The Newsroom of Tomorrow · No. 03Short Video Report
Conversation
We don't think about video in silos - it's one ecosystem
Video as a commercial ecosystem and operating model
Wirtualna Polska is one of Poland's largest digital media companies, reaching millions of users across news, business, lifestyle and entertainment. As video becomes an increasingly important part of the publisher's strategy, the organisation has built dedicated workflows, specialised teams and a growing portfolio of original programmes across YouTube, social platforms and its own digital properties. In this interview, Joanna Majdańska discusses how Wirtualna Polska approaches video strategically - from defining the role of different formats and building scalable production processes to creating an organisation capable of adapting to rapidly changing audience behaviours
Looking at Wirtualna Polska today, how do you balance editorial, audience and business goals for video?
We don't treat these as competing priorities - they reinforce one another. Video is a major part of our business across multiple platforms, and we invest equally in editorial quality, audience growth and commercial performance.
Today we're one of the leading publishers on both YouTube and Facebook, while continuing to expand video inside our own ecosystem. Over the past year we've introduced vertical video on the Wirtualna Polska homepage and are gradually expanding it across additional parts of our product experience.
How has the role of video changed at Wirtualna Polska over the past five years?
Video has always been an important part of our editorial work, but 2021 marked a turning point when we significantly expanded our YouTube strategy.
The success of our Pomysł na Dom programme demonstrated that audiences were ready to consume publisher video directly on YouTube, which encouraged us to invest further. Since then we've launched a number of successful channels, including Didaskalia, Biznes Klasa, Balans, Lustra and, most recently, our lifestyle brand Miłość. We've also expanded our opinion and business offering with projects such as Bez Doktryny and Zawodowcy.
At the same time, we've continued investing in Facebook and our owned platforms, making substantial product, technology and content improvements, including the rollout of vertical video across WP's own properties.
What's important is that each stage was built on the previous one. We first learned how to scale YouTube, then applied those lessons to Facebook and other social platforms, and today we're bringing that experience into our own ecosystem.
Where does video generate the most business value today?
Our biggest business driver remains video that audiences intentionally choose to consume on Wirtualna Polska's own properties. We've invested heavily in building that experience within our ecosystem.
At the same time, external platforms are becoming increasingly important commercially. We're actively expanding sponsorships and branded partnerships across YouTube and social media, creating integrated commercial packages for advertisers. For example, PKO has become a long-term sponsor of our Biznes Klasa programme.
Is short-form video a standalone business product or primarily a marketing funnel for longer content?
We see short-form video as a standalone product with its own commercial value.
Vertical video lowers the barrier to entry and is one of the most effective ways to reach audiences in today's highly competitive attention economy. Recommendation algorithms on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube allow shorts to reach people who don't already follow your brand, making them extremely effective for building awareness.
That creates genuine commercial potential. More advertisers are interested in short-form campaigns than ever before.
At the same time, long-form content continues to play a different role. It allows audiences to spend more time with a topic and helps build trust, which remains incredibly valuable both editorially and commercially.
The State of Short Video in Media · https://thenewsroomoftomorrow.com/p/joanna