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We have the pleasure of presenting to you the Sustainability Report of Polsat Plus Group for 2021. This publication has been developed in compliance with the Global Reporting Initiative Standard (the Core option) as well as in line with the amended Polish Accounting Act. Our report covers the information on Cyfrowy Polsat Capital Group, and in particular the data related to the following companies:

         

Cyfrowy Polsat S.A

         

Polkomtel Sp. z o.o.

         

Telewizja Polsat Sp. z o.o.

         

Netia Capital Group

This document is a conversion to pdf format of the official social responsibility report of Polsat Plus Group issued in xhtml format.

 

Warsaw, 24 March 2022

 

 

Table of contents

Letter of the President of the Management Board

1. Our business

1.1. Key figures

1.2. Industry environment and business model of Polsat Plus Group

1.3. What we offer our customers?

1.4. Opportunities and risks

2. Our strategy in a nutshell

2.1. Key figures

2.2. Who are our stakeholders?

2.3. Strategy 2023+ of Polsat Plus Group

2.4. ESG Strategy

2.5. Our social mission

Care for safety

Aid to children

Promotion of sports

Education

2.6. Economic, social and environmental impact

2.7. Key priorities for SDGs, social and business KPIs and strategic goals

2.8. Green bonds

3. E for Education and our actions for natural environment

3.1. Key figures

3.2. Strategy 2023+ is based on clean energy

3.3. We control our influence on natural environment

3.4. Alignment with EU Taxonomy

Revenue

Operating expenses

Capital expenditures

3.5. Our response to TCFD recommendations

3.6. Clean Poland Program Association

3.7. Environmental education

3.8. Key environmental indicators

Carbon footprint of Polsat Plus Group

Clean energy and energy-savings

Consumption of raw materials

Waste and recycling

Environmental impact of base transceiver stations

4. S for Strategic thinking of our stakeholders

4.1. Success thanks to people

Key figures

Our culture of work

Motivation and development of employees

We constantly improve occupational health and safety standards

4.2. Exceptional customers

Key figures

Caring for the needs of our customers

Availability – for everyone. Everywhere

Safety – the DNA of our operations

Top level customer service

We set standards

5. G for Governance

5.1. Key regulations

5.2. Transparent communication

5.3. Compliance with requirements

6. Additional information

6.1. About this report

6.2. Stakeholder guide

INDEX GRI

List of good practices

TABLE INDEX

Glossary

Contact us

 

Letter of the President of the Management Board

[GRI 102-14, GRI 102-15]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am presenting to you the Sustainability Report of Polsat Plus Group for the year 2021. The report is being published at a very special time, not only from the point of view of our company but also from the point of view of the entire global economy, society, our employees, their relatives and friends. This is the fifth edition of our non-financial report and we are once again closing it at uncertain times. In 2020, the pandemic presented a challenge for our organization. Today, we are dealing with Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Our responsible approach has been demonstrated by our involvement in the fight against the coronavirus and now by showing our solidarity with Ukraine. Since the very early days of the invasion, we have been offering numerous free telecommunication services to the refugees from Ukraine, and together with ZE PAK we donated  PLN 5 million to “Polsat Foundation for the Children of Ukraine” action.

Bearing in mind the numerous groups of our stakeholders, I sincerely trust that everyone will find something of interest in this report – from the overview of our business, through the presentation of our Strategy 2023+,   to the description of the activities that we embarked upon in the areas of natural environment, the society and corporate governance. This year’s edition of our report covers the Group’s main companies – Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel, TV Polsat and Netia Capital Group.

2021 was a year of many challenges. Here is the review of the most important ones.

Choose your everything. You rule!

Mid-last year we announced changes in our Group. Polsat and Plus got new logos, while Cyfrowy Polsat was replaced by the new brand – Polsat Box. Ipla and Cyfrowy Polsat Go merged into to a single service called Polsat Box Go. A new service, featuring TV Polsat content, was also created under the name Polsat Go. All these changes were combined under our new corporate name: Polsat Plus Group.

The strategic harmonization of our brands took place in the visual and communication spheres – all logos originate from the same family and share common elements. The slogan and the characteristic visual designs used by each brand are common and consistent.

More than 19 million Poles within the coverage of 5G

Thanks to the intense development of the 5G technology, more than 19 million people now live within the coverage of the biggest and the fastest 5G network in Poland. That is more than half of the country’s population. At the end of 2021 the number of Plus’s 5G base stations increased to 3000 and assured 5G network coverage in 800 cities and towns, both big and small. It has been a significant step forward in our efforts aimed at eliminating digital exclusion, which is unfortunately still the case in some areas of our country.

Plus’s 5G network is the only one operating in the 2600 MHz TDD frequency band, which is dedicated for 5G technology only. Such a solution enables Plus to offer the fastest 5G service in Poland, with maximum data speed of up to 600 Mbps.

Netia’s fiber-optic Internet access among market leaders

Netia and Plus offer broadband fixed-line Internet access, also in the fiber-optic technology. We are one of the leading providers of such services. We systematically expand the availability of Netia’s fiber-optic services by upgrading the network as well as by carrying out numerous projects in new residential areas and by acquiring smaller operators. We see growing popularity of the fastest Internet access options among our customers.

Polsat Plus Group goes green

As our reporting becomes more mature, we also continue to develop areas in which we do business responsibly. With every year, Polsat Plus Group is becoming increasingly green. We started from green initiatives aimed at achieving our Sustained Development Goals, and today we are embarking on investments in green projects, including in renewable energy and green hydrogen.

In our publication, we describe not only the numerous climate-related best practices (Goal 13) but we also raise the bar for ourselves and for other companies.

Strategy 2023+ and Clean Energy

As we all know Poland faces a gigantic challenge of energy transformation. Still around 70% of energy is produced from coal and as a result our country generates the equivalent of 400 million tons of CO2 yearly, which causes enormous social costs, for example pulmonary diseases, strokes, allergies or absences from work or school. Thus, an effective transformation of the energy sector is required to achieve the assumed EU goal of climate-neutrality by 2050.

To limit our impact on climate, we have started measuring our carbon footprint, and we assume that it will be successively reduced. But we set even more ambitious challenges for ourselves – we want to offer cheap and clean energy to Poles, we want a clean environment. That is why Clean Energy is one of the pillars of our Strategy 2023+. We want to supply cheap and clean energy, which is indispensable for daily functioning of households and companies in Poland.

To achieve this, we plan to invest PLN 5 billion in green energy over 5 years, allocate PLN 0.8 billion to the acquisition of PAK PCE green assets, and invest PLN 0.5 billion in green hydrogen – a strategic fuel of the future, not only for Poland but also for Europe.

We will produce green energy from the sun, the wind and biomass. Our planned total capacity is 1000 MW, ensuring the possibility of producing of more than 2 TWh of low-emission and zero-emission energy per year. We estimate that it will simultaneously lead to the reduction of CO2 emissions by over 2 million tons yearly.

Our Group already uses green energy. Over 60% of the energy we consume comes from renewable sources. We want 100% of the energy we use to come from renewable sources by 2023 and we already have a plan of how to achieve this goal.

Green hydrogen

As a Group, we want to change the world and the world is choosing hydrogen. Hydrogen will play an important role in the global energy transformation. Green hydrogen can be used in many branches of the economy, which will help to reduce CO2 and other harmful substances emissions at a faster pace. Green hydrogen is a zero-emission fuel of the future. Already today, there are hydrogen cars in mass production. In fact, the employees of Polsat Plus Group already drive such cars. That is why we want to build the full hydrogen value chain: from production of hydrogen by means of electrolysis relying on clean energy and water, through storage and transport of hydrogen, construction of hydrogen refueling stations, production of hydrogen-powered buses, all the way to universal use of hydrogen in Poland.

ESG in practice

The segment of Clean Energy fits in with the ESG concept as well as with building the Group’s value in a sustainable manner, which accounts for and addresses the issues associated with natural environment, the society as well as responsible and transparent business. That is why we have decided to provide the summary of the implementation of our ESG Strategy at the same time:

         

E – We assume the responsibility for preventing the progressing climatic changes and we take steps to improve air quality in Poland;

         

S – We are an active member of local communities and, at the same time, we stimulate economic and social development of Poland by investing in digitization;

         

G – We develop our business in a transparent and sustainable manner which offers benefits to all of our stakeholders.

New challenges create new opportunities

In 2022, we plan to continue our efforts in the ESG and CSR areas:

         

Environmental – by pursuing the consistent implementation of our green projects and by carrying out educational activities which are addressed to our customers, viewers, employees and to the whole society, mainly via the Clean Poland Program Association,

         

Social – by indulging in charity initiatives (especially the ones carried out under the auspices of Polsat Foundation and of other public benefit organizations), as well as by implementing specific projects focused on prevention of digital exclusion and support for the development of Polish sports, along with promotion of healthy and active lifestyle in the society,

         

Corporate Governance – by developing our business in a transparent and sustainable manner, to the benefit for all stakeholders, by assuring reliable, on-going communication and high quality reporting.

Valuable reading

On my own behalf, and on behalf of all the people who were involved in the development of this report, I would like to wish you a pleasant reading. I hope that thanks to the present publication you will gain even better knowledge and understanding of our operations.

 

Yours faithfully,

Mirosław Błaszczyk

President of the Management Board

Cyfrowy Polsat S.A.

Polsat Plus Group





1.   Our business

1.1.  Key figures

[GRI 102-7, GRI 201-1], [Accounting Act – Key performance indicators]

No. 1 – the biggest media and telecommunications group listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, with market capitalization of PLN 22.2 billion

Customers and services

 

Financial results

6.0 million

customers

>20 million

services provided

 

PLN 12.4 billion

revenue of Polsat Plus Group

 

 

PLN 15.1 billion

distributed economic value

PLN 1.0 billion 1

retained economic value

PLN 68.2

avg. revenue per B2C customer

>19 million

Poles within 5G footprint 

 

PLN 3.5 billion

pay out to investors

PLN 1.9 billion

payment to the State Treasury

Media – TV and online market

 

PLN 30 million

community investments

24.0%

audience share in the commercial group

28.6%

share in TV advertising market

20.2 million

website users on average per month

 

Employees

 

Environment

7.5 thousand2

employees

 

63%

share of renewable energy sources in Polsat Plus Group’s energy mix

1 Retained economic value represents the amount remaining after the distribution of generated economic value between the stakeholders of the company. This amount is not identical to net profit presented in the consolidated income statement as it includes, among others, due and paid dividends and treasury shares buy-back (as the distributed economic value).

2 Average number of non-production employees of all companies belonging to Polsat Plus Group in 2021, excluding workers who did not perform work in the reporting period due to long-term absences.

1.2.  Industry environment and business model of Polsat Plus Group

[Accounting Act – Business model]

Who we are?

[GRI 102-2]

Polsat Plus Group is the largest provider of integrated media and telecommunications services in Poland. We are the leading pay TV provider and one of the leading telecommunications operators in the country. We are also one of Poland’s leading private TV broadcasters in terms of both audience and advertising market shares. We offer a complete package of multimedia services designed for the entire family: pay TV via satellite, terrestrial and online (IPTV and OTT) broadcasting, mobile and fixed-line telephony, data transfer services and broadband Internet access, mainly in LTE and LTE Advanced mobile technologies as well as 5G technology and also through fixed-line networks, including fiber-optic. Additionally, we provide a wide array of wholesale services to other telecommunications operators, television operators and broadcasters. Moreover, we are a leading player on the Internet media market - the portal Interia.pl, which belongs to the Group, is one of the three largest horizontal portals in Poland. We also operate on the Polish online advertising market offering modern marketing and promotional solutions.

Our mission is to create and deliver the most attractive TV and online content, telecommunications products and other services for the home as well as for individual and business customers, using state-of-the-art technologies, to provide top quality multiplay services that match the changing needs of our customers while maintaining the highest possible level of their satisfaction. We are guided by the principle “For everyone. Everywhere” and we aim to satisfy every customer’s needs with our products and services accessible at any time and on any device regardless of the method of service provisioning. We are constantly working on expanding our offering and entering new distribution markets. We pay attention to the development of unique content, acquired both internally and externally, as we consider it an important competitive advantage in our operations.

In December 2021, we adopted the new Strategy 2023+ for our Group, which envisages the expansion of existing operating activities to a new area - clean energy production. The new operational pillar will open the possibility of building an additional revenue stream for Polsat Plus Group and will bring tangible social benefits in the form of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. In line with the concept of ESG, we want to create the value of our Group in a sustainable manner taking into account and addressing environmental, social, responsible and transparent business issues, to the benefit of the local society and all our Stakeholders. The superior goal of Polsat Plus Group's strategy remains the sustained, long-term growth of the value of Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. for its Shareholders.

Good organization

[GRI 102-1, GRI 102-3, GRI 102-4, GRI 102-5, GRI 102-6, GRI 102-18]

Polsat Plus Group operates in Poland and has its registered office in Warsaw. Since May 2008, shares of Cyfrowy Polsat, the parent company of Polsat Plus Group, are listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. We are the biggest media and telecommunications group listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and one of the biggest companies in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of capitalization, which amounted to PLN 22.2 billion at the end of 2021.

The status of a public company obligates us to meet the highest management standards. Therefore, our goal is to manage the company in a transparent, predictable and value-oriented way. This helps to build trust among our local and foreign investors, financial markets, our customers and business partners, as well as employees of the Group.

 

[GRI 102-18, GRI 405-1]

Figure 1. Governance structure of Polsat Plus group

The Supervisory Board of Cyfrowy Polsat consists of nine members. The Audit Committee and the Remuneration Committee operate within its structure.

The Company’s Management Board comprises six members.

Table 1. Supervisory Board

Name and surname

Function

First appointment

Appointment for current term

Expiry of term

Zygmunt Solorz

Chairman of the Supervisory Board

2008

2021

2026

Marek Kapuściński

Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Member of the Remuneration Committee

2016

2021

2026

Józef Birka

Member of the Supervisory Board

2015

2021

2026

Jarosław Grzesiak

Member of the Supervisory Board

2021

2021

2026

Marek Grzybowski

Independent(1) Member of the Supervisory Board

Chairman of the Audit Committee

2020

2021

2026

Alojzy Nowak

Independent(1) Member of the Supervisory Board

Member of the Audit Committee

2021

2021

2026

Tobias Solorz

Member of the Supervisory Board

2021

2021

2026

Tomasz Szeląg

Member of the Supervisory Board

Chairman of the Remuneration Committee

Member of the Audit Committee

2016

2021

2026

Piotr Żak

Member of the Supervisory Board

2018

2021

2026

(1)    

conforms with the independence criteria listed article 129 item 3 of the Act of May 11, 2017 on Statutory Auditors, Audit Firms and Public Oversight.

 

Table 2. Management Board

Name and surname

Function

First appointment

Appointment for current term

Expiry of term

Mirosław Błaszczyk

President of the Management Board

2019

2019

2022

Maciej Stec

Vice-President of the Management Board

2014

2019

2022

Jacek Felczykowski

Member of the Management Board

2019

2019

2022

Aneta Jaskólska

Member of the Management Board

2010

2019

2022

Agnieszka Odorowicz

Member of the Management Board

2016

2019

2022

Katarzyna Ostap-Tomann

Member of the Management Board

2014

2019

2022

The biographical notes of Supervisory Board and Management Board Members are available on the corporate websites of Polsat Plus Group.

