World Association of News Publishers


Over 190,000 subscribers of Wyborcza.pl in the month of the 30th anniversary of „Gazeta Wyborcza”

Over 190,000 subscribers of Wyborcza.pl in the month of the 30th anniversary of „Gazeta Wyborcza”

Article ID:

22492

21.06.2019 – At the end of May 2019, the number of active subscribers to Wyborcza.pl amounted to 192 415 - this is another success of "Gazeta Wyborcza’s" digital subscription offer. The Poland’s largest opinion daily, which celebrated its 30th birthday in May this year, increased the number of digital subscribers due to the changes in the online offer, high-quality publications, growing popularity of its mobile application and strengthening the team responsible for the digital subscriptions development.

Over 190,000.* - that was the number of active subscriptions to Wyborcza.pl at the end of May this year. Thus, in the last 5 months, ie  from the end of December 2018, the number of digital subscribers to the "Gazeta Wyborcza’s” content grew by another 21,865 (a 13-percent increase from 170,000). What is more, in May 2019 – in the month of the 30th anniversary of "Gazeta Wyborcza” – the highest ever sales of the Wyborcza.pl subscription was recorded. What is more - as many as half of subscriptions were purchased in the form of auto-renew transactions. In combination with the average distribution of the paper  issue at the level of 101,000** copies, this means an average of over 290,000 daily accesses to the content of "Gazeta Wyborcza".

- Today's "Gazeta Wyborcza" reaches the largest in our recent history group of readers - we have 192 thousand. digital subscribers, within a month our readers buy over 2.4 million copies of the paper edition of "Gazeta Wyborcza”, Internet users left almost  1.5 million ‘likes’ on our social media fanpages, and over 8 million users visit Wyborcza.pl. This shows that real journalism is still in high demand. We are delighted that everyday so many people choose our newspaper, also on the Internet, and are ready to  pay for access to the Wyborcza.pl - comments Jerzy Wójcik, publisher of "Gazeta Wyborcza".

To the excellent results of "Gazeta Wyborcza" and Wyborcza.pl recorded in May this year, contributed, among others, changes in the digital  offer introduced in February 2019. The offer was enriched, with i.a. a "family" subscription - access to Wyborcza.pl content for 3 people selected by the subscriber, as well as the possibility to read "Gazeta Wyborcza” in a convenient reader - the printed version-like layout and sharing articles with friends through links to unlocked sites. Additionally, all subscribers can use the Wyborcza.pl mobile application - within a few months the team of the  daily noted a significant increase of number or subscribers of this application in iTunes and Google Play stores (over 144% as compared to December 2018), related in particular to the intensification of marketing activities and a number of technological improvements.

The breakthrough for the results of "Gazeta Wyborcza" in the digital area is also a focus on self-renewing subscriptions. In this way, Wyborcza.pl is gaining more and more readers who can  enjoy cheaper access to its content than in the case of single purchase (PLN 19.90 per month instead of PLN 25 in the basic version of subscription and PLN 29.90 per month instead of PLN 39 in the Premium one).

The unique content published by the daily is very important for the results of "Gazeta Wyborcza". In the first months of 2019, the editorial  team prepared articles that had a strong impact on Polish society, were widely commented and found recognition among readers. This includes a series of investigations concerning the business deals of current Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki or an  interview on domestic violence with Polish actress Weronika Rosati. Readers also appreciated editorial commitment in describing teachers' strikes, widely subscribed to a special newsletter on this subject and decided to buy special “solidarity subscription”.  As a result, the team of "Gazeta Wyborcza" donated 200,000 PLN from the sale of digital subscriptions to the teachers' strike committee. - This year we can observe the triumph of reliable, committed journalism, which naturally affects the growth in the number of digital subscriptions to Wyborcza.pl - emphasizes Danuta Breguła, director of online strategy of "Gazeta Wyborcza".

- Wyborcza.pl offers a good selection of the most important information. We run a news website, but we do not provide our readers with trivial or unnecessary topics. The diversity of content is very important to us, which is why - apart from politics or economics  - we devote a lot of space to articles about health, relationships, parenthood and entertainment. We carefully follow the data on the preferences of our subscribers. We see that they really value our commitment to defending democracy and the natural environment.  In the coming months, we are planning an intensive campaign related to the climate disaster. To this end, we established a special group of journalists and editors at Wyborcza.pl – comments Aleksandra Sobczak, who became the head of the Wyborcza.pl in May this year.

In order to secure even faster and more efficient development of "Gazeta Wyborcza’s” subscription business in May this year, new positions have been created in the online strategy team of the daily - the marketing manager of digital subscriptions and the managers of the growth of digital subscriptions.

- After several years of successful digital transformation of "Gazeta Wyborcza", we focus primarily on quality growth - reaching potential subscribers with such a good offer that they would like to stay with us for years. Therefore, it is necessary to specialize  at every stage of the way - starting from building a solid, valuable offer and the readers’ loyality, through advanced activities in digital marketing, and increasing the subscribers' retention and satisfaction levels by introducing new useful functionalities.  Fundamental is also close cooperation with all our journalists and editors in Poland. We are constantly experimenting, drawing inspiration from similar foreign publishers achieving spectacular results, but also from the e-commerce, advertising and streaming  services market – adds Danuta Breguła.

The constantly growing number of subscribers to Wyborcza.pl also means that the offer of the daily is more attractive for advertisers. Subscribers  remain a more aware group of recipients than the so-called one-time readers - they consume much more content and advertisements. Additionally, subscription model allows to almost completely eliminate the traffic of bots and online frauds, which are more and  more problematic to the advertising market.

The success of "Gazeta  Wyborcza’s” digital subscription model is one of the strategic goals of the Agora Group, and at the same time allows the team of the daily to strengthen its position as a leader in the digitization of the press in Poland and in the world. Already at the end  of 2018, with the result of 170 thousand active digital subscriptions, "Gazeta Wyborcza" was ranked 15th in the FIPP ranking, overtaking, among others, such titles as "New Yorker" (167 thousand digital subscribers), "Corriere della Sera" (133,000), "Le Figaro"  (110,000) and "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (66,000).

* Publisher's own data; number of active subscribers to Wyborcza.pl, as of 31.05.2019.

** The data on the number of copies sold – ZKDP, Jan-Apr 2019 and publishers’ own data for May 2019.

"Gazeta Wyborcza" is an invaluable source of information for its readers and an important platform for public debate.  The daily also offers entertaining content and encourages readers to adopt active pastimes. It is well respected and awarded for its quality of journalism, innovative solutions and strong social commitment. For many years its authors have supported the most  worthy national and local community, educational and cultural projects. "Gazeta Wyborcza" is also a leader in the process of digital transformation of press in Poland and was the first to introduce metered paywall and paid digital subscription. Currently the  daily has over 170 thousand active subscribers and the number continues to grow.
(https://www.agora.pl/en/newspapers)


Attachments

Author

Michael Spinner-Just's picture

Michael Spinner-Just

Date

2019-06-24 11:43