The Polish regulator UKE’s Consumer Survey 2018 provides fascinating insights into how individuals and businesses in the country currently use telecommunication services.
Its findings, based on research undertaken at the end of last year, make for particularly interesting reading in the case of OTT services. Perhaps the most surprising one is that only 11.9% of individuals surveyed understood the concept of OTT. This rose to a still relatively low 18.9% of those aged 15-24 and 20% with a higher education.
Meanwhile, less than a third (31.4%) of businesses used OTT services, which, as in the case of individuals, included Skype, WhatsApp, Google, Spotify and Netflix.
Another surprising finding was that almost half (48.3%) of individuals did not use any OTT service whatsoever. A slightly smaller percentage (43.4%) opted for communication services and one in ten video services such as Netflix and Showmax.
When it came to spending money, 13.5% of individuals did so on video services, followed by 12.5% on communications services. However, over two-thirds paid nothing for OTT over the internet. Furthermore, 43.5% said they did not plan to use OTT services in the future.
In the case of businesses, only 5.9% of those currently not using OTT services were considering doing so.
While there is clearly awareness of OTT in Poland, it is much lower than one might have expected in what is one of the most developed markets in the CEE region. In the video space, services such as Netflix are certainly making their mark, though only in a certain segment of the population.
Interestingly, the study also found that one in four (24.8%) Polish households now subscribe to bundled offers, with TV (73.6%) being the most popular service included in packages. These on average cost PLN103.1 (€24.1) a month and 90.2% of those surveyed expressed their satisfaction.