 

Chart 1. Structure of the Management Board and Supervisory Board with respect to age as at December 31, 2021

Chart 2. Structure of the Management Board and the Supervisory Board with respect to gender in 2021

 

1.3.  What we offer our customers?

[GRI 102-2]

Figure 1. Capital structure of Polsat Plus Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Key fields of our business operations

 

        B2C & B2B SERVICES SEGMENT

PAY TV

 Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania: netia logo

We are the largest pay TV provider in Poland. Since 2006, we are the leader on the Polish market in terms of the number of customers and active services, as well as DTH market share and we actively expand our pay TV offer by adding both new forms of service provisioning (IPTV and OTT). Moreover, we actively develop additional services which build customer value, such as Multiroom, VOD or paid video online subscriptions.

We provide pay TV services in various technologies under the ‘Polsat Box’ brand, in IPTV technology under the “Netia’ brand and in the form of online video under the ‘Polsat Box Go’ brand. As at December 31, 2021, we provided 5.4 million pay TV services to B2C customers in both the contract and prepaid model.

Our offer includes mainly digital pay TV services distributed directly to end-users via Internet and satellite through set-top boxes and satellite antennas. Our programming strategy is to offer a wide range of channels that appeal to the whole family at attractive prices. At present we provide access to about 150 TV channels, including all of Poland’s main terrestrial channels as well as general entertainment, sports and e-sports, music, lifestyle, news/information, children’s, education and movie channels. In addition, we provide OTT services, such as Polsat Box Go, VOD/PPV, online video and music services, catch-up TV and Multiroom HD services.

Currently, we are the only operator in Poland to offer our customers high quality set-top boxes manufactured in our plant in Mielec, Poland. We systematically develop the software of our set-top boxes and improve their functionality, so as to better address changing consumer preferences and video consumption trends. We also dynamically expand next generations of our set-top boxes to offer, in particular, new devices which allow to receive our content via Internet links, both in IPTV and OTT technologies.

 

ONLINE VIDEO

  

Our VOD and online television services and apps – Polsat Box Go and Polsat Go – offer viewers a wide selection of online content accessible at any time, wherever viewers are and on a device of their choice. As of September 2021, our popular web services IPLA and Cyfrowy Polsat Go were replaced by Polsat Box Go. Moreover, we launched a new service called Polsat Go in August 2021.

Polsat Box Go offers content produced by the Group and external broadcasters, including over 120 TV channels, sports, movies, series, entertainment, news and cartoons, also in a subscription-based model without commercials. In turn, Polsat Go offers its viewers free of charge content from various Telewizja Polsat channels, including among others popular films, series and entertainment shows, and generates income from commercials.

Moreover, we offer our satellite TV customers the video on demand (VOD) “Home Film Rental” service which allows paid access to the latest novelties and film hits through a set-top box.

 

MOBILE TELEPHONY

 Premium Mobile | Panel Klienta  Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania: netia logo

We provide mobile telephony services mainly through our subsidiary Polkomtel, Plus network operator and one of the leading Polish mobile telecommunications network operators. As at December 31, 2021 we provided ca. 8.7 million mobile telephony services to B2C customers in both the contract and prepaid model.

We offer a comprehensive array of mobile telecommunications services under the established umbrella brand ‘Plus’ and our additional brand ‘Plush,’ as well as under the brands belonging to Premium Mobile and Netia. Our offer includes retail services, comprising contract and prepaid voice services, as well as data transmission services encompassing basic mobile broadband services, MMS, value added services such as entertainment, information and comprehensive convergent telecommunications services for large businesses. Additionally, our mobile telephony offer is complemented with a wide portfolio of handsets and smartphones, including devices which support LTE, LTE Advanced and 5G technologies. Our retail mobile telephony offering is addressed to individual and business customers, including major corporate accounts, small and medium-sized enterprises, and the SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) segment.

 

MOBILE BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS

 Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania: netia logo

We provide comprehensive mobile broadband Internet access and data transmission services mainly in LTE, LTE Advanced and 5G technologies. In May 2020, we launched the first commercial 5G network in Poland using the spectrum from the 2.6 GHz TDD frequency band, which in December 2021 covered already more than 19 million inhabitants of Poland in around 800 locations with the total number of 5G base stations exceeding 3,000. Thanks to that already more than half of the inhabitants of Poland live within the coverage of our 5G network.

We provide a comprehensive array of mobile broadband Internet access services to both individual and business customers under the brands: ‘Plus,’ ‘Premium Mobile’ and ‘Netia.’ We offer mobile broadband Internet in both the contract and the prepaid model. Moreover, thanks to our LTE Internet access service combined with the set Home LTE Internet we can offer customers a product based on wireless technology that constitutes a substitute for fixed-line Internet. Additionally, pursuant to the provisions of the concession related to the purchase of the 2600 MHz TDD band, we provide free of charge Internet access services, however with limited parameters (BDI offer).

Our offering is complemented by a portfolio of dedicated devices (modems, routers, tablets, laptops, Home LTE Internet sets, etc.), that support LTE, LTE Advanced and 5G technologies. Such a wide offering allows us to address the needs of customers who are interested in using mobile broadband Internet for its mobility as well as those customers who want to substitute fixed-line Internet access at home or in the office.

 

FIXED BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS

Znalezione obrazy dla zapytania: netia logo 

Through our subsidiaries Netia and under the ‘Plus’ brand we provide fixed-line broadband Internet services, among others in fiber optic technologies. Fixed-line services are being rendered via own access networks with approximately 3.2 million homes passed. Moreover, we offer fixed-line Internet services based on wholesale access to networks of Orange Polska, Nexera and Fiberhost. In total, there are currently ca. 4.8 million homes passed within the reach of our fixed broadband Internet access services offered over both our own network and access to networks of other operators.

Internet services to individual customers are sold mainly in bundles with TV and voice services, including a mobile offering. The offer is supplemented by a number of value added services which support ARPU levels and the loyalty of our customers.

BUNDLED SERVICES

The bundling of services is one of the strongest trends on both the Polish media and telecommunications market. In keeping with the rapidly changing market environment and consumer expectations, we consistently implement our multiplay strategy by offering our customers a complete and unique service package based on pay TV, including IPTV and OTT, telephony and broadband Internet access offered both in mobile and fixed-line technologies, complemented by additional services, which can be combined freely by customers on an as-needed basis. Our broad range of bundled services is offered through a diverse array of digital entertainment and communication platforms, such as television sets, mobile handsets, computers and tablets.

As part of our strategy of integrating products and services, Polsat Plus Group promotes its unique loyalty programs - smartDOM and smartFIRMA - which enable profitable bundling of modern services for the home or company. Our bundled services offer is based on a simple and flexible mechanism - a customer subscribed to one service receives an attractive discount for the entire term of the contract for every additional product or service purchased from the Group’s portfolio.

WHOLESALE SERVICES

As part of our wholesale business we provide services to other telecommunication operators. These services include voice network interconnection, texting (SMS) and MMS traffic routing, international roaming, services to MVNOs, shared access to network assets and lease of network infrastructure.

 

        MEDIA SEGMENT – TV & ONLINE

BROADCASTING AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION

Our activities in broadcasting and television production include primarily production, acquisition and broadcasting of information, sports and entertainment programs as well as TV series and feature films broadcast on television channels. Our portfolio comprises 39 own channels including our flagship channel POLSAT. Moreover there is a group of 6 cooperating channels which are related with Polsat Plus Group either by capital links or joint broadcasting projects. The channels we broadcast include general interest, sports, news, music, lifestyle, movie and children’s channels.

The Group’s channels are delivered both over multiplexes in the terrestrial network (free of charge) and over cable or satellite (paid).

 

POLSAT, the main channel of our Group, is one of the leading television channels in terms of audience share in the group of viewers which is most valuable to advertisers (the so-called commercial group, viewers aged 16-49) – in 2021 it achieved 9.0% share in the commercial group. POLSAT’s very good result is the effect of its attractive and consistently developed programming offer, including the successful spring and autumn scheduling which offers entertainment, films and TV series, one of the leading news programs, Wydarzenia (The News), as well as thrilling sports coverage.

2021 ended successfully also for the whole portfolio of Polsat Plus Group channels with the audience share of 24.0% in the commercial group.

Content offered by the Group is attractive and diversified thanks to the following factors:

         

Polish productions make up around 60% of all broadcast content. We aim to diversify sources of Polish content, enabling us to efficiently manage production costs. Thanks to that we are able to choose those offers from a wide range of offerings which are both attractive and cost-effective in order to ensure successful scheduling.

         

Foreign productions. Licenses for foreign programs mainly concern purchasing rights to movies, TV series and sports events. Major global film studios are our key partners in the acquisition of films and TV series.

         

Licenses for sports events. An important element that differentiates us on the market is a rich and unique broadcasting offer of the largest and most interesting sports events worldwide. Our offer is exceptionally attractive for fans of football and volleyball. We offer football fans broadcasts of qualifiers to the UEFA European Championships and the FIFA World Championships as well as the football Nations League. Additionally, we own rights to the world’s most popular football club competitions – the UEFA Champions League (rights until the end of the 2023/2024 season). As for volleyball, we offer the biggest and most prestigious volleyball tournaments – the men’s and women’s World Volleyball Championships, exciting games of the volleyball Nations League, the World Cup, the men’s and women’s Europe Volleyball Championships, the club volleyball competitions of Polish Plus Liga and Tauron Liga and, starting from the 2020/2021 season, also the volleyball CEV Champions League. We also offer boxing and mixed martial arts galas (UFC, FEN, FFF and Babilon MMA), Wimbledon and ATP 1000 and 500 tournaments, and many others. Following the acquisition of a controlling stake in the Polish company Eleven Sports Network in May 2018 we gained access to attractive sports rights which are sold as program packages to pay TV operators active on the Polish market as well as directly to customers through OTT applications (among others, ELEVEN SPORTS and Polsat Box Go). This premium sports content includes Spanish La Liga Santander, Italian Serie A, TIM English The Emirates FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Championship, French Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Portuguese Liga Portugal, Formula 1® and speedway races of the Polish PGE Ekstraliga and Swedish Bauhaus-Ligan. Since November 2017 the Eleven Sports 1 channel is available also in 4K technology - viewers can watch selected events in their native UHD quality, e.g. Formula 1® races or selected La Liga Santander matches. Unique sports content represents an important element that builds the value of our pay TV offering.

INTERNET MEDIA

Ilustracja  Najnowsze wiadomości z kraju i ze świata - Polsat News

We develop thematic web portals which leverage on the unique content produced by our TV channels and dedicated editorial teams (among other the portals ‘PolsatNews.pl’ and ‘PolsatSport.pl’). Thanks to the acquisition in 2020 of Interia.pl Group we have become one of the leading players on the Polish market of new generation media.

The portal ‘Interia.pl’, which belongs to the Group, is one of the three largest horizontal portals in Poland and reaches 42% of Poles, whom it provides with a vast selection of the highest quality information, entertainment, social and communication services. In addition, Interia.pl Group includes a number of non-domain thematic websites, such as ‘Pomponik.pl,’ ‘Smaker.pl’ and ‘Deccoria.pl,’ as well as one of country’s first mail services with approximately 2.5 million users per month. In parallel, thanks to the ‘Pogoda.Interia.pl‘ weather forecast service, which is one of the leaders in its category, we became one of top online weather forecast services in Poland.

According to Mediapanel, in 2021 the monthly average number of page and app users for the combined Polsat-Interia media group reached 20.2 million while the average monthly number of page and app views exceeded 1.9 billion.

[GRI 102-10]

In July 2021, we finalized a conditional share sale agreement with Cellnex Poland Sp. z o.o., a subsidiary of Cellnex Telecom S.A., concerning the sale of 99.99% of shares of Polkomtel Infrastruktura, our subsidiary responsible for part of the technical network infrastructure. In particular, it owns the passive and active access layers of the mobile telecommunication infrastructure used by Polsat Plus Group, consisting, as of December 31, 2020, of approx. 7 thousand sites and approx. 37 thousand various systems on-air (including ca. 1 thousand 5G-equipped systems) and a transmission network. Polkomtel’s core network and all frequencies crucial for providing first-to-market real 5G as well as 2G/3G/LTE services remain within Polsat Plus Group.

Furthermore, the parties signed a Master Services Agreement obliging Towerlink Poland to provide specified services to Polsat Plus Group for 25 years (subject to renewal for subsequent 15-year terms). The cooperation is based on monthly remuneration dependent on the number of sites and active infrastructure systems used and additionally ordered in the future by the Group. Under the contractual obligations, the Group is committed to order a certain number of incremental sites and additional emission systems under specified timeframes. The Master Service Agreement involved a detailed Service Level Agreement, while the way the contracts are constructed guarantees the alignment of interests of all parties.

The strategic interest of the partnership is based on a concept of active and passive infrastructure sharing, where the mobile network operator is predominantly interested in end-user experience, while the infrastructure owner is responsible for delivering ordered network capacity in the most cost-efficient manner. First, this approach will strengthen the investment capacity of Polsat Plus Group, which has already entered a new investment cycle with the rollout of the first 5G network in Poland and will seek additional sites to expand the coverage of the new technology. Second, it is open to cooperation with additional tenants with an intention to achieve higher cost efficiency of network rollout in the future. Third, the partnership will provide a higher customer experience, faster deployment of new technologies and better optimization of existing tower portfolios in Poland.

1.4.  Opportunities and risks

[GRI 102-15, GRI 102-11], [Accounting Act – Opportunities and risks]We take advantage of our business opportunities             

We are convinced that Poland is a very attractive market for the products and services that the Group currently provides or the ones it plans to provide in the future. The most important business opportunities are presented below:

         

growing importance of bundled services,

         

low penetration of multi-play services, in particular in low-urbanized areas,

         

development of the Internet access market in Poland,

         

growing market of new technologies and equipment and the resultant increase in access to and consumption of audiovisual content,

         

changes in pricing of mobile services,

         

growing demand for smartphones and data transmission,

         

development of the advertising market in Poland,

         

growing importance of thematic channels,

         

necessity of an energy transformation in Poland towards production of clean energy.

We analyze risks in detail

We understand business risks that accompany our operations. We also analyze the risks in the area of ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) related to social, employee, environmental issues, respect for human rights and preventing corruption. The most important risks identified by us are as follows:

 

Table 3. Key ESG risk factors (selection)

Risk area

Key risk factors

Polsat Plus Group

Cyfrowy Polsat

Risk management method

Operating activities

Products and services:

 

Losing the reputation of brands

We regularly monitor the satisfaction level of our customers. While taking care of the image and reputation, we systematically analyze the main parameters of our brands’ condition (e.g. spontaneous and prompted brand awareness, Net Promotor Score) and their perception in relation to our main industry counterparts. We also cooperate with industry media and general media in order to build a positive image of our brands as well as consciously manage the relationships with our customers and partners. We regularly monitor discussion forums and social media in order to recognize possible negative phenomena and eliminate false information regarding our main brands. Moreover, we actively use our media (i.e., TV Polsat) and we also publish the “Brawo TY!” magazine, addressed to our subscribers, whose goal is to educate subscribers in the field of new technologies and our services and also to positively expose our brands

Lack of possibility to offer our customers attractive products and services in the areas threatened by digital exclusion

 

Inhabitants of small towns and rural areas in Poland have limited access to entertainment and education. We meet the expectations of these regions by presenting them with an attractive offer at an affordable price. We also know that universal Internet access is one of the biggest challenges of the information society of Poland and Europe at the moment. It is an extremely important element stimulating economic growth, social, cultural and educational development, and improvement of life of all citizens. The COVID-19 pandemic and forced a transit to remote work and learning further brought out the importance of a reliable, high quality access to the Internet for everyone everywhere, making it a basic commodity. Thanks to investments in frequencies, dedicated equipment and the initiated strategic cooperation with Cellnex in the scope of maintenance and roll-out of our mobile access network, we ensure access to high speed Internet even in areas where there is no network coverage of other operators, as well as to entertainment and education thanks to television. The network, that our partner Cellnex maintains and develops, is constantly modernized and optimized, according to the best technical standards and achievements, so that our customers can use increasingly better parameters of the telecommunication network and unlimited resources of the global network. In order to be able to maintain and continuously develop our offer, we invest in the knowledge of our technical and marketing teams which are responsible for the preparation of state-of-the-art technology and services for our customers. We remain in an active dialog with industry advisors, standardization bodies and manufacturers of state-of-the-art telecommunication equipment which supports advanced technologies in order to identify future market trends and future needs of our customers as early as possible. We monitor the demand of customers for new services offered by competing entities in order to identify a possible and right moment to offer equivalents of such services.

