The broadcasters announced that the platform will be an independent business. Initially, the content will be available for free, then the subscription offer will appear.
The project will be launched after obtaining the consent of the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK). It has not been specified under what brand the platform will operate or when it is planned to start. On the other hand, TVN Discovery and Cyfrowy Polsat have announced that Polish films, series, documentaries, entertainment programmes and sports broadcasts will be available on the website. The content will come from both broadcasters, as well as purchased from external producers and distributors. The service will also include new original local productions carried out by the new entity.
Cyfrowy Polsat announced in a press release that both broadcasters will provide the joint entity with up to 7 million EUR / 30 million PLN of initial financing. The company was founded by Cyfrowy Polsat and, after obtaining the consent of UOKiK, Discovery will take over 50 percent of its shares. It was noted that Cyfrowy Polsat and Discovery "would also be obliged to provide additional financing, the amount of which would be agreed at a later stage." Both broadcasters and their subsidiaries will also sign additional contracts, including license, associated with the new service.
“This new joint venture is part of our international strategy. We believe that right now is the best time for TV broadcasters to create products that meet the needs of consumers. Polish viewers have access to many websites with international productions and our initiative will be for them a natural platform offering Polish content,” Katarzyna Kieli, President and Managing Director of Discovery in the EMEA region, said in an official statement.
“We are glad that we co-create a project that can become real competition for international websites. We have the ambition for the platform to offer the best and highest quality technological solutions,” Maciej Stec, Vice President of the Management Board for the strategy of Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel, said in an official statement. “It is particularly important that this challenging project can be created in Poland. Thanks to this, Polish content will also be able to reach international viewers,” he added.
