In 2023, Wirtualna Polska Holding S.A. posted sales revenues exceeding PLN 1,436 million. This represents an increase of 33% compared to 2022. Adjusted EBITDA increased by 18% to over PLN 439 million. The Group continues to invest in the development of products and technologies, which are also available to other web publishers.
In 2023, revenues in the tourism industry grew particularly fast, doubling compared to 2022. International tourism accounted for the largest share of revenues. The growing interest in organized travel is a permanent trend, supported by macroeconomic factors. In the area of advertising, Grupa WP is investing in the development of its own products. As a result, it is able to offer campaigns aimed at international markets and introduce innovative solutions for both advertisers and other web-based publishers.
"Wirtualna Polska invests PLN 150 million every year in the development of its own technologies. For the first time in our almost 30-year history, we have decided to share with the market the products on which we have built our success to date. [...] We have done this so that we will never again run out of advertising views on which to execute our clients' campaigns. Even if this space does not belong to us", wrote Jacek Świderski, President of the Management Board of Wirtualna Polska Holding S.A., in his letter to shareholders.
In addition to WP Ads, other key technology projects developed in the advertising area include WPartner and WPlatform.
WPartner is an SSP (Supply-Side Platform) which enables other publishers to effectively monetize their own advertising space using WP’s unique, proprietary technology based on the programmatic model. The solution allows publishers to select the optimal offer in real time, without having to integrate systems with multiple external partners.
WPlatform is an advertising and publishing tool for medium and small web-based publishers. Within the tool, WP provides its software in the SaaS technology. Publishers can use both the content management system (CMS) used to publish WP sites, as well as an advertising grid, optimization and analytics tools.
"The need to build a local alternative to global platforms has never been clearer. The year 2024 will see big changes in the online advertising market, triggered by new restrictions on the most popular browser in our part of Europe - Google Chrome. For small publishers, this is a turning point in thinking about the dominance of global players, especially Google, which, step by step, has been cleverly taxing more areas of their business for years," Jacek Świderski adds in his letter.
On the initiative of the presidents of the largest Polish portals, the Union of Employers of Digital Publishers was established in September 2023. It is the first industry organization created primarily to provide joint representation of publishers in relations with global platforms and to ensure equal and fair conditions of development and competition.