Operating activities

Failure to maintain, extend or modify the distribution and sales network

We strive to build a diverse distribution network (stationary sales, tele-sales, online sales, door-to-door channels) in order to diversify our sales channels. In each sales channel we cooperate with many partners, avoiding monopolizing of any channel by one strong partner who could decide to terminate cooperation with us in the future. We also strive to protect our distribution network by taking over lease agreements for specific locations of points of sale which are crucial from the point of view of our business. We support our partners operating the sales network in local promotional activities and share our knowledge with them. We organize attractive programs of rewarding the best sales representatives working in our sales channels.

Insufficient protection of intellectual property rights

Within the concluded agreements we regulate the issue of obtaining rights, we regularly monitor the term for which the licenses have been granted, we verify the need of obtaining intellectual property rights in each project, and we contractually regulate the liability of entities granting rights for their possible legal defects.

Risk of fraudulent activities by our customers, in particular in relation to pay TV services

We constantly monitor whether the intellectual property rights and anti-piracy measures and safeguards protect us against illegal access to our services and theft of our programming content. In case of detection of this type of fraudulent activities we take necessary legal actions. A risk of piracy is particularly severe for the operations of our broadcasting and television production segment and the paid distribution of content, and it is propelled by technological progress and =the conversion of multimedia content to digital formats, which makes facilitates the creation, distribution and rendered available on various media of high quality illegal copies of programs delivered in the pay-per-view system through set-top boxes, unlicensed and decoded broadcasts in television or via the Internet. Illegal use of our intellectual property may have a negative impact on our operations, harming our reputation and undermining the confidence of our business partners in our capability to protect our own and licensed content.

A specialized internal unit, using appropriate tools – both developed in-house as well as offered by our partners with whom we cooperate – constantly monitors illegal distribution of our content both in the Internet and via other technologies and devices. Intensified preventive measures are undertaken during special events, e.g. broadcasting of sports events in PPV system. We analyze in detail individual cases in order to implement possible precautionary measures, including legal steps, in order to eliminate the cases which had already occurred or to minimize their effects for our activities as well as to prevent similar situations in the future..

Operating activities

Alleged health risks of wireless communications devices may lead to increased difficulty for our partner in obtaining sites for base stations

We undertake educational activities with the aim to prevent misinformation and dispel possible concerns. We participate in local initiatives whose purpose is to transfer current knowledge to inhabitants of the areas where new base stations may be built. Together with our strategic partner we strictly control signal strength on individual transmitters in order to meet the requirements of relevant standards for electromagnetic field emissions. We are actively involved in industry discussions accompanying legislative processes regulating the electromagnetic field emission standards.

Operational continuity:

 

 

Delays or lack of delivery of services, infrastructure or equipment and components from external suppliers

We take care to diversity our supply chain. We strive to cooperate with more than one supplier of each type of equipment. When placing orders for the delivery of selected equipment components, we take into account not only our current demand, but also the geopolitical and global macroeconomic situation, as well as unusual events, which can disrupt our supply chain and result in delays in the execution of our orders.

We create lists of suppliers by categories and conclude framework agreements which allow for starting cooperation on short notice.

We prepare in advance plans for the delivery of end-user equipment and monitor delivery schedules on an on-going basis, while maintaining an optimum level of inventory turnover in the warehouse and in the sales network.

When necessary we secure ourselves against delays in the delivery of services and equipment by applying financial penalties in agreements with suppliers.

Operational flexibility, agility and independence from external suppliers were the decisive factors behind the decision to establish our own set-top boxes factory, which functions within our subsidiary InterPhone Service. Furthermore, a state-of-the-art logistics center operates under this company. The center is used for the needs of the entire Group and allows for effective and efficient management of the distribution of products across the entire sales network, taking into account various sales channels and their characteristics.

 

Broadcasting infrastructure, including information and telecommunications technology systems, may be vulnerable to circumstances beyond our control that may disrupt service provision

We strive to have redundant resources of the broadcasting, telecommunications (in the core layer) and information technology infrastructure, in order to prevent or limit negative consequences of any emergencies. Redundant systems are usually housed in geographically distant locations, which prevents exposure of our infrastructure to locally based failures. We continuously work with regulatory bodies to solve problems related to external interferences in the used frequencies.

We have introduced and constantly maintain the Business Continuity Plan focused on the examination and early detection of risks in processes and services which are critical from the point of view of our operations. The impact of selected threats is minimized through early implementation of relevant recommendations and remedial measures to our processes and procedures.

Risks related to the possibility of unauthorized access by third parties to data and digital information that is a secret of our company or sensitive information of our customers

In a world undergoing rapidly progressing digitization, we are aware of our responsibility for securing our customers' data and information and our own business information adequately against unauthorized access by third parties. That is why we take the utmost care to maintain limited external access to our IT resources and the databases we store. We care both about updating the software we use, which must meet the highest security standards, as well as about the appropriate level of knowledge of our employees responsible for cybersecurity. We monitor external threats on an ongoing basis, as well as update our security measures to effectively counteract attacks.

Human Resources:

 

Losing managerial staff and key employees

We strive to ensure the attractiveness of remuneration and incentive systems for our key employees and managerial staff. We regularly monitor the level of wages on the labor market, adjusting the level of remuneration offered by us to the market situation. We conclude clauses extending the notice period or non-competition clauses with selected employees. These clauses, among others, are to secure sufficient response time for us in order to prevent the loss of these employees. We support the development of key employees and managerial staff by offering them specialist trainings, MBA studies and other forms of professional trainings, while building their involvement and identification with the company.

Operating activities

Disputes with employees; growth of labor costs

We take care of good relations with our employees and make sure that we meet all obligations of an employer under applicable labor laws. If a dispute arises, we always strive to start a dialogue in order to work out a compromise in the dispute with an employee. We have an Anti-Mobbing Policy and an efficient Anti-Mobbing Committee in place. We have a flexible approach with respect to the manner of performing work and we enable our employees to work remotely or in a hybrid model. We take good care of partner relations with employees’ representatives, maintaining constructive dialogue with trade unions existing in our companies.

Accidents of employees and sub-contractors

We regularly train all our employees with respect to general Occupational Health and Safety regulations, as well as specific requirements for the scope of duties performed by them. We ensure an appropriate level of safety at the workplace, as well as high quality of equipment and clothing guaranteeing the safety of our employees and sub-contractors. The Civil Defense Formation operates within our structure, including over 100 employees trained in the pre-medic first aid.

Reputation and financial risk in case of bribery and corruption

We regularly analyze the risk of corruption. We try to implement mechanisms which prevent or mitigate the risk of corruption. We strive to divide the responsibility related to making specific decisions, for instance through a multi-level and diverse path of approval of specific decisions. Such an approval usually goes across different areas in the structure of our company in order to minimize the risk of occurrence of corruption-generating circumstances.

Areas particularly vulnerable to the risk of corruption are subject to meticulous control with respect to the appropriate application of internal regulations and guidelines.

Market and macroeconomic environment

Exposure to the effects of regional or global economic slowdown

We strive to diversify our business activities into several areas and conclude contract agreements with our customers, which as a rule stabilizes our revenues in the mid-term. We try to offer services with a good quality-to-price ratio, which in our opinion will mitigate the possible adverse impact of any economic slowdown on our financial results.

We think long-term and we are building new pillars within our business activities in order to meet the economic, social and environmental challenges that our customers face today.

Legal and regulatory environment

Risk that our practices will be deemed as limiting competition or violating the Polish competition and consumer protection laws

We continuously analyze changes in the law which have implications for our market activities. All regulations, price lists and advertising campaigns prepared by our marketing departments are subject to verification and approval by our legal department. We monitor the judicial practice of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKIK) in order to adjust our activities to the guidelines defined by the Office.

 

Risk of unfavorable rulings in administrative or court proceedings

We invest in the knowledge of our lawyers and we cooperate with specialized law firms which ensure the highest quality of legal service of proceedings in which we are involved. Our in-house lawyers constantly monitor the judicial practice of courts or administrative bodies. We actively monitor the status of proceedings and participate in all meetings and hearings related to the proceedings in which we are involved. If an unfavorable ruling is issued, we analyze with due diligence any appeal measures or methods of ensuring compliance with the recommendations of the relevant bodies or amicable solving of the dispute in cases in which there is a risk of upholding an unfavorable ruling by instances of appeal.

Legal and regulatory environment

Risk of violation of Polish and EU law regulating our operations, as well as possible sanctions and fines resulting from such a violation

We invest in the knowledge of the employees of our legal departments who are responsible for the implementation of new legislation pertaining to our business activities. We cooperate with specialized external law firms and consulting companies in order to support the organization in more complex projects. We actively participate in the activities of industry organizations which are involved in discussions with legislators and market regulators, in order to determine in due advance the scope of new legal obligations which may concern our activities.

Risk of violation of personal data protection law or requirements specified by the General Inspector of Personal Data Protection

We invest in the knowledge of the employees of our department dealing with personal data protection issues. We cooperate with specialized external law firms and consulting companies in order to support the organization in more complex projects. We invest in IT systems the aim of which is to restrict access to sensitive personal data of our customers only to justified cases and according to valid internal procedures. We continuously monitor the process of data processing of our employees, customers and subscribers and verify the legal basis for executing specific business goals of our company.

Risk of violation of Polish and EU law regulating in particular information obligations of the issuers of securities as well as possible sanctions and fines resulting from such a violation

 

We invest in the knowledge of the employees of our department dealing with investor relations. We cooperate with specialized external law firms and consulting companies in order to support the organization in more complex projects. We regularly participate in conferences and trainings organized by institutions specializing in the field of information obligations, e.g. Polish Association of Listed Companies (Stowarszyszenie Emitentów Giełdowych).

More information on the risks which affect our operating and financial performance can be found in the annual report of Polsat Plus Group, available on the Company’s corporate website.

Main market trends

The main trends which we believe to be likely to have a material impact on the development prospects of Polsat Plus Group, its revenue and profitability before the end of the current financial year include:

         

high level of market penetration with services provided by us as well as a high level of competitiveness of the markets in which we operate;

         

bundling of media and telecommunications services, as well as services from other sectors, such as electric energy or other products and services for the home;

         

stable competitive situation on mobile telephony market, reflected in a decreasing volume of numbers ported by customers between networks;

         

growing demand for data transmission and high-speed broadband connectivity driven by changing consumer preferences and continued remote work and study and the resulting growing complexity of data transmission-based services;

         

growing penetration of smartphones among customers of mobile networks, followed by the development of the mobile data transmission market;

         

increasing customer expectations with regard to the level of advancement of end-user equipment, reflected in the growing demand for more advanced and more expensive smartphones;

         

increasing prices of mobile services with a simultaneous increase in data packages ("more for more" strategy), resulting from the increase in demand for data transmission in smartphones and investments in the 5G standard;

         

development of 5G networks, which is related with intensified expenditures and additional revenue from offering more expensive tariff plans which guarantee higher quality parameters and larger data packages;

         

development of state-of-the-art fixed broadband networks, fiber optic in particular (FTTH) coupled with a greater openness of owners of such assets to resell them in a wholesale model than in past years;

         

dynamic development of non-linear video content, distributed via VOD and OTT services, accompanied by growing online ad spending;

         

steady increase in users’ willingness to pay for video content online, associated, among others, with the production of high quality exclusive content for individual VOD services;

         

entry of a number of global VOD and OTT players to the Polish market, as well as investments of operators already present on the market in content in order to adjust it to the preferences of local viewers;

         

increased TV content production costs, resulting both from more intense competition for access to attractive content and from the increasing costs of current content production;

         

increasing sales of smart-TVs - television sets with integrated Internet access;

         

technological changes in provisioning pay TV services, resulting, among others, from increased consumer demand for non-linear content delivery;

         

ongoing consolidation in the Internet and pay TV markets, particularly in the cable TV segment;

         

consolidation of the local telecommunication market, reflected in acquisitions of fixed-line operators by larger telecommunications groups in order to strengthen convergent offerings;

         

ownership changes in the TV production and broadcasting market; and

         

potential changes of ownership in the European telecommunication market, resulting from the desire of large telecommunication groups for greater business consolidation in individual local markets

         

economic and demographic effects of the military conflict in Ukraine.

 

 

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2.   Our strategy in a nutshell

2.1.  Key figures

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2], [Accounting Act – Key performance indicators]

Strategy 2023+ of Polsat Plus Group

Connectivity. Content. Clear energy

Reduction of CO2 emissions

Pursuit of specific goals and on-going monitoring of their accomplishment

25 years of social engagement

25th Anniversary of Polsat Foundation and Plus network

18 years of sponsoring activities

related to cooperation of Plus with the rescue organizations (GOPR, TOPR, MOPR, WOPR)

5 pillars of our social mission

Safety. Aid to children. Promotion of sports. Environment. Education

9 goals

out of the 17 Sustained Development Goals

49 best practices

implemented towards achieving

the Sustained Development Goals

2.2.  Who are our stakeholders?

In Polsat Plus Group we know that apart from business priorities the process of building the long-term value of our major companies must also account for the on-going contacts with our environment. That is why we have identified our key stakeholders in order to fully exploit the potential benefits which we can obtain by having proper relations with individual stakeholder groups.

[GRI 102-40]

 

Figure 3. Polsat Plus Group stakeholders

 

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[GRI 102-40, GRI 102-42, GRI 102-43]

Table 4. Stakeholder map and forms of dialogue with individual stakeholder groups

CUSTOMERS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Natural persons and companies

        Subscribers of pay TV and telecommunication services

        Viewers

        Polsat Box Go users

        Internet users

 

        Website (questionnaires)

        Customer service points and call center (dialog, questionnaires)

        Self-care online services

        Opinion and satisfaction surveys, including User Experience and NPS

        Social media (Facebook, twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn)

        On-going – continuous activities, opinion surveys – on as-needed and/or as-possible basis (while also accounting for the situation created by the pandemics))

        General customer satisfaction with the operator, propensity to recommend the brand, relations stability, propensity to select the operator again and satisfaction.

