According to ZKDP (Polish bureau of circulation in Poland) all national dailies in Poland noted a decline in circulation in August 2009 comparing to the same period year before.

The largest daily in Poland is the boulevard-type "Fakt" (Axel Springer Polska). Its circulation in Poland reached the level of almost 455.000 copies. "Fakt" had a 7% decline in circulation in August, yoy. The second newspaper was the opinionated "Gazeta Wyborcza" (Agora) with circulation of almost 320.000 (13% decline). The rest is as follows:



The situation slightly differs when month to month is compared. In this case, month to month, only "Gazeta Wyborcza" and "Gazeta Prawna" had risen their circulation. Here is the comparison of August to July 2009:



Circulation of "Dziennik" and "Gazeta Prawna" are posted for the last time separately. Since September 14th, the two papers have merged and are now one "Dziennik Gazeta Prawna".

"Fakt" and "Super Express" are boulevard newspapers. "Gazeta Wyborcza", "Rzeczpospolita", and now "Dziennik Gazeta Wyborcza" are opinion newspapers. "Przegląd Sportowy" and "Futbol News" are sports newspaper. "Futbal News" was llaunched in July this year and is being sold twice a week (not really a daily, but according to the Polish press law, a daily is a newspaper which is published more often than once a week). The last two from the list: "Puls Biznesu" and "Parkiet" are business newspapers.

Just a few more words of wisdom. The figures in the chart represent the real sales level of the national dailies in Poland (that means sold in the newsstands and within subscriptions). Some publishers use extra means of promotions, such as distributing newspapers for free with coffee in McDonald's or on the planes, or in the trains. Those numbers are not included in the chart, as this is an audited real sales level. Therefore publishers may show a slightly higher numbers in their corporation information.

Photo by just.Luc (just.Censored) - CC license

Polish monthly computer magazine "Chip" published by Burda Communications decided to draw back the latest issue from the newsstands. According to the readers, there were illegally downloaded files among other legal freeware on a CD inserted to the magazine.


The readers had a sudden surprise when they opened the CD in their computers. Among thfreewares they could find subtitles to the movie "Slumdog Millionaire", a bootleg of Sting's concert, compilations "Smooth Jazz Cafe", and "Sunrise Festival 2009" and the CD of Polish singer Kasia Nosowska. All these files had the information stating they were downloaded from a torrent network.

In an open letter to media, the publisher stated: "Burda Communications investigated this case and informs that one of the persons engaged in the process of creation of this DVD did not follow the procedures corectly". The publisher assured that he will not let this issue pass, and all the people responsible for that case will be accordingly punished.

Downloading and distrubuting copyrighted material is illegal in Poland. Even if the CD inserted was produced by another company, it still is publisher's responsibility to distribute legal content.

It is the first time in Poland when the publisher decided to pull back the magazines from the market. The average circulation of the magazine is about 45.000 copies, with almost half of it distrubuted directly to the subscribers.

„The Media Mill” is a blog dedicated to media issues, mostly press and internet. We live in interesting times. People debate whether the newspaper will still exist in its printed form few years from now. All eyes are now on United States, where newspaper crisis forces the publishers to debate in public and search for new revenues. Most often the question is not if but when the newspaper will end its existance in its present form.

I would like to bring attention of the readers to my part of the world, where newspapers are still strong (though admitting they are not losing the ground would be a lie). I believe the ideas born or implemented in the Polish media market could be an inspiration to the publishers and media experts abroad. At the same time I would like to take part in the global discussion concerning the future of printed media.

Last but not least I will try to include some data on this blog about sales and readership in Poland. Hopefully this blog would be an interesting information source for media experts who are interested in how this game is played in Poland.

All the views stated on this site are personal and should not be linked to the views of the company I work for.

I am Marek Miller - mass media and communication fan. Co-author of MediaSzum (translation: MediaBuzz), a local series of meetings on media and communication issues. Content manager in Polskapresse - Polish publisher of regional newspapers and news sites. I have been addicted to news media since 2005.

I am an alumni of many scholarships, among many: Socrates-Erasmus in Tampere (Finland), The Fund for American Studies (Georgetown University), and International Monetary Fund in Kiel (Germany). I am also an alumni of two years post grad studies for a publishing expert.

For more detailed information about me and my career please visit my profile on LinkedIn. Feel free to add me to your network.