The company recently announced the opening of a new office in Poland dedicated to investments in local productions and aiming at boosting the service’s expansion across neighboring markets. That office is also expected to drive growth in Ukraine which is expected to turn into a booming market after the war ends.
Local players should not be underestimated either as they will always have the local appeal for the local users. The most-popular of them, like CME’s Voyo, are operated by the major commercial broadcasters in the various territories. Most of them argue that they do not regard the international giants as their main rivals because they offer something that the international services don’t have. However, in reality they are all fighting for the same, not so big potential user base, which also demands a low price and a rich content offer.
The Polish market presents a very good example of the toughness of competition among a variety services.
The Polish premiere of Disney+ is considered to be one of the most important events of 2022 with over 800 films and over 1000 series from the library of titles and 150 original productions. The monthly price is PLN 28.99. People who registered at disneyplus.com by June 13, paying for the annual subscription, will pay PLN 229.90 corresponding to eight monthly payments, not twelve. With one account, users will be able to watch series and movies on four devices at the same time and create seven separate profiles. Disney+ will be literally available on all sorts of platforms – from Smart TVs, to services like Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV HD, and also PlayStation, Xbox, apps and via popular pay TV providers like Polsat Box, Plus, Netia and Polsat Box Go, where as part of the promotion in selected subscriptions, Disney+ will be available for free for 12 months.
The HBO Max platform was launched on the Polish market at the beginning of March this year, replacing and complementing the previous service called HBO GO. In May, the third month after the launch, HBO Max had 4.69 million users in Poland. It offers several hundred films and series, both from external partners and original HBO productions, Warner Bros. or DC. Currently, the regular monthly price is PLN 29.99 (slightly more expensive than Disney+). As part of the account, the HBO Max user can watch content on three devices at the same time, as well as create four profiles.
Compared to its competitors, Netflix is a true doyen on the Polish VOD market. The website launched in Poland at the beginning of 2016. According to a Mediapanel study, in May it was visited by 13.44 million Polish internet users, each of whom spent an average of 5 hours, 14 minutes and 39 seconds on the platform, which makes Netflix an undisputed streaming leader. Currently, Netflix offers 3 types of subscription in Poland, differing in price and possibilities. The basic plan costs PLN 29 a month and allows to watch content on one screen at the same time in SD quality. The Standard plan for PLN 43 per month offers Full HD picture quality and the possibility of using it on two devices at the same time. The Premium plan for PLN 60 per month offers 4K quality and watching movies and series simultaneously on four screens.
Amazon Prime Video is also available in Poland. New users can take advantage of a 30-day free trial period. After that, a monthly subscription on the platform costs PLN 10.99 per month or PLN 49 if the fee is year-round. Most of the content on Prime Video is displayed in 4K quality.
The Player service belonging to TVN Grupa Discovery was launched in 2011, initially under the name of TVN Player. According to information obtained by Wirtualnemedia.pl in March this year, Player had approximately 1.5 million subscribers. It offers a large content library, in addition to movies and series, it also includes selected TV channels (including access to Eurosport, which is additionally paid). Player’s offer of original TVN productions is solid, mainly concerning series. The cheapest option related to the need to watch ads costs PLN 8 per month, for a package without ads, the subscription is PLN 18 for 30 days. There is also a Eurosport Extra Player package with advertisements (PLN 15 per month) and a Player without advertisements + TV channels for PLN 30 per month. There are also many other special offers, including Player without advertising + HBO (PLN 30 per month) or Player without advertising with Canal+ and HBO (PLN 60 per month). Player also offers a catalog of movies on demand, which can be rented for amounts from 10 to 18 PLN.
Polsat launched its streaming platform in the fall of last year. Polsat Go is a platform available for free with advertising blocks. Polsat Box Go, in turn, offers paid packages. The Polsat Go Box Premium package for PLN 30 per month provides, among others access to one hundred TV channels, series premieres, movie news (also in 4K), and selected movie hits. There is also the Polsat Box Go Sport package, which for PLN 40 for 30 days also offers access to sports channels, including Polsat Sport, Polsat Sport Premium, Eleven Sports, Canal+ Sport 3 and Canal+ Sport 4.
Since 2020, the Canal+ online platform, operated by the French TV broadcaster Canal+, has also been operating in Poland. Canal+ online replaced the nc+ Go platform, which was associated with considerable restrictions regarding, among others, terms and time of using the offered content. The strength of the offer are the original Canal+ productions. The basic Canal+ package costs PLN 45 per month (PLN 29 for the first 3 months). However, there are also additional options: Canal+ and Netflix package - for PLN 49 / month for 3 months, then PLN 65 / month; Canal+ and HBO package - for PLN 39 / month for 3 months, then PLN 55 / month; Canal+, Eleven Sports and Polsat Sport Premium package - for PLN 44 / month for 3 months, then PLN 60 / month; etc.
Viaplay launched last August in Poland, mainly relying on a strong sports offer. Its subscriber base remains under a million, but the Scandinavian player continues to invest in Poland and local productions.