        Examined areas: offer, customer service points, telemarketing, call centre, website, Internet service centres, financial benefits, invoice

 

EMPLOYEES

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Present employees and their families

        Potential employees

        Associates

        Trainees

        Employee satisfaction survey and periodic assessment

        Training and development

        Intranet, newsletter and in-house surveys

        Teambuilding events

        Programs offering benefits to employees

        Employee volunteering programs

        Social media

        Ongoing and regular communication

        Stability and attractiveness of employment

        Family-friendly HR policy

        Working in a hybrid model

        Friendly place of work

        Development opportunities

CAPITAL MARKETS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Capital market participants

        Brokerage house analysts

        Shareholders

        Banks and other financial institutions

        Bondholders

        Institutional and individual investors

        Rating agencies

        Financial and Non-Financial Reports

        Current reports

        Corporate website

        Individual meetings

        Conferences and video conferences

        General Shareholders’ Meetings

        Examining of shareholding structure

        Perception studies

        According to requirements resulting from the Company’s presence on the Warsaw Stock Exchange

        Financial reporting once a quarter

        On-going communication

        General Shareholders’ Meeting, held at least once a year

        Dialog and meetings, on as needed basis

        Economic situation of the Group and its financial policy

        Strategy and development

        Competitive environment

        Opportunities and threats to the operations

        Enterprise value

        Transparency of activities

        Future investments

        ESG Indicators

 



REGULATORS AND STATE INSTITUTIONS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        KRRiT (National Broadcasting Council), UKE (Office of Electronic Communication), UOKiK (Competition and Consumer Protection Office)

        UODO (Personal Data Protection Office)

        GIOŚ (Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection), Marshal’s Offices

        GUS (Main Statistical Office), KNF (Financial Supervision Authority), KRS (National Court Register)

        Council of Ministers

        Parliament and Senate

        European Commission, European Parliament and European Council

        BEREC

        National Media Council

        Digitization Council

        Public consultations

        Meeting of reporting obligations

        Direct meetings

        Joint initiatives and activities

        Participation in industry conferences

        Ongoing communication resulting from the reporting obligations

        On as-needed basis

        Impact on the national economy

        Market development

        Service availability

        Activities in compliance with the standards and the law

 



SUPPLIERS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Content providers, including TV stations and producers

        Suppliers of end-user equipment

        Suppliers of components for production of our own end-user equipment

        Suppliers of network and other infrastructure elements

        Service providers

        Direct relations

        Contracts

        Cooperation within the industry organizations

        Integration events

        Industry conferences and workshops

        As needed – ongoing and regular

        Terms of cooperation

        Transparent rules of tenders and cooperation

        Good, long-term relations

        Cooperation within the framework of industry initiatives

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Foundations

        Social and environmental organizations

        Cultural institutions

        Mountain rescue units (GOPR, TOPR)

        Water rescue units (MOPR, WOPR)

        Partnerships and joint initiatives

        Employee volunteering

        Sponsoring

        Direct dialog (environmental organizations)

        Scientific reports

        Debates

        According to the needs of stakeholders and Group’s capabilities

        Openness to dialog

        Financial support and human involvement

        Understanding values on which the company is based

        Dispelling possible concerns/doubts regarding technological development

COMPETITORS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Players active on the following markets:

- media

- telecommunication

- digital services

        Cooperation within the industry organizations

        Industry conferences, debates and workshops

        Joint initiatives (e.g. market reports)

        Ongoing communication, depending on the market situation

        Market development

        Appropriate market regulation

        Standards

 

BUSINESS PARTNERS

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        Distributors

        Advertisers and advertising brokers

        Scientific institutions

        Industry organizations and chambers of commerce

        Sport Associations

 

        Direct communication channels (e.g. website for distributors)

        Ongoing and regular meetings

        Contracts

        Codes of Best Practice and self-regulation

        Conferences and workshops

        Reports and reporting

        Holding of positions in the authorities of industry organizations and chambers

        Active involvement in joint projects and activities (e.g. within respective chambers of commerce, consultations and positions)

        Communication depending on the needs of stakeholders

        Pro-active activities depending on the market situation

        Group’s involvement in shaping of the market

        Solving problems of the market and promoting innovations

        Transparency of activities

        Observing standards and rules

        Openness to dialog

GENERAL NATIONAL MEDIA AND INDUSTRY MEDIA

Entities belonging to the stakeholder group

Approach and type of engagement of the stakeholder group

Frequency of engagement by type

Key topics and concerns raised by stakeholders

        The press

        The Internet

        Radio

        TV

        Conferences and events

        Information in the press

        Individual meetings with media representatives

        Statements, comments and opinions

        Corporate website

        Social media

        On-going communication, depending on the market situation and current developments in the organization

        The Group’s economic standing

        New offers

        Innovation

        Development plans

        New programs/ shows

        Sports events

        Product testing

        Social involvement

[GRI 102-12, GRI 102-13]

Apart from direct contacts with stakeholders, we shape our market environment also through membership in industry associations. We are members of, among others:

         

Polish Chamber of Commerce for Electronics and Telecommunications

         

Polish Chamber of Commerce for Electronics and Telecommunications

         

Lewiatan Confederation (formerly Lewiatan – Polish Confederation of Private Employers)

         

Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications

         

Polish Chamber of Digital Broadcasting

         

IAB Poland

         

Association of TV Programs Distributors SYGNAŁ

         

Polish Internet Research

         

Polish Data Center Association

         

Advertising Council

         

Creative Poland Association

         

Polish Association of Listed Companies.

2.3.  Strategy 2023+ of Polsat Plus Group

We are a Polish company and we offer high quality commodities for a reasonable price to the inhabitants of Poland. For everyone. Everywhere.

We believe that high-speed and reliable Internet within easy reach means freedom for everyone and everywhere. We believe in locally produced, unique content available wherever, whenever and on whatever device you want. We believe that the transition towards clean and affordable energy, in particular energy produced from renewable sources, is what our country needs and that it creates new development opportunities for our Group.

We want to create and deliver high quality commodities: high-speed and reliable connectivity, the most attractive and unique content and entertainment, clean and affordable energy and other services and commodities for the home and for individual and business customers, using state-of-the-art technologies to provide top quality services that meet the changing needs and expectations of our customers, so as to maintain the highest possible level of their satisfaction. Concurrently, in line with the concept of ESG, we want to create the value of our Group in a sustainable manner taking into account and addressing environmental, social, responsible and transparent business issues, to the benefit of local society and all our Stakeholders.

The superior goal of the strategy of Polsat Plus Group is the permanent, long-term growth of the value of Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. for its Shareholders. We intend to achieve this goal by implementing the key elements of our operating strategy based on three main pillars and supported by an effective financial policy.

PILLAR I - CONNECTIVITY

PILLAR II - CONTENT

PILLAR III – CLEAN ENERGY

High-speed and reliable connectivity is critical to our work, education and entertainment. Easy communication with friends and family.

Attractive content and excellent user experience ensure entertainment wherever, whenever and on whatever device you want.

Affordable, clean energy is essential to the daily functioning and further development of the Polish society and economy.

          growth of revenue from services provided to individual and business customers through the consistent building of our customer base value by maximizing the number of users of our services as well as the number of services offered to each customer and simultaneously increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction

          growth of revenue from produced and purchased video content by expanding its distribution, including a search for new channels of exploitation of rights, maintaining the audience shares of channels produced by us

          use of opportunities arising from the advancing technological changes and market opportunities in order to expand the scope of our products and services

          building a position on the clean, energy market, in particular from the sun, wind, biomass, thermal waste treatment and building a complete value chain of a hydrogen-based economy, which creates opportunities to build a new stream of revenues for Polsat Plus Group and will bring tangible social benefits in the form of greenhouse gas emissions reduction

          analysis of additional development opportunities in other prospective directions such as Small Modular Reactors (SMR)

          effective management of the cost base of our integrated capital group by exploiting its inherent synergies and economies of scale

          effective management of the Group’s finances, including its capital resources

 

BEST PRACTICE – POLSAT PLUS GROUP STRATEGY 2023+

As part of its Strategy 2023+ Polsat Plus Group has added the third pillar of its activity and set a new challenger for itself: we want to bring cheap and clean energy for Poles as well as clean natural environment. The following are the goals of the Clean Energy pillar: 1. Clean Energy as a commodity – For Everyone. Everywhere. 2. Supplying solar and wind power as well as electricity produced from biomass. 3. Reduction of CO2 emission. 4. Implementation of ESG in practice.

 

While announcing its strategy, the Group made commitment to its stakeholders to achieve specific goals and to monitor their progress on an on-going basis. We assume that thanks to producing 2 TWh of cheap and clean energy the emission of CO2 will be reduced in Poland by around 2 million tons per year. To enable implementation of its strategy, the Group has defined several strategic projects (i.e. investing in the green assets of ZE PAK power plant, along with other projects from the field of green energy), as and key investments to be made (i.e. PLN 0.8 billion to acquire 67% of green assets, PLN 5 billion to be invested in green energy over a period of 5 years, PLN 0.5 billion for green hydrogen).

The Strategy 2023+ leads to the development of a unique Group. People in Poland are offered services and products that they can use everywhere and every day. These include most advanced telecommunication solutions (5G Internet access from Plus and the possibility to communicate as you like and whenever you want), Polish-language content (available on various devices: in the Internet, via a 4K set-top box and in TV, via Polsat Box Go and Polsat Go services and applications) as well as the on-line business, concentrated around Interia. Clean energy is also such a service and commodity for all. The Group wants to produce it and supply to both residential and business customers, so that every inhabitant of our country will be able to live in clean and friendly environment. The Group believes that energy transformation is necessary, that it is in fact indispensable for us as the society and so it wants to have influence on expediting the implementation of this strategy. That is why the Group wants change the world and invests in green hydrogen which is a zero-emission fuel. It has already started promoting hydrogen technology and is the first user of a hydrogen-powered car fleet in Poland. At the same time, the Group filed for environmental permits that are necessary for building the refueling stations and it has also developed a prototype of a hydrogen-powered bus.

Growth of revenue from services provided to individual and business customers through the consistent building of our customer base value by maximizing the number of users of our services as well as the number of services offered to each customer and simultaneously increasing average revenue per user (ARPU) and maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction

Our goal is to effectively build revenue from the sale of products, services and commodities to our customers. By actively predicting new trends and reacting to the occurring market changes, we will continue to create products that will satisfy the evolving needs of our customers.

The factor that will have a positive impact on revenue is the possibility of cross-selling our existing and future products and services to the customer base of Polsat Plus Group. We create a unique portfolio of products and services which is targeted at customer bases of companies composing our Group. Properly addressed, both through the sale of additional single products or a multiplay offer, this potential may gradually increase the number of services per individual user, thus increasing revenue per customer and at the same time favorably impacting the level of satisfaction of our customers.

The integrated services market in Poland is still developing, especially outside big cities and therefore it has substantial growth potential. We intend to continue expanding our portfolio of products and services, relying both on own projects, as well as on strategic alliances or acquisitions. We trust that a comprehensive and unique offer of combined services (television offered in diversified access technologies including a model based on online applications, mobile Internet based in particular on the cutting-edge 5G technology, high-speed fixed broadband with high throughputs and voice services) and the possibility of up-selling additional services (e.g. clean energy from renewable sources, premium content services, entertainment services, financial products as well as other services or solutions for the home), when provided via diversified distribution platforms, will be decisive from the point of view of our competitive edge. It will also enable us to retain our existing customer base and offer an opportunity to acquire new customers on the pay TV, telecommunication and energy markets as well as in the area of other services for the home and for individual and business customers.

Growth of revenue from produced and purchased video content by expanding its distribution, including a search for new channels of exploitation of rights and maintaining the audience shares of the channels that we produce

The channels we produce and broadcast enjoy strong, well-established positions on the Polish TV and high ratings in their respective target groups. Our goal is to maintain our audience share at a stable level and consistently enhance our viewer profile. We believe that by making sensible investments in programming and wider distribution of our own content we will be able to gradually improve our viewer profile. This in turn will have a positive effect on the pricing of advertising airtime that we offer.

The second crucial element in building the segment's value is the widest possible distribution of produced and purchased TV content, both in terms of the customer groups it reaches (FTA, pay TV and online access) and the technologies they use (terrestrial, satellite, Internet, mobile). We want to invest in development and build the market position of our content brands, which will then be distributed via a number of channels adjusted to the evolving needs of our customers. These efforts, in our opinion, will not only allow us to maximize benefits of the wide-scale distribution of our video content, but will also ensure a higher level of satisfaction among our customers and viewers, who will have more freedom to decide what, where and when to watch.

Use of opportunities arising from the advancing technological changes and market opportunities in order to expand the scope of our products and services

We seek to offer wide accessibility to our products and services to each of our existing and potential new customers. Therefore, beside the continuous development of technologies which have built the scale of our company in the past, we pay attention to the development of new products which are meant to facilitate the availability of our content and the services we offer. For everyone. Everywhere.

The intertwining of the telecommunication and media worlds, in particular the wide availability of high-speed mobile transfer technologies as well as the constantly improving quality of fixed-broadband connections, allows us to develop equipment and technologies which break the limitations with regard to accessibility or ownership of certain telecommunication infrastructure. The OTT (over-the-top) technologies are expanding distribution markets for content producers and we intend to actively leverage on that. We invest in new technologies, equipment and applications, and we pursue opportunities to enter into strategic alliances or acquisitions, with a view to facilitating access to the content we produce for our customers. We also intend to leverage on the changes on the Polish content market and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the evolving needs and expectations of Polish consumers, as well as changes in the ways of media consumption triggered by cutting-edge data transmission technologies in order to offer our customers an extensive range of services adjusted to their needs and expectations. By developing our content and telecommunication offer and expanding it to include complementary products and services, we seek to acquire new customers, build ARPU and improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

An effective combination of telecommunication and content products provides new opportunities for distribution of content. Thanks to this combination, attractive content and a wide range of our services can be delivered through a variety of reliable distribution channels – via satellite (DTH), digital terrestrial television (DVB-T), Internet television (OTT), Internet platforms, applications and portals (video online), mobile (LTE and 5G) and fixed-line (IPTV) technologies – to all consumer devices from TV sets through PCs and tablets to smartphones.

Modern technology advancement is also a critical factor contributing to the transition in our country towards clean, zero and low-emission energy. We want to be an active participant of this transition. We intend to take advantage of emerging market opportunities and invest in technological innovations because we believe that they are essential in order to accelerate the energy transition and de-carbonization in Poland. We set ourselves ambitious goals with respect to the construction of zero and low-emission sources of electric energy that on the one hand constitute an opportunity to continue the development of our business in the mid and long-term, and on the other support the sustainable development of the Polish society and economy.

Concurrently, we will analyze in detail emerging market and investment opportunities, such as investments in unique real estate or prospective business projects that have potential to generate high rates of return in the mid-term. We believe that such projects present an attractive opportunity to invest available funds.

Building a position on the clean energy market, in particular from the sun, wind, biomass, thermal waste treatment and building a complete value chain of a hydrogen-based economy, which creates opportunities to build a new stream of revenues for Polsat Plus Group and will bring tangible social benefits in the form of greenhouse gas emissions reduction

With a view to strengthening our unique offer of integrated services we have decided to establish a new, third strategic pillar based on affordable and clean energy. We believe that the transition towards clean, zero and low-emission energy in Poland is a perfect moment to enter this prospective market by new players and creates new development possibilities for Polsat Plus Group. We believe that investments in the development of clean, renewable energy sources constitute a practical implementation of the ESG concept and can bring our Group, our Stakeholders and the local society tangible economic and social benefits, in particular in the form of greenhouse gas emissions reduction. According to our estimates, our current investment plan, consisting in the installation of ca. 1000 MW of clean power generation capacity in the years 2022-2026, will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 million tons of CO2 equivalent annually.

We want to build a new stream of revenue from the sale of clean energy to business and individual customers. We expect that demand for clean energy in Poland will exhibit a strong, upward trend in the following years. This trend will be supported by a set of factors, including the consistent regulatory policy implemented at the European Union level and directed at achieving climate neutrality by 2050 and increasing demand for energy resulting from Poland’s economic growth. In order to build and successively strengthen our position on the energy market in Poland we intent to invest in projects related to the production of energy from photovoltaics, biomass, wind farms and thermal waste treatment. We also want to invest in the future by building a complete value chain of a hydrogen-based economy, which may contribute significantly to the reduction of harmful substance emissions (including CO2). Furthermore, we want to actively analyze the possibilities of investing in other prospective sources of energy such as Small Modular Reactors (SMR).

