Television remained one of the strongest media channels across CEE in 2025, but its position continued to change as audiences fragmented and video consumption increasingly moved towards streaming, VOD and connected screens. TV retained its key advantage in mass reach, while younger audiences increasingly shifted towards digital video environments.
In several markets, television remained the largest advertising medium. Bulgaria allocated around 51% of total media investment to TV, while Bosnia and Herzegovina continued to devote around six in every ten advertising euros to the channel. Montenegro also retained TV as its primary mass-reach medium, particularly for national campaigns in retail, telecom, finance and public-sector communication. In Albania, TV accounted for around 72% of media consumption, supported by major entertainment productions and political developments.
At the same time, audience fragmentation became increasingly visible. Romania recorded a 4.5% decline in TV advertising audience delivery as viewers spent more time on streaming and social video platforms. Croatia saw average commercial TV viewing fall by 11%, while consumption of unreferenced content on TV screens — including streaming, IPTV and gaming — increased by 14%. In Poland, the generational divide was particularly pronounced: people aged 60+ spent more than 90% of their screen time with linear TV, compared with 43% among 16–34-year-olds.
The television set itself, however, remained important even as content consumption changed. In Poland, the TV screen accounted for 84% of Netflix consumption and 29% of YouTube viewing. Ukraine also reported that OTT/Digital TV on large Smart TV screens was becoming a more common part of both digital and TV plans.
The shift towards connected and paid video was particularly visible in Czechia and Slovakia. In Czechia, PPF merged Voyo and O2 TV into Oneplay, which reached around 1.4 million subscribers within two months. In Slovakia, JOJ Group announced that its main channels would leave free-to-air terrestrial broadcasting from January 2026, following Markíza’s earlier move to paid distribution. These developments point to a changing distribution model and a growing overlap between traditional television and streaming services.
Market consolidation also affected television in Serbia. Yettel acquired SBB’s media distribution infrastructure, while Telekom Serbia acquired Total TV and increased its distribution share to 62%. The acquisition also brought major sports rights from Sport Klub to Arena Sport.
TV measurement and the broader media environment remained important issues. Bosnia continued using a hybrid TV currency while preparing for a return to metered measurement, whereas Poland moved further towards all-screen audience measurement.
Overall, 2025 confirmed that television remains highly effective for broad reach, particularly around live sports, entertainment and major national events. However, the definition of “TV” is becoming increasingly fluid: linear broadcasting is losing younger audiences, while streaming, VOD, OTT and digital TV are becoming an increasingly important part of the video ecosystem.
