Eurovision slips in Poland; Warner Bros Discovery retains market lead
June 19, 2026 12.16 Europe/London By Julian Clover


The Eurovision Song Contest remained one of Poland’s biggest television events in May, but audience figures fell sharply year-on-year as overall viewing levels declined amid seasonal changes in consumer behaviour.

According to Nielsen’s latest All Screens Video Landscape Report, Eurovision ranked fourth among the month’s most-watched programmes with a 27.95% audience share. However, this was significantly down on the 40.85% share recorded in May 2025.

Reach also declined, with just over 1.9 million viewers watching this year’s contest compared with more than 3 million in 2025. Nielsen attributed the stronger performance last year to the participation of Polish singer Justyna Steczkowska, whose appearance generated exceptional public interest and helped Eurovision top the monthly rankings.

The report found viewing levels across both traditional television and streaming services declined during May as warmer weather and Poland’s extended Majówka holiday period encouraged audiences to spend more time outdoors.

Nielsen noted that viewing was also compared against an unusually strong May 2025, when presidential election debates drove elevated television consumption across the market.

Despite the softer viewing environment, Warner Bros. Discovery maintained its position as Poland’s leading content distributor, extending an uninterrupted run at the top of Nielsen’s rankings throughout 2026.

The only significant movement within the top ten distributors came from social media platform ByteDance, owner of TikTok, which moved ahead of SPI International to take ninth place.

Lucyna Koba, Market Leader at Nielsen Poland, said: “May historically introduces a transitional phase for consumer behaviour in Poland, where the appeal of the outdoors and the Majówka holidays create a natural dip in traditional screen time.

“What makes May 2026 particularly unique is how cleanly it highlights the impact of political event television; without the exceptional baseline of 2025’s Presidential Debates to pull people inside, we saw a uniform decline in both linear and streaming footprints.”

Koba added that ByteDance’s rise in the rankings highlighted the growing influence of mobile-first content platforms.

“ByteDance’s climb to ninth place underscores the reality that while seasonal dips affect the wider market, short-form mobile content continues to quietly and permanently expand its share of the Polish media mix.”