In the years 2022-2026 we plan to invest approximately PLN 5 billion in order to achieve ca. 1000 MW of clean power generation capacity and approximately PLN 0.5 billion in the construction of the value chain of an economy based on the fuel of the future - hydrogen.

Effective management of the cost base of our capital group by exploiting its inherent synergies and economies of scale

We are convinced that building a closely integrated group that combines connectivity, content and energy services offers an opportunity for tangible synergies and for securing significant competitive advantages. We implement numerous projects aimed at simplifying the Group’s structure by integrating relevant teams and harmonizing business processes and IT systems in the entire Group, which enables us to achieve tangible cost synergies. On a continuous basis we pursue optimization efforts aimed at adapting our cost base to current market conditions and our Group’s situation.

We believe that our engagement in the clean energy sector will also generate sizeable synergies and in the mid- and long-term will support operating in-line with a sustainable business-model. In particular, access to clean energy at lower prices will allow us to further optimize the costs of our operating activities and will also help us strengthen our relationships with B2B and B2C customers interested in purchasing clean energy, which will have a positive impact on the results of our strategy.

Effective management of the Group’s finances, including its capital resources

The financial policy and capital resources management policy that we adopted define the method of using funds generated from our operations. To guarantee the continuity and stability of the Group’s operations the generated free cash flow is used in the first place for financing current operations and for investments indispensable for the development of the Group. Simultaneously, we continually exploit arising development possibilities and investment opportunities, which allow us to make our products and services more attractive, provide new methods of their distribution or create additional value for our Shareholders.

Our capital resources management policy assumes maintaining a balance between leveraging on emerging market and investment opportunities and regular dividend payouts to Shareholders of the Company in accordance with the applicable dividend policy of Cyfrowy Polsat S.A. Concurrently, we intend to maintain the indebtedness of Polsat Plus Group at a safe level, ensuring an optimal structure of financing of our operating activities through the use of debt financing. When formulating the financing structure the Management Board will take into account in particular the expectations of the Shareholders of the Company expressed in the Articles of Association of Cyfrowy Polsat S.A.

2.4.  ESG Strategy

Along with the announcement of the Strategy 2023+, we have also systemized our sustainable growth strategy which includes ESG factors - environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance.

Table 5. Summary of the ESG strategy

We take responsibility for preventing further climate changes and actively undertake steps to improve air quality in Poland.

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        New investments – by producing over 2 TWh of green energy per year we will contribute to the reduction of CO2 emissions in Poland by more than 2 million tons yearly.

        Renewable energy sources – by 2023 we will use energy solely from low or zero-emission sources1.

        Car fleet – we successively increase the share of low-emission vehicles in the car fleet of Polsat Plus Group (currently over 5% share).

        Circular economy – set-top boxes used by our customers are coming back to the market after they are returned and refurbished while other equipment is being recycled.

We are an active member of local society and – at the same time – we stimulate Poland’s economic and social development through our investments in digitization.

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        Counteracting digital divide – we dynamically develop the  footprint of modern, fast 5G Internet.

        Polsat Foundation – we are a key partner of the Foundation which has helped to finance medical treatment and rehabilitation for 40 thousand suffering children over the last 25 years.

        Responsible employer – we ensure a friendly and safe working environment as well as equality and diversity to all our employees.

        Protection and safety of children – safety is the DNA of our operations, therefore we take care of safety of children and youths (among others, online and TV safety).

We develop our business in a transparent and sustainable  manner to the  benefit of all our stakeholders.

 

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        Codes of Ethics – implemented codes of business conduct as well as internal procedures and systems guarantee the highest standard of integrity.

        Transparency – we ensure high quality financial and ESG reporting in combination with regular, transparent and direct communication with all our stakeholders.

        Cybersecurity – while being aware of challenges in this area, we aim at the best possible data security and protection for our customers and employees (ISO 27001 certificate).

        Experience, trust, reputation – our companies’ Management Boards are served by individuals with many years of work experience in the Group.

1 This applies to at least main operating companies of Polsat Plus Group, that is Cyfrowy Polsat S.A., Telewizja Polsat sp. z o.o., Polkomtel sp. z o.o., and Netia S.A.

2.5.  Our social mission

We pursue our social mission in the fields of safety and security, aid to children, promotion of sports and physical activity as well as conservation of natural environment and education, with a particular focus on ecology and healthy lifestyle.

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Figure 4. Corporate Social Responsibility in Polsat Plus Group

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Polsat Plus Group’s sponsoring and charity activities are aimed at providing actual aid wherever needed, supporting development of Polish sports, assuring advanced tools for rescue units, educating the society in such areas as ecology and conservation of natural environment, as well as, indirectly, shaping of positive image of our organization as trustworthy brands, socially-committed companies, partners who are open to their customers’ needs. The activities that we indulge in are aligned with our Group’s social mission which assumes exerting positive influence on our immediate environment – the society, the customers and viewers as well as the employees and natural environment, along consistent building of our credibility in the eyes of our stakeholders.

 Chart 3. Financial involvement of Polsat Plus Group in charity and sponsoring

 

Care for safety   

Safety is the DNA of our operations. That is why we are involved in the implementation of numerous projects, including the ones which address economic, strategic, social, employee-related, client-related, or environment-related issues. These projects are described in detail in the respective sections of the report discussing specific issues, including E (environmental), S (social) and G (governance-related) matters. Here we only discuss our strategic and long-term involvement in the area of safety and security.

We are particularly proud from our close cooperation with the rescue organizations which operate in the mountains and on the waterside. Plus mobile network supports the rescuers in their activities, finances their training and also donates money for specialized equipment. Year 2021 marks the 18th anniversary of cooperation with TOPR and WOPR mountain rescue as well as MOPR and WOPR water rescue units

Thanks to our technology we have been able to create an emergency-and-rescue system which helped save the lives and the health of many people in recent years.

 

Figure 5. Ratunek (Rescue) Application

Figure 6. User location as sent by Ratunek (Rescue) application

Both, in the mountains as well as by the water victims are often unable to identify or describe their location. They may also not know whom or what number to call. That is why Ratunek application plays an important role in tourism, by substantially enhancing the safety of both, amateurs and professionals. When there is an accident, or if someone is lost, such a person is able to quickly notify the Rescue Units and get effective help.

BEST PRACTICE – INTEGRATED RESCUE SYSTEM AND RATUNEK (RESCUE) APPLICATION

 

The Integrated Rescue System has been launched by Plus jointly with WOPR and MOPR lifeguards and GOPR and TOPR mountain rescuers. The two emergency numbers: 601100100 (waterside) and 601100300 (mountains) emergency phone numbers can be accessed from all mobile and fixed-line networks in Poland and they operate round-the-clock all-year-long.

The system monitors the most popular spots and watches over the safety of tourists while enabling efficient communication with the rescue units. A free Ratunek (Rescue) application complements the system. Caller-location feature is its key advantage which significantly reduces the search time (even to as little as 20 minutes).The application supports connection to the nearest rescue station and while the call to the rescue station is in progress, the application sends an SMS with the caller’s location coordinates to the rescuers. It is the only application approved by the voluntary rescue units in Poland. In 2021, there were nearly 189.5 thousand users of the application.

Examples of successful rescue actions initiated by calls to emergency numbers and use of the Rescue application in 2021:

         

MOPR (Mazurian Voluntary Lifeguard Service) – a six-person boat crew was saved thanks to Ratunek application which indicated the precise location of the accident, thus enabling fast rescue action.

         

TOPR  (Tatra Mountain Rescue Service) – an incident in the Tatra Mountains – the TOPR’s main unit was called by a tourist who informed them that for a second straight day he was stranded in Zawrat pass and that he was soaked wet and cold, and hence unable to descend from the pass by himself. Two rescuers set out from Hala Gąsiennicowa valley and reached the tourist quickly. They found him lying in a snow cave. As it turned out, he set out too late on the trail and on top of that alone. He made a planning mistake. In addition, sudden change of weather led to the tourist getting soaked and cold, even in spite of being well equipped for the hike.

Aid to children

Aid to children is yet another pillar of our social mission. Our goals in this area are mainly accomplished through Polsat Foundation and employee volunteering initiatives.

Polsat Foundation

For more than 25 years now, in line with its motto; “We are here to save the health and life of children,” Polsat Foundation has been working continuously to improve the well-being of the youngest patients in Poland.

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2], [UoR – Key Performance Indicators]

During 25 years (Key figures):

Aid provided to nearly

40 thousand

children

Support for over

2 653

institutions: hospitals and health centers, as well as schools, kindergartens and orphanages

More than

PLN 267 million

allocated for financing statutory goals

Over

PLN 23 million

collected from the St. Nicholas Day Commercial Block

Over

PLN 31.2 million

received as donations of 1% of Personal Income Tax

During over 25 years of its activities, Polsat Foundation embarked upon numerous initiatives having one goal – providing aid to children and their parents. Such actions as ”Podaruj Dzieciom Słońce” (Give Some Sun to Children”) and  “Podziel się Posiłkiem” (“Share Your Meal”) have gained long-lasting support of Polish society. From the very beginning of its operations, the Foundation was also involved in some pioneer projects, including introduction in Poland the Program of Liver Transplants from Related Donors as well as state-of-the-art methods of in-womb spina bifida treatment using fetoscopic surgery.

BEST PRACTICE – 25 YEARS OF POLSAT FOUNDATION

Helping children is one of the pillars of the corporate social responsibility mission of Polsat Plus Group. The Group pursues this goal in various ways, also through the activities of Polsat Foundation. For 25 years now Polsat Foundation has made continuous efforts to improve the well-being of the youngest patients in Poland, while being faithful to its motto: “We are here to save the health and life of children”.

 

The Foundation was established by Zygmunt Solorz and TV Polsat – the first commercial TV station in Poland to become involved in charity. Since the very beginning of its activity the Foundation has been guided by the slogan: “We are here for the children.” The Foundation donated more than PLN 267 million to aiding children, it helped 40,000 little patients and provided financial support to more than 2600 institutions, including hospitals, medical centers as well as schools, kindergartens and foster care homes.

The Foundation’s present activities also fall within the framework of numerous ecological initiatives and actions, including the fight against smog and its consequences, upon which Polsat Plus Group has recently embarked by establishing the “Clean Poland” Program Association. 

BEST PRACTICE – VERANO DLA DZIECI (VERANO FOR CHILDREN)

“Verano for Children” is a long-term project which strategically fits in with the activities of Polsat Plus Group and the Clean Poland Program Association in the area of fight against smog and improvement of the quality of living for children. As part of this program, Polsat Foundation, working together with “Verano” Health and Relaxation Center from Kołobrzeg, organized a series of four rehabilitation stays, focusing on treating chronic upper and lower respiratory tract diseases as well as cystic fibrosis among children. A total of 72 children from Silesian Province, each accompanied by a guardian, underwent the treatment in 2021.

One of the floors of center was fully renovated for the needs of this project. The facility has been equipped with professional equipment, holding proper type approvals, which enabled comprehensive respiratory tract rehabilitation. The project included building a room for individual and group exercises and a surgery.

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2]

Support for those who are most in need is the superior goal of the Foundation. An illness of a child is for many Polish families not only an emotional drama but also a drama in the financial dimension. Specialized treatment, newest pharmaceuticals, or complex operations mean costs which often exceed the parents’ financial possibilities, while financing by the state healthcare system is for many reasons insufficient. For that reason the Foundation has created a system of quick and effective response to requests for aid. Information received from parents is verified and then their applications are reviewed according to strictly defined criteria.

 

In 2021 Polsat Foundation:

         

helped 2145 children,

         

The Foundation supported 16 healthcare establishments.

 

Key events in 2021:

         

Building the Polsat Foundation’s Center for Rare Diseases at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute,

         

Launching ”Verano dla dzieci” (“Verano for Children”) – rehabilitation stays for the children suffering from respiratory tract diseases as well for the children with cystic fibrosis,

         

18th edition of the St. Nicholas Day Advertising Block,

         

Nationwide educational campaign called ”Wilk opowiada o SMA” (“The Wolf talks about SMA”), addressing the issue of spiral muscular atrophy. The campaign was organized by the SMA Foundation and Polsat Foundation under the auspices of PTND (Polish Society of Children’s Neurologists) as an element of the action called “August – the month of knowledge about SMA”,

         

Start of repair works in  Rybicki Provincial Polyclinical Hospital in Skierniewice,

         

Helping together – Bieg z Radością z Toyotą (Toyota Joy Run) running event,

         

Wielka Draka dla Dzieciaka (Lots of Noise for Kids), i.e. the biggest charity action organized by Polish students at the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business.

 

BEST PRACTICE – POLSAT FOUNDATION’S CENTER FOR RARE DISEASES

Polsat Foundation’s Center for Rare Diseases, at the Children’s Memorial Health Institute, was officially opened in May 2021. Little patients will be offered comprehensive support and treatment of rare diseases which affect as many as 3 million people in Poland, most of whom are children.

Construction of the Center was initiated by Polsat Foundation. It is a unique place in Poland. The underlying assumption of its functioning is that a patient, with an often unknown disease, will be in the center of attention, cared for by the best specialists from various fields. This is the place where such patients will be offered comprehensive support, from the moment of being diagnosed till the end of treatment.

The launch of the Center would not be possible without the involvement good-hearted people – the donors, Polsat TV viewers and Plus mobile network users thanks to whom ca. PLN 500 thousand was collected for this cause. The action was also joined by Polkomtel which donated PLN 2 million to the Foundation. The official opening of Polsat Foundation’s Center for Rare Diseases took place in Warsaw in May 2021.

As part of its activities related to aid provided to individual patients, Polsat Foundation finances:

         

individual medical equipment,

         

assistive devices,

         

orthopedic devices,

         

specialized rehab, drugs, creams and dressings,

         

operations which, in exceptional cases, are performed in private clinics in Poland and abroad.

Repair works and adaptations of medical institutions account for a significant part of Polsat Foundation’s spending. Since the beginning of its operations the Foundation has been providing financial  support to medical institutions and health centers which offer treatment, rehab and therapy for children.

Biggest projects (2015-2021):

         

Repair works in the Children’s Otolaryngology Ward at the Provincial Specialist Hospital no. 3 in Rybnik, where a salt grotto was also created,

         

Repair works in the Obstetrics and Neonatology Department at the hospital in Lubartów,

         

Repairs and modernization of the Polsat Foundation’s Pomeranian Center of Laser Therapy – the biggest center of this type in Poland,

         

Repair works at the Pediatric Ward in the County Health Center in Otwock,

         

Expansion of the Department of Neonatology, Pathology and Neonatal Intensive Care in the Children’s Memorial Health Institute – creation of special rooms for mothers staying with children – it is the biggest establishment of this type in Poland,

         

Repair works in the Neurology and Epileptology Department in the Children’s Memorial Health Institute,

         

Construction and equipping of the Polsat Foundation’s Center for Rare Diseases at Children’s Memorial Health Institute in Warsaw.

“Jesteśmy dla dzieci” (We are for children) campaign is the most recognizable project of Polsat Foundation. The goal of the campaign is to collect money for treatment and rehabilitation of the children who are under the care of Polsat Foundation. In special TV spots the children taken care of by the foundation – the heroes of “Jesteśmy dla dzieci” campaign – appeal for aid not only for themselves but also for other ill children. Since the autumn of 2019 the Foundation has been running a pilot TV program called #JesteśmyDlaDzieci (#WeAreForChildren), which is broadcasted in Polsat News TV channel. The program reaches millions of viewers of Polsat, Polsat Box Go and Polsat Go as well as the users of Polsatnews.pl and Interia.pl.

