At the World News Media Congress (WAN-IFRA), four media CEOs — from Poland, Canada, India and South Africa — laid out their top strategic priorities for the next 24 months. From editorial expansion and platform play to public policy lobbying and smart monetisation, their responses differ — but their ambitions echo the same challenge: building long-term sustainability in a structurally broken market.
🇵🇱 Agora (Poland): Between legacy, platforms and bold digital bets
Bartosz Hojka, CEO of Agora, described a market that’s both modest and tough: Poland has 38 million people, but just €3 billion in total ad revenue, most of which is absorbed by global tech players. Local media remain largely stagnant.
Agora, born in 1989 with the post-communist daily Gazeta Wyborcza, is now a diversified group reaching:
- 300,000 digital subscribers
- 25 digital brands, 17M unique users/month
- 19 radio stations, 8M daily listeners
- 54 cinemas, 12M visitors/year
- 50,000 audio subscribers
- 18 million people reached daily
- 2,500 employees
- €350M in annual revenue, €35M operating profit
The group also operates 17,000 outdoor ad spaces — but refuses billboards and intrusive formats. Its digital audio segment grew by 70% last year, and its main growth drivers are now:
- Digital subscriptions
- Building direct relationships with readers but also listeners, through paid audio
- Digital out-of-home (DOOH)
“Our strategy is built on resilience, specialisation, and constant adaptation — but always rooted in our founding values.”
