The National
Broadcasting Council

‘Complaints from viewers and listeners are, for the National Broadcasting Council, a key warning signal, showing where standards of responsibility, reliability and audience protection are being breached in the media. 2025 showed just how important a consistent response from the regulator is – both in matters of protecting minors and in the culture of public debate and the fairness of commercial messaging. It is our constitutional duty to safeguard the interests of audiences, and we will fulfil that duty with full determination’, stressed the KRRiT Chair, Dr Agnieszka Glapiak.

Investigative proceedings

On the basis of complaints submitted in 2025, the National Broadcasting Council launched a total of 381 investigative proceedings, covering both television and radio broadcasters as well as content providers operating on video-sharing platforms.

The largest number of proceedings concerned television broadcasters. Within this group, cases relating to the activities of Telewizja Polska (103 proceedings) and Telewizja Republika (93) predominated, along with TVN (56) and Polsat (34). Next came TV Puls and wPolsce24 (10 each), TTV (5), Kino Polska (4) and Canal+ (3). In individual cases, proceedings also concerned, among others, TV4, TV6, WP and Stopklatka (2 each), and Eska TV, Nowa TV, Kabaret TV, Zoom TV and TV Mazowsze (1 each). The breakdown shows that complaints covered both the largest nationwide broadcasters and smaller specialist channels.

In the case of radio broadcasters, several dozen proceedings were launched, most of which concerned Polskie Radio and Polskie Radio's regional stations (26). Among commercial broadcasters, complaints most often concerned Radio Eska (4), Radio ZET (3), RMF FM (2), TOK FM (2) and Radio 5 (2). Individual proceedings concerned the stations: Radio Rodzina, Meloradio, Nasze Radio, Akademickie Radio Index, Radio Radom, Radio Opatów, Antyradio, Radio EM, Radio Maryja, and Rock Radio.

At the same time, the KRRiT conducted proceedings concerning content providers on video-sharing platforms. In 2025, 6 proceedings were launched in this area, including 4 against Kanał Zero and one each against the channels ‘Super Express’ and ‘Sekielski’. In 2025, 44 warning letters and formal notices were also sent to broadcasters (under Article 10(3) of the Broadcasting Act).

Analysis of the submissions received in 2025 clearly shows that media audiences most often drew attention to four main problem areas:

• protection of minors,
• vulgar language in programmes,
• hate speech,
• lack of journalistic objectivity.

On the protection of minors, KRRiT launched 52 investigative proceedings. Complaints mainly concerned the presence of scenes of violence and sex in films and other programmes, the broadcasting of such content at inappropriately early times, and the under-classification of age ratings assigned to programmes. Audiences flagged the risk of ‘normalising’ violence for children and young people, and the possible social consequences of this phenomenon.

On the dissemination of vulgar language, 40 proceedings were launched. Complaints concerned both live coverage of public events and the language used in films, stage productions and political debates. Audiences pointed to the growing nuisance of this phenomenon in the media.

On hate speech, this problem – particularly evident in current-affairs programmes – was the subject of 80 proceedings. Complaints reflected deep social polarisation and a low standard of public debate, particularly in the context of political disputes.

Due to a lack of journalistic objectivity, the KRRiT launched 44 proceedings in cases concerning unequal treatment of representatives of different political groupings and the unreliability of news content. Importantly, viewers stressed in their complaints their objection to journalists' involvement in political disputes and to presenters expressing their own views during programmes. The KRRiT sent submissions on this matter to the following television broadcasters: TVP, Polsat, TVN and Republika, and to radio broadcasters: Polskie Radio, Radio Szczecin, Radio Gdańsk and Radio 5 Ełk, as well as to content providers on video-sharing platforms: the channels ‘Sekielski’ and ‘Super Express’ on YouTube.

In this category, 14 proceedings were launched relating to allegations of improper labelling of sponsored programmes and content featuring product placement. Viewers also complained about the nuisance of advertising breaks (length, excessive volume).

At the end of December 2025, the KRRiT Chair, Dr Agnieszka Glapiak, ordered an investigation into a (Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia – CNMC) controversial beer advertisement and called on all broadcasters to stop airing it immediately. The KRRiT received 27 complaints from viewers about this matter. The advertisement depicted the image of Saint Nicholas in an unauthorised and distorted manner. The notice was sent to Telewizja Polska S.A. (in liquidation) and to broadcasters of 68 licensed channels and 50 relocated channels. Broadcasters complied with the notice.

In 2025, the KRRiT was also active in international cooperation. As a result of the KRRiT's intervention, the Spanish regulator (imposed a financial penalty on the broadcaster FilmBox Premium HD for airing the film ‘Ammonite’ with content unsuitable for minors. This was the first case of its kind, in which the regulator of another country, following a complaint from a Polish viewer, conducted an investigation and then imposed a fine of €1,320 on a broadcaster operating under a licence issued in Spain and directing its programme at audiences in Poland.

Further cases remain ongoing in cooperation with regulators from the United Kingdom, Germany and the Netherlands.

Complaints from viewers and listeners are one of the most important tools for overseeing the media market. They influence the enforcement and regulatory action taken. Every complaint is assessed for compliance with the provisions of the Broadcasting Act and the applicable standards for the protection of audiences.

Complaints, requests and petitions can be submitted in writing – in person at the KRRiT Office in Warsaw, by post, by email, via the form on the KRRiT website, through the ePUAP platform, or via the e-delivery system.

The year 2025 showed that audience engagement, together with the KRRiT's action in this area, has a real impact on the quality of public debate, the protection of minors, and ensuring pluralism and reliability in media content.