As part of its activities, Polsat Foundation has been providing financial support for medical units and centers all over Poland. Up to date our aid reached 2653 units, including hospitals and medical centers involved in treatment, rehab and therapy of children, as well as schools, kindergartens and orphanages. During the 25 years of its activity Polsat Foundation donated over PLN 1 million to support hospices. So far more than 40 thousand children needing treatment have received help.

The Foundation’s activities have for many years been also supported by TV Polsat, the actors and the producers of the Polsat’s TV series (soap operas), the anchors and the journalists of “Wydarzenia” (the main news program of TV Polsat), as well as the journalists working for Polsat News and Polsat Sport channels. ”Wydarzenia” news program shows materials regarding Polsat Foundation’s important activities. The Foundation’s representatives are also the guests of “Nowy Dzień” (The New Day) program while the Foundation itself is the patron of “#JesteśmyDlaDzieci” (#WeAreForChildren) program.

BEST PRACTICE – ”JESTEŚMY DLA DZIECI” (WE ARE FOR THE CHILDREN) PROGRAM

„#JesteśmyDlaDzieci” is a TV show which appears in Polsat News channel every Sunday at 1.30 p.m. It presents stories of children suffering from various diseases, birth defects as well as other serious illnesses and problems. The viewers can see how these children, as well as their parents or guardians, have to struggle daily for recovery from illness or to save their lives.

 

The TV show also includes interviews and discussions with invited guests – medical experts who explain the presented cases to viewers. The program also presents the achievements of Polsat Foundation, including renovated hospital wards, money collections for the purchase of specialized equipment as well as the help that the Foundation provides in treatment and rehabilitation of ill children.

 

Further episodes of the “Spełniamy Marzenia” (We Make Your Dreams Come True) show were produced In 2021, the year which marked the 25th anniversary of Polsat Foundation’s activity.

All of Polsat Foundation’s activities are possible thanks to the support it receives from donors. The Foundation reaches private individuals and sponsors through TV Polsat which for many years has been appealing to its viewers for support for the foundation. Without television Polsat Foundation would not be so effective and would not have nationwide reach.

 

Figure 7. Financing of Polsat Foundation in 2021

For 18 years now, TV Polsat and Polsat Media Biuro Reklamy advertising bureau have been organizing Mikołajkowy Blok Reklamowy (St. Nicholas Day commercial break. Every 6 December millions of Poles switch to Polsat channel at 6.45 p.m. to help ill children in this simple manner. The revenue from the St. Nicholas Day Commercial Break, calculated on the basis of audience size, is donated to the treatment and rehabilitation of the children who are under the care of Polsat Foundation.

BEST PRACTICE – ST. NICHOLAS DAY COMMERCIAL BLOCK

The 18th St. Nicholas Day Commercial Break was watched by 5.5 million viewers (the number was calculated on the basis of Nielsen Media data as interpreted by Telewizja Polsat Sp. z o.o.), thanks to whom more than PLN 1.6 million was collected to help ill children. The amount was by PLN 55 thousand higher than a year earlier. The amount was donated in full to the treatment and rehabilitation of children.

 

39 advertisers and 5.5 million viewers, including customers, viewers and employees of Polsat Plus Group were attracted to the St. Nicholas Day Commercial Break. The spots encouraging viewers to tune in to the St. Nicholas Day Commercial Break were being shown in TV Polsat starting November 22. Piotr Gąsowski appeared as Santa Claus. The campaign also included short spots featuring respected journalists and known artists who support Polsat Foundation, including Dorota Gawryluk, Jarosław Gugała, Michał Szpak, Sławomir, Wojciech Błach and Patryk Cebulski. The recorded spots also included children who are taken care of by the Foundation: the two Karolinas – the 12-year-old and the 4-year-old. Up to date the Foundation provided its financial support to more than 2600 establishments: hospitals and medical centers as well as schools, kindergartens and foster homes all over Poland. The Foundation spent more than PLN 260 million to finance its statutory goals.

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2]

Donation of 1% of Personal Income Tax is also an important part of the Foundation’s income. For years in the campaigns broadcasted in its channels, TV Polsat has been encouraging viewers to support the Foundation when filling in their annual tax return forms. Up to date the Foundation has collected nearly 31.2 million zloty this way thanks to the generosity of the taxpayers. The entire amount was allocated to the treatment and rehabilitation of children in Poland.

Every year the Foundation’s budget is also injected with the money coming from donors who include the biggest companies operating in Poland.

Table 6. Donations for Polsat Foundation from key donors in 2021

Donations for Polsat Foundation

1.

POLKOMTEL SP. Z O.O.

PLN 2 573 577.13

2.

TELEWIZJA POLSAT SP. Z O.O.

PLN 1 892 810.00

3.

POLSAT MEDIA BIURO REKLAMY SP. Z O.O. SP. K

 PLN  844 198.00

4.

CYFROWY POLSAT S.A.

 PLN 570 000.00

5.

NETIA S.A.

  PLN 250 000.00

6.

AMAZON FULLFILMENT POLAND SP. Z O.O.

  PLN 200 000.00

7.

FUNDUSZ GÓRNOŚLĄSKI S.A.

  PLN 150 000.00

8.

PRUSZYŃSKI SP.Z O.O.

  PLN 100 000.00

9.

GÓRNOŚLĄSKIE PRZEDSIĘBIORSTWO WODOCIĄGÓW S.A.

  PLN 100 000.00

10.

EKOENERGIA SILESIA S.A.

  PLN 50 000.00

Employee volunteering

Though employee volunteering in Polsat Plus Group is not covered by any formalized procedures, our employees have for years been keen to help others. We cooperate closely in this area with Polsat Foundation and Polki Mogą Wszystko Foundation (formerly Przyjaciółka Foundation).

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2]

2021 our employees and associates participated in several charity actions.

BEST PRACTICE – GIFT PACKS IN HOSPITALS ON THE CHILDREN’S DAY

It has been for the third time now that Polsat Media staff, dressed up as superheroes and characters from popular fairy tales and films, visited children in hospitals across Poland presenting to them gifts on the occasion of the Children’s Day. The action is organized by Polsat Foundation.

 

This year’s the presents were given to children by Shrek and Fiona, Snow White, Elsa, Elvis Presley, or the Wonder Woman. Apart from fictional characters, the children were also visited by TV Polsat’s stars, including Krzysztof Ibisz, Karolina Gilon and Patryk Cebulski. The gifts  were delivered to hospitals in Otwock and Świder near Warsaw, to the Children’s Memorial Hospital in Warsaw and also to  the hospitals at Niekłańska and Banacha streets in Warsaw as well as to Polish Mother’s Memorial Hospital Research Institute, the Central Clinical Hospital of the Medical University in Łódź and also to hospitals in  Lubartow and Rybnik. Around 1500 children received the gifts!

 

BEST PRACTICE – GREAT BOARD GAME TOURNAMENT

At the turn of September 2021 Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel joined this year’s edition of the Great Tournament of Board Games.

 

More than 900 various surprise gifts – board games, puzzles, backpacks, books, notebooks, sets of crayons and felt pens as well as other small school accessories were donated to Polki Mogą Wszystko Foundation as the prizes for the children who took part in developing a concept of a board game

 

BEST PRACTICE – SANTA CLAUS QURIER

At the turn of November 2021, for the twelfth time the employees of Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel played the roles of Santa Claus’s elves. The purpose of the action was to fulfill the wishes and the dreams of the children who face poverty, their parents’ alcohol problems and unemployment, lack of acceptance at school as well as learning difficulties

 

During over 10 years of the action we helped nearly 1700 children, from community centers from various parts of the country, witness the magic of Christmas. More than 300 volunteers took part in the action. They responded to 132 letters with children’s dreams (in 2020 the number of such letters was 79) and provided care to children from two community centers (in Podkarpacie and Mazury regions).

 

BEST PRACTICE – CHRISTMAS GIFT PACKS FOR CHILDREN FROM ORPHANAGES

In 2021, for the third straight year, the employees of Polsat Media Advertising Bureau, together with TV Polsat stars, prepared gifts for children from orphanages. Thanks to this wonderful action and the involvement of volunteers, the surprise gifts reached some 30 orphanages across Poland, bringing a lot of joy to nearly 2300 children. Many Christmas gifts were organized by the business partners of Polsat Media Advertising Bureau.

 

BEST PRACTICE – DIY CHRISTMAS WORKSHOP

In December 2021 we once again invited our employees to take part in the DIY Christmas Workshop, with the invitations being sent to the employees of Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel and Netia. The event’s goal was to keep up the Christmas spirit and to support a special child who is cared for by Polsat Foundation, namely the 6-year-old Robert who is a son our colleague from Interia. The boy’s brain has been attacked by autoimmune encephalitis as a consequence of Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS).

 

Thanks to voluntary donations we collected 8605 PLN. The entire amount was donated for the boy’s treatment and rehabilitation.

There is yet one more form of aid that we not only communicate every year but in which we are involved. It is the donation of 1% of tax for the treatment and rehabilitation of the children cared for Polsat Foundation as well as by other foundations which take care of our employees or their children. While keeping in mind the disabled children of our employees, we also prepare some surprise gifts for them, containing teaching aids (the gift packs contain such things as pencil cases, crayons, worksheets, notebooks, drawing pads, etc.).

Promotion of sports

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2]

Promotion of sports is one of the social activities in which Polsat Plus Group is very much involved. Sports occupy a special place in the operations of Plus network (sponsoring) and of TV Polsat (sports coverage). One of the goals of this involvement is to promote sports, volleyball in particular but other disciplines as well, while promoting physical activity, in the broad sense of the term, among the population as a value in itself and as one of the most important elements of a healthy lifestyle and good functioning of the body. 

This is the reason why we are so consistently involved in promoting sports and healthy lifestyle. In 2021 one of the key events in this area was signing of the agreement thanks to which our brands – Polsat and Plus –  have become part of the name of Gdansk Arena stadium.

BEST PRACTICE – POLSAT AND PLUS  AS TITULAR SPONSORS OF GDANSK ARENA

Polsat and Plus – the two key brands of Polsat Plus Group – have become part of the name of a stadium in Gdansk. Thanks to the agreement that was concluded, the stadium in Gdansk is now called Polsat Plus Arena Gdansk. The agreement has been signed for 6 years.

 

By combining the possibilities of enjoying sports, music or major events live at the stadium as well as via the Internet and on TV, the Gdansk stadium perfectly fits in with our strategy of providing best content and services to millions of our viewers and customers.

A vast majority of Poles associates the Plus brand with volleyball and the success that it achieved. During the past 20 years or so all of Poland’s national teams, both men’s and women’s (senior, junior, cadet teams), won a total of 78 medals at various tournaments, including 32 gold, 24 silver and 22 bronze medals. Plus, as a sponsor, participated in the organization of major volleyball tournaments in Poland: four FIVB World League Finals, women’s and men’s European Championship tournaments and men’s World Championship.

BEST PRACTICE – DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF POLISH VOLLEYBALL

Polsat Plus Group’s involvement in the development and promotion of Polish volleyball is not only restricted to sponsoring by Plus network. It also includes support from TV Polsat which for over 25 years now has been broadcasting all major volleyball matches – from Polish league matches, through European cups to national team’s matches. Thanks to the exposure that it has in TV, volleyball has made a major quality improvement in Poland, with new courts and training facilities being constructed, new sponsors attracted to this sport, the numbers of spectators growing and world volleyball stars coming to play in the Polish volleyball league.

 

Building a positive image of volleyball in Poland and making this discipline a new Polish national sport, with matches attended by whole families, is a great success. Volleyball is seen as a safe sport, associated with great fun and entertainment, on the one hand, and with international success, on the other. A vast majority of Poles associate the Plus brand with volleyball and the successes of our teams, with Plus and volleyball being virtually a synonym, which is of great value for the whole Polsat Plus Group.

More details in the chapter entitles “Exceptional Customers” (a dedicated section entitles “Best sports”).

Education

We have provided social education for years, but in 2020 in particular our involvement in the fight against coronavirus (we have contributed over PLN 50 million for this purpose) made us realize the importance of this pillar for our environment . Activities in this area are executed through:

         

Polsat Foundation’s mission (aid to sick children and their families as well as educating the society about health prevention and protection and rare diseases),

         

actions and initiatives of the Polsat Foundation related to health challenges (e.g. “Verano for children", that is a strategic project included in the activities of the Polsat Plus Group and Clean Poland Program Society with respect to the fight against smog and improvement of quality of children’s life) or familiarizing the society with rate diseases (e.g. “Wolf reads about SMA”, that is the well-known and loved read to children about spinal muscular atrophy),

         

tackling important topics of specialized medicine in a program piloted by the Polsat Foundation called “#We are for children” („#Jesteśmy dla dzieci”) which is aired in Polsat News channel,

         

presence of the representatives of the Foundation and medical experts in various Polsat programs (including “Nowy dzień”, “Wydarzenia”) providing commentary regarding current important topics concerning the health of Poles (including the topic of coronavirus, smog or rare diseases),

         

mission of the Clean Poland Program Society,

         

promoting knowledge about ecology and promotion of pro-environmental attitudes,

         

news programs about natural environment in Poland, special articles in Zielona.Interia.pl service and on Polsatnews.pl portal,

         

counteracting digital exclusion, among others through development and promotion modern Internet access technologies,

         

permanent cooperation with the Copernicus Science Centre,

         

education about safety in the mountains and at the water during summer and winter holidays,

         

first-aid workshops,

         

charity actions supporting the development of disabled children under employee volunteering,

         

transfer of knowledge and sharing experience between employees under big projects conducted in selected companies of the Polsat Plus Group.

2.6.  Economic, social and environmental impact

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2]

Through our business activities and executed projects we have an impact on the economy, society and environment.

Impact on the economy

        status of a big enterprise – indirect and direct revenue for the state budget,

        business partner, ordering party and service recipient– development of big, medium and small enterprises and different regions,

        stable employer – highly qualified employees with long tenure of work,

        new jobs – current recruitment process, apprenticeship and internship program,

        sharing knowledge and good practices – being part of industry associations and public administration support.



Impact on the society

        state-of-the-art technologies – construction and development of 5G network,

        counteracting digital exclusion – regular development of LTE/LTE Plus Advanced technology and extending network coverage,

        cooperation with NGO’s – support provided to Polsat Foundation and aid to disabled children, SMS actions with other foundations, numerous initiatives under employee volunteering program “I like helping” („Lubię pomagać”),

        promotion of sport and healthy lifestyle – sponsoring of volleyball, sports broadcasts on free national channels, internet portals  and health education in TV programs,

        access to information – “The News” („Wydarzenia”) of Polsat recognized as the most reliable news program, Internet access provided by our companies is a “window to the world” for many Polish families,

        access to the culture– programming offer of TV Polsat and TV packages of Cyfrowy Polsat in millions of households in Poland,

        access to entertainment – cabaret, movies, TV series and music and dance shows which attract multi-million audience to Polsat,

        access to education – eTornister (e-Schoolbag): an integrated educational platform replacing traditional student’s books and workbooks at school, an offer for self-governments and schools in Poland.

Impact on the environment

        management of environmental impact – environmental challenges for individual companies, ISO certificates, control of used raw materials, electricity saving,

        monitoring and reporting – sharing information about energy, water, raw materials consumption in the non-financial report,

        investments into modern solutions – renewable energy in the Group's companies, planned production of clean, green energy and green hydrogen, photovoltaic solutions included in the offer, hydrogen cars in car-sharing,  company and private car sharing, energy-saving lighting and buildings,

        waste management – recycling of electro-waste, documents and packaging,

        membership in Clean Poland Program Society (Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska ) - joint care for the natural environment, air, water and nature,

        environmental education – activities promoting 3R (recycle, reduce, reuse) among members of the Clean Poland Program Society, series of information: „EcoLOGIC at work and at home” in the internal communication,

        reduction of traveling – video conferences with stakeholders, online meetings of project teams, webinars and online trainings.

2.7.  Key priorities for SDGs, social and business KPIs and strategic goals

Through our efforts we strive to make sure that, on the one hand, the implementation of respective projects is consistent with the list of topics which are of key importance for Polsat Plus Group, and on the other that it is a response to the selected UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).



[GRI 103-1]

Figure 8. List of key topics for Polsat Plus Group in respective areas

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Table 7. Sustainable Development Goals which are being implemented in Polsat Plus Group

Sustainable Development Goals executed in Polsat Plus Group

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        involvement in charity actions whose mission is to combat poverty and social  exclusion (employee volunteering activities),

        thoroughly renovated houses and apartments for families afflicted with bad luck (e.g. poor financial situation, sickness, bereavement) in “Our new home” program,

        supporting selected charity goals under selected programs of TV Polsat (among others, “Your Face Sounds Familiar”).

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        initiatives and activities of Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska (Clean Poland Program Society),

        engagement of Polsat Plus Group in reducing CO2 for better health quality, less diseases and a higher standard of living, as well as reducing the social cost,

        25 years of experience in providing aid to sick children by Polsat Foundation,

        Polsat Foundation’s mission (it includes big nationwide campaigns, with the income from such campaigns being used for medical treatment and rehabilitation of children),

        Polsat Foundation’s support in building modern medical centers and renovation of hospitals (in particular children’s wards) across Poland,

        purchase by Polsat Foundation of medical equipment for hospitals and other institutions providing healthcare to children,

        additional support provided to the society, healthcare and our employees in the fight against coronavirus,

        promotion of sports and healthy lifestyle (including by broadcasting coverage of sports events in TV Polsat, dedicated educational programs and participation of Polsat Biega track team in key running events),

        conducting activities preventing accidents,

        systematic approach to OHS.

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        mission of Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska (Clean Poland Program Society),

        spreading knowledge about ecology and pro-environmental attitudes,

        news programs devoted to natural environment in Telewizja Polsat, webinars on Zielona.Interia.pl website and articles in Polsatnews.pl portal,

        counteracting digital exclusion, among others through development and promotion of state-of-the-art Internet access technology,

        employee training and development,

        permanent cooperation between Plus and the Copernicus Science Centre,

        e-Tornister (e-Schoolbag – an integrated educational platform, replacing classic workbooks and exercise books at school),

        educating on safety in the mountains and by the water during summer and winter vacation events,

        first-aid workshops,

        charity actions with an aim to support the development of disabled children – carried out as part of the employee volunteering activities,

        know-how transfer and exchange of experience among our employees during big projects carried out in various Polsat Plus Group companies.

https://www.gavi.org/sites/default/files/about/global-health/sdg07.jpg

        announcement of Strategy 2023+ based on a new pillar – Clean Energy,

        Clean Energy generation from sun, wind or biomass (the investment of PLN 5 billion in during the next 5 years)

        development of hydrogen technologies, playing an important role in global energy transformation,

        building a full green hydrogen value chain: from production in the electrolysis process from pure energy and water, through storage and transportation, building of a hydrogen refuelling station, manufacturing of buses to its universal use,

        renewable energy in companies from Polsat Plus Group,

        photovoltaic installations in the Group’s offer for B2B and B2C customers,

        Polsat Plus Group pioneers the use of a zero-emission and air-purifying fleet of 100 hydrogen cars in Poland.

        vision of providing cheap and clean energy for Polish families, as well as to maintain the competitiveness of our economy,

        constant development of offered services and technologies,

        investments in the latest technologies and innovations, e.g. 5G and green hydrogen,

        entering new market areas, e.g. the production of clean, green energy,

        enabling conducting of business activities by enterprises during COVID-19 pandemics,

        respect for human rights,

        diversity in the workplace,

        development of employees’ skills,

        stable workplace, employees with long track record in the organization,

        Company Social Benefits Fund (ZFŚS), fringe benefits, promotion of healthy lifestyle,

        corporate volunteering,

        communication of social responsibility report (inside and outside the organization).

        investments in green hydrogen and renewable energy production,

        regular development of the Internet with the use of state-of-the-art technologies – Plus network is a leader of 5G technology and Netia as the leading fiber-optic operator,

        issue of green bonds, with the proceeds from the issue, amounting PLN 1 billion, being used for refinancing the pro-environmental investments, among others for modernization and improvement of the telecommunication infrastructure of the Group in the area the energy efficiency,

        Internet of Things (IOT) solutions and advanced ICT services offered by Netia,

        the latest solutions from global technology leaders in Netia's backbone transmission network,

        Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities in Polsat Plus Group,

        using energy from RES, improving the energy efficiency and avoiding unnecessary energy consumption

        Crowd+ Program (a program supporting the culture of innovation),

        high technology in the Polsat Sport studio and the new Polsat broadcasting truck, which uses the most modern solutions (including 14 cameras, UHD and HDR formats, IP technology),

        new technology in Polsat Sport studio, state-of-the-art studio of “The News” (Wydarzenia) and Polsat News channel.

File:Sustainable Development Goal 10.png - Wikimedia Commons

        adjusting most of the programming in Super Polsat channel to allow people with visual and/or hearing impairment to watch the contents,

        facilities for people with disabilities in customer service in Polsat Box and Plus and as part of Polsat TV channels, i.a. introducing by  Polsat News of real-time subtitles for deaf people and people with hearing impairment,

        successful social integration of disabled persons in programs of TV Polsat (among others in “Dancing with Stars”), who prove that everything is possible,

        organizational culture in Polsat Plus Group companies based on the diversity policy and respect for human rights.

        ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 14001:2018 certificates (in the field of electronic equipment design and manufacturing) and PN-N-18001:2004 (in the field of design and manufacturing the electronic equipment) to InterPhone Service factory, issued by the British Standard Institution awarded,

        ISO 9001:2015 certificate (care for the high quality of the services offered) and ISO 14001:2015 (corporate ecological responsibility in the areas of sale of telecommunication products and services as well as sale of electricity, customer service and customer retention) awarded to Polkomtel,

        environment-friendly products (minimal use of raw materials during production, elimination of unnecessary packaging, efficient distribution and effective recycling of the products once their lifecycle ends).

        a new strategic segment: Clean Energy,

        energy from RES in Polsat Plus Group companies,

        identification of essential areas of environmental impact,

        introduction of the offer of photovoltaic installations; the service is available on the entire territory of Poland and is supported by a national campaign communicating benefits of renewable energy sources,

        joint care for the natural environment, air, water and nature (Clean Poland Program Society / Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska),

        ecological education of the closes environment  (among others in the Subscribers Magazine “Brawo Ty!” and in TV Polsat)

        promotion of pro-ecological attitudes among employees,

        testing the influence that radio transmitters have on the environment,

        on-going control of raw materials consumption,

        electricity saving,

        waste management and delivery of waste materials to specialized recycling firm.

By analysing all the Sustainable Development Goals and their compliance with our updated social mission, we have defined key priorities for Polsat Plus Group and assigned Key Performance Indicators to them.



Table 8. Key priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals executed in Polsat Plus Group

Priority/Goal

Description of alignment with our business

KPI of business-related benefits

KPI of social benefits

Priority 1

Goal 8:

Decent work and economic growth

 

Goal 9:

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

 

Pillar of our social responsibility mission:

SAFETY

Supporting the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship

 

Delivering latest technologies, e.g. 5G and fiber-optic lines.

 

Creation of decent and secure workplace.

 

Prevention of mobbing and discrimination in the workplace.

 

Equal remuneration for men and women.

 

Development opportunities in the workplace.

Assurance of latest technologies and highest safety standards while providing the services and supplying top quality products; Creation of decent workplaces and safe work environment, helping to attract and retain best employees; Being a reliable business partner as a big market player having a stable position.

Access to top quality products and services from a trusted provider with long-standing experience who cares for the standards as well as for regulatory and legal compliance.

 

Supplying innovative technologies which support the safety of people in Poland during their leisure time in the mountains and at the waterside.

 

Assurance of support for customers and employees in social crisis situations.

Priority 2

Goal 7 :

Affordable and clean energy

Pillar of our social responsibility mission:

ENVIRONMENT

 

Publication of Strategy 2023+ which is based on a new pillar – Clean Energy.

Production of Clean Energy from solar power, wind power and biomass burning (by investing 5 billion PLN over the next 5 years), as well as production of green hydrogen.

Increase of the share of Renewable Energy Sources until fully satisfying the operational energy needs in the short term.

 

Business development by being the leading producer of green energy and green hydrogen, which will also speed up the transformation of the Polish power engineering sector, while also providing support for Polish economy.

 

Building the full value chain for green hydrogen: from production in the process of electrolysis powered by clean energy and water, through developing hydrogen storage and transport solution, building a chain of hydrogen refueling stations and production of hydrogen-powered buses, to universal use of hydrogen.

Development of relations with B2B and B2C clients.

Access to clean energy thanks to which all inhabitants of Poland will have the opportunity of living in a cleaner and more friendly environment, while the economy will gain access to cheap energy source.

 

Reduction of CO2 emissions.

 

Opportunity to enjoy the offer of sale and installation of photovoltaic systems by B2B and B2C clients.

Priority 3

Goal 3:

Good health and wellbeing

 

Pillar of our social responsibility mission:

AID TO CHILDREN

 

Supporting innovative solutions for little patients, especially the ones suffering from rare diseases.

 

Care for safety and mental health of employees; supporting them in health-promoting activities and habits.

 

Cooperating as a partner to support safety at the waterside and in the mountains.

 

Beneficial impact of Strategy 2023+ on air quality in Poland

Inspiring the immediate business environment to offer support to the neediest ones, as well as to support the development of soft skills among employees through participation in employee volunteering.

Saving the health and lives of children through active support for the activities of Polsat Foundation.

 

Reduction of the CO2 emitted by the Polish power engineering industry by more than 2 million tons annually.

Pillar of our social responsibility mission: PROMOTION OF SPORTS AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

 

 

Promotion of healthy and active lifestyle among our employees, customers and viewers

Innovative solutions and technologies supporting the society in medical diagnosis and treatment, as well as in leading a healthy lifestyle. High quality content in sports channels to support Polish society in actively caring for their fitness and in pursuing their sports passions.

Supporting our employees, customers and viewers in indulging in the right activity and developing the proper habits as well as leading a healthy lifestyle.

Priority 4

Goal 4: Quality education

Pillar of our social responsibility mission:

EDUCATION

 

Equalizing the digital opportunities, especially in the field of remote learning in the educational establishments which face problems due to the necessity of conducting remote classes.

 

Supporting the skills associated with new technologies among our employees, customers and viewers.

 

Educating the immediate business environment in the field of sustainable living.

Products and offer which account for the climate-related challenges as well as affordable products and services which eliminate the barriers in access to education and which improve the quality of teaching/learning.

Support for educational efforts, while focusing in particular on the groups which are threatened by exclusion from access to knowledge and/or information.

Our strategic goals and investments under the Strategy 2023+ cover three areas with specific challenges in each of them, that is:

Connectivity

Goals:

        multiplay strategy development,

        building customer value,

        maintaining customer loyalty.

Strategic projects:

        5G network roll-out together with Cellnex,

        fibre-optic network roll-out.

Content

Goals:

        production of attractive content,

        acquisition of attractive rights,

        maintaining our market position,

        online business development around Interia.pl.

Strategic projects:

        organic growth of paid services,

        content monetization.

Energy

Goals:

        production of cheap and clean energy,

        ~1000 MW of installed power,

        >2TWh of production capacity,

        reduction of CO2 emissions by >2 million tons per year.

Strategic projects

        Investments into green assets - ZE PAK,

        Additional projects in clean energy area.

2.8.  Green bonds

Cyfrowy Polsat was the first company in Poland outside of the banking sector to issue, in February 2020, corporate green bonds denominated in Polish zloty (PLN), with the proceeds from the bond issue, amounting PLN 1 billion, being used for refinancing the pro-environmental projects, including improvement of the energy efficiency by the Group or reduction of the carbon footprint associated with the electronic devices manufactured by Cyfrowy Polsat.

The proceeds from the bond issue will be used for refinancing the expenditures incurred for  upgrading and modernizing the Group’s telecommunication infrastructure in terms of its energy efficiency, including in particular:

         Replacement of old energy intensive technology such as 2G and 3G with advanced 4G LTE, which has potential to reduce network energy intensity per unit of data traffic,

         Retrofitting and replacement of outdated fixed network infrastructure, such as the replacement of conventional copper-based technology with fiber optic technology, which allows for faster transmission of data over longer distances, requires less maintenance and offers reduction in energy consumption,

         Investments in energy efficient solutions which support free cooling systems, intelligent lighting, optimization of power storage, server virtualization as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The framework of the green bonds is compliant with the Green Bond Principles and is supported by the opinion of Sustainalytics, an international agency providing ESG ratings, claiming that: Framework of Green Bonds of Polsat Plus Group is reliable and consistent with four main components of Green Bond Principles.

 

 



3.   E for Education and our actions for natural environment

3.1.  Key figures 

[Accountancy Act - Key Performance Indicators]

63%

share of RES in the energy mix

of Polsat Plus Group in 2021

216 million tCO2e

estimated avoided greenhouse gas emission achieved by Polsat Plus Group in 2021

3.2.  Strategy 2023+ is based on clean energy

In 2021 Polsat Plus Group published its new Strategy 2023+ and clean energy is one of it’s pillars. Our Group wants to supply cheap and green energy to Poles, the energy that is required for daily functioning and, next to telecommunication and multimedia services, is one of the core services in every household. We will produce clean energy from the sun, wind or biomass, in what we will invest PLN 5 billion over the next 5 years.

The planned amount of power, within this amount, which is expected to be produced from renewable energy sources is 1000 MW, which will ensure production of more than 2 TWh of clean electricity yearly.

We also wish to invest in the future, to build a full value chain for hydrogen economy, which could substantially contribute to reduction of emission of harmful substances (including CO2). While implementing the above assumptions we will also invest PLN 0.8 billion in green assets of PAK PCE power engineering company as well as PLN 0.5 billion in “green” hydrogen over the next 5 years. As a result of the implementation of these initiatives we will reduce CO2 emission by more than 2 million tons per year.

More information on these topics can be found in the Chapter 2 Our strategy in a nutshell (see the dedicated Strategy 2023+ section).

3.3.  We control our influence on natural environment 

We do not forget about the influence we have on the environment. We control our consumption of raw materials and save electrical power. We are effective in managing waste and whenever possible we transfer the generated waste to specialized recycling firms. We also examine the impact that our transmission equipment has on the environment.

 

Figure 9. Important areas of Polsat Plus Group’s influence on natural environment

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Each company in the Group pursues its own environmental challenges. Our  InterPhone Service factory which produces set-top boxes holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certificates in the field of design and production of electronic equipment, as well the PN-N-18001:2004 certificate, issued by BSI (British Standards Institution), which covers design and production of electronic equipment.  

INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

InterPhone Service has an Integrated Environmental Management System. In order to meet current trends and challenges from international standardization organizations, improvement plans are established in the company on an on-going basis. They account for, among others, environmental goas.

 

Environmental Management Programs are developed for individual years, and monitoring of the environmental impact is carried out once a year. The Integrated Management System Policy has been approved in the company. The Policy includes commitments to continuous improvement of the system efficiency. A Representative for the Integrated Management System verifies the up-to-datedness of the Policy at least once a year during the review of the Integrated Management System.

 

Furthermore, all procurement processes account for the postulates of the Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas so as to make sure that such operations are performed in compliance with the legal requirements concerning sourcing of conflict-free minerals. Therefore, the semi-products including tantalum, gold and zinc are acquired only from trusted suppliers who are able to prove the exact origin of minerals.

Polkomtel holds certificates confirming particular care for the high quality of the services offered (ISO 9001:2015) and the company’s ecological responsibility (ISO 14001:2015) in the field of sale of telecommunication products and service, sale of electricity as well as customer service and retention activities. The certificates were issued by DEKRA Certification Sp. z o.o.

Since 2012, essential environmental goals have been in place at Polkomtel. The company’s ecological priorities include the following issues:

         

the products launched to the market meet the requirements of relevant norms and regulations,

         

achievement by the company of at least the legally-required levels of salvaging and recycling of the electrical and electronic equipment as well as batteries and packed products which it introduces to the market,

         

sale of electrical energy produced from renewable sources, natural gas burning or cogeneration in the amounts which at least meet the levels required by the law,

         

rational and thrifty management of electrical power,

         

monitoring and reporting of the consumed raw materials,

         

reduction of negative environmental impact.

Within the framework of the integrated management system for environmental issues, that has been implemented, we have made the commitment to:

         

spread the awareness of ecological issues among our customers and to encourage them to use digital solutions,

         

promote care for natural environment and support ecological attitudes among the employees and encourage them to profess such attitudes,

         

continuously improve our integrated management system for environmental issues,

         

continuously improve the processes and the products, while accounting for the reduction of their adverse influence on natural environment,

         

strengthen positive, pro-ecological efforts as well as take actions to reduce adverse influence on the natural environment.

         

fulfill all the requirements (including legal) concerning environmental aspects.

At Cyfrowy Polsat we regularly monitor our efforts from the point of view of their compliance with laws and regulations governing environmental protection was well as with any other environmental requirements which we may be bound by. If needed we contact the relevant authorities and cooperate with them in the field of monitoring of compliance of our activities with valid laws and regulations.

Netia Group runs its operations in line with the valid law and environmental requirements while regularly monitoring the compliance of its activities with the valid laws and regulations related to conservation of natural environment as well as with any other environmental requirements by which it is bound.

Telewizja Polsat, which is an active member of the Clean Poland Program Association, also engages in education and providing information about environmental issues. The TV station presents information on air quality and condition of natural environment, the reasons and the impact of the on-going civilizational changes, as well as the possible solutions and the successes in the fight for improving air quality.

Supply chain

[GRI 102-9]

Production of equipment, network maintenance, office space maintenance, or broadcasting of TV signal require day-to-day cooperation with hundreds of companies from Poland and abroad. All of Polsat Plus Group’s companies follow the Procurement and Vendor Selection Procedure. Our aim is to make our delivery chain as effective as possible while its uniform and consistent organization should support cost optimization and minimize the adverse impact that we may have on the environment.

 

Figure 10. Supply chain in Polsat Plus Group

3.4.  Alignment with EU Taxonomy

EU Taxonomy (i.e. Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and Council of 18 June 2020) is a classification system which defines a list of sustainable business activities. By virtue of the Regulation, the European Union has also initially defined the technical screening criteria (TSC) for each environmental objective in relevant delegated acts. The intention of the EU Taxonomy is to provide companies, investors and decision-makers with relevant definitions of environmentally-sustainable economic activities. The aim is to help prevent “greenwashing”.

In accordance with the Taxonomy, selected companies, including Polsat Plus Group, should report the key indicators related to activities that achieve two out of the six environmental objectives, as defined by the Taxonomy. The objectives which have been described in detail at the present stage of implementation of the Taxonomy concern climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.

The present report contains the first Taxonomy-related disclosure by Polsat Plus Group. In accordance with the content of the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 in the first year companies are obligated to disclose the share of their revenues, operating and capital expenditures that are associated with operations included in the Taxonomy, without the necessity of verifying the TSC, that is without determining the shares of these three values that are actually associated with sustainable business activities. Therefore, Polsat Plus Group assumes that, following careful analysis of the technical screening criteria concerning the six environmental objectives which will be included in the final text of EU Taxonomy, a substantial, revision, in terms of its scale, of the share of revenues, operating and capital expenditures ultimately eligible for the Taxonomy can be expected.

At the same time, we would like to draw to the fact that Polsat Plus Group’s Strategy 2023+, announced in December 2021, is founded on investing PLN 5.5 billion in the construction of numerous assets for the purpose of generating electricity from low- and zero-emission sources, as well as on developing a full value chain for green hydrogen. As a result, Polsat Plus Group expects to contribute to the reduction of eCO2 by 2 million tons by 2026. In our opinion, this will form a tangible and, substantial contribution to the achievement the climatic objectives set by the European Union.

At present, Polsat Plus Group generates revenue mainly from telecommunication services, sale of advertising and sponsoring and production, distribution and sale of content on retail and wholesale markets. However, the first two types of operations have not been included in the Taxonomy within Anex I and II to the Climate Delegated Act (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139). Therefore, when identifying Taxonomy-eligible areas, Polsat Plus Group did not include these types of operations, tough we are of the opinion that activities related to upgrading telecommunication equipment and reducing its energy-intensity could have substantial positive contribution to climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation by reducing the carbon footprint.

Polsat Plus Group is also actively involved in reducing the carbon footprint, especially by improving the energy mix used for producing electricity which is used by the Group’s companies (the effects of these activities are described in this chapter (see dedicated Carbon footprint of Polsat Plus Group section). Nevertheless, taking into account the current form of the Taxonomy, the Group’s operating expenditures (OPEX)  related to purchasing electricity from low- and zero-emission sources have not been identified as eligible for the Taxonomy-eligible.

Upon analyzing all the types of operations described in the Taxonomy (also using NACE codes), we have determined that revenues, operating and capital expenditures, that are currently included in by the Taxonomy, come from the following types of Polsat Plus Group’s operations:

         

installation, maintenance and repair of renewable energy technologies;

         

infrastructure enabling low-carbon road transport and public transport;

         

transport by motorbikes, passenger cars and light commercial vehicles;

         

data processing, hosting and related activities;

         

programming and broadcasting activities;

         

motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities.

Respective shares were calculated on the basis of the consolidated income statement of Polsat Plus Group for 2021.

Revenue

To calculate the share of revenue associated with Taxonomy-eligible activities, we divided the sum of revenue generated from eligible activities indicated above by total consolidated revenue stated in the consolidated income statement of Polsat Plus Group for the year ended 31 December 2021, in item Revenue.

Table 9. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible revenues

Revenue

2021

Revenue

PLN 12,444 million

Identified revenue from eligible activities

PLN 2,787 million

Share of revenue associated with eligible activities

22%

Share of revenue associated with non-eligible activities

78%

In 2021, Taxonomy-eligible revenues included mainly revenue generated from programming and broadcasting activities, revenue from motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing, revenue from installation, maintenance and repair of renewable energy technologies (especially the photovoltaic panels installed by ESOLEO), as well as revenue from activities associated with data processing in data centers owned by the Group.

Operating expenses

To calculate the share of operating expenses (OPEX) which are Taxonomy-eligible, we divided the sum of operating expenses associated with the eligible activities indicated above by the sum of operating expenses stated in the consolidated income statement of Polsat Plus Group for the year ended 31 December 2021.

 As regards operating expenses, the base was the cost of producing and purchasing content associated with creation of programming and broadcasting, motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing, the purchase cost of photovoltaic installations by ESOLEO for individual and business customers, as well as the selected cost items associated with the maintenance of the fleet of electrical and hydrogen vehicles used for Polsat Plus Group’s own needs.

 

Table 10. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible operating expenses (OPEX)

Operating Expenses (OPEX)

2021

Total operating expenses

PLN 10,306 million

Identified operating expenses associated with the eligible activities

PLN 2,360 million

Share of operating expenses associated with eligible activities

23%

Share of operating expenses associated with non-eligible activities

77%

Capital expenditures

As regards capital expenditures (CAPEX), the base was the amount of expenditures related to the acquisition of property, plant and equipment (note 16 to the consolidated income statement for 2021 – Property, plant and equipment – item “additions”) and expenditures related to the acquisition of intangible assets (note 20 in the consolidated income statement for 2021 – Customer relationships and other intangible assets, item “additions”). CAPEX does not include the increase of the value of fixed assets and expenditures related to the acquisition of intangible assets resulting from the acquisition of subsidiaries.

As regards capital expenditures, the identified expenditures associated with eligible activities include in particular expenditures related to the expansion of assets associated with programming and broadcasting activities, production and distribution of motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing, the purchase cost of the hydrogen car fleet and the cost of preparation for the launch of a hydrogen refueling installation, as well as the cost of construction and upgrade of data center resources owned by Polsat Plus Group companies.

Table 11. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible capital expenditures (CAPEX)

Capital expenditures (CAPEX)

2021

Total capital expenditures

PLN 1,131 million

Identified capital expenditures associated with the eligible activities

PLN 167 million

Share of the capital expenditures associated with eligible activities

15%

Share of the capital expenditures associated with non-eligible activities

85%

3.5.  Our response to TCFD recommendations

In accordance with the TCFD (Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) recommendations, we have made an attempt of determining the climate-related risks which apply to us. Taking into account our business profile and the location of our strategic assets, we have not identified these risks as the key risks which could have substantial sustained adverse impact on our business operations in the short- or mid-term. This does not mean, however, that we underestimate the importance of these risks for our operations in the long run, which is demonstrated by our decision of entering into the Clean Energy production business as indicated in our Strategy 2023+.

Though we have not developed any dedicated climate-related scenarios for Polsat Plus Group, still we are aware of the ESG risks and they are part of our Business Continuity Plan. The plan contains:

         

List of identified threats,

         

Risk Minimization Plan,

         

Worst-case scenario and the assumptions for the Business Continuity Plan.

In addition we are addressing the issue of the biggest threats for the Earth – both within our management team as well as among employees and customers. In our efforts we rely on the know-how available on e.g. the website of the Clean Poland Program Association as well as the information from global reports.

Here is the list of the 10 biggest threats to the Earth as compiled by the Clean Poland Program Association:

1.       Air pollution

2.       Waste

3.       Shortage of energy sources

4.       Leakage/spill of harmful substances

5.       Logging of forests

6.       Destruction of biodiversity

7.       Melting of Antarctic ice cap

8.       Major epidemics

9.       Population bomb

10.   Terrorism

 

Table 12. Potential impact of the 10 biggest threats to Earth on the business activities of Polsat Plus Group

Direct impact on the operations of Polsat Plus Group

        Exhaustion of energy sources

        Global epidemics

        Terrorism

Indirect impact on the operations of Polsat Plus Group

        Air pollution

        Waste

        Deforestation

        Demographic bomb

Minimum impact on the operations of Polsat Plus Group

        Spillages

        Loss of biodiversity

        Melting of the Antarctic

Looking at the above – key physical risks related to our operations concern mainly the issue of information security. Therefore, in 2021 we successfully completed the ISO certification process in this respect (among others, implementation of the ISO 27001 standard, intensive employee trainings).

3.6.  Clean Poland Program Association 

Zygmunt Solorz, the founder and the main shareholder of Polsat Plus Group, presented his vision of making Poland clean and established the Clean Poland Program Association (Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska), which is open to anyone interested. The companies from the Group are the Program’s members.

Mission of the Clean Poland Program Association, with the support of Polsat Plus Group, is initiating changes, educating the society and promoting important topics and actions related to ecology, conservation of natural environment and improvement of quality of living.



Figure 11. Mission of the Clean Poland Program

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As Polsat Plus Group we promote most important topics related to ecology. 

BEST PRACTICE – A NEW CAMPAIGN OF CLEAN POLAND PROGRAM ASSOCIATION

In October 2021 the Clean Poland Program Association initiated a new social campaign in which it shows how simple changes in our daily life may have enormous influence on natural environment. The spots accompanying the campaign were aired TV Polsat channels and shown in the Internet and in social media.

 

Actor Paweł Domagała has become the main character of the new spots of the Clean Poland Program Association. Also other actors, artists and influencers, who are not indifferent to the fate of our planet, appeared in these spots, including Marta Żmuda-Trzebiatowska, Katarzyna Mosek, Jagna Niedzielska, Patryk Cebulski, Krzysztof Wieszczek, Kinga Sawczuk and Dominika Tarczyńska. They have changed their own lives in a way that has actual influence on the natural environment and its conservation.

In addition, a dedicated TV show called “Czysta Polska” (Clean Poland) is produced in cooperation with the Clean Poland Program Association and Interia.pl web portal.

BEST PRACTICE – “CLEAN POLAND” TV SHOW

“Clean Poland” is a TV show that touches upon a wide range of topics related to natural environment conservation. The show is broadcast every Saturday at 4.30 p.m. in Polsat News channel. It is devoted to various topics: from major climate policy-related decisions, through latest news from the world of technology and how these technologies influence the climate, to advice on what we can change in our environment. The show is hosted by Dominika Tarczyńska from the Clean Poland Association Program.

3.7.  Environmental education

Educating the society on the benefits of ecological lifestyle is one of the main assumptions underlying the establishment of the Association. Key Polsat Plus Group companies are involved in communicating and informing about the program.

BEST PRACTICE – EARTH FESTIVAL. STARS FOR CLEAN POLAND

“Earth Festival. Stars for Clean Poland” is a show crowning the two-day festival which took place for the second time in Uniejów.

 

In 2021 the ”Earth Festiwal’s”  theme was #ZaczynamOdSiebie (#StartingFromMyself). The concert, which was televised in Polsat main channel, featured the stars who are very much involved in conservation of natural environment, including Beata Kozidrak and BAJM, Sylwia Grzeszczak, Dawid Kwiatkowski, Roksana Węgiel and Paweł Domagała as well as the following bands: Kwiat Jabłoni, Wilki, Enej, Golden Life, Sound’n’Grace.

Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel, with the support of “Brawo TY!” subscriber magazine of Polsat Plus Group, have been consistently educating their customers on environmental conservation.

BEST PRACTICE – ECOLOGICAL EDUCATION IN ”BRAWO TY!” MAGAZINE

In 2021, we continued tackling the important challenges related to ecological education of our environment. In one of the issues of “Brawo TY!” magazine we addressed the following topics::

        Polsat Plus Group bets on zero-emission cars,

        Go, save the nature!

        Photovoltaics – facts and myths,

        Better energy quality for a better future,

        New investments of ZE PAK power engineering company,

        All shades of Green Interia.

The Magazine is printed on eco paper from the forests which are managed in a sustainable manner and from controlled sources (PEFC™ Certificate Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).

An educational program (a documentary related to nature), called “Zwierzostan” (Well-being of Animals), was created in cooperation with Polsat Box Go and Otwarte Klatki (Open Cages) organization, i.e. the biggest in Poland organization helping farm animals.

BEST PRACTICE – ”ZWIERZOSTAN” SHOW (WELL-BEING OF ANIMALS)

The purpose of the show is to popularize the knowledge about life of animals, the nature of respective species and the impact that industrial animal breeding has on the natural environment. Together with the camera the viewers visit the places in which the farmers show love and care for their animals. The places offering sustainable conditions of living and development of animals. Documentary materials from numerous interventions during which lives of animals were saved are also presented. The new format contains both, touching and tragic elements. It helps viewers understand the influence of consumers’ daily choices on the fate of animals.

Polsat Plus Group publishes one of the most frequently accessed weather forecast services in Polish Internet, i.e. Pogoda.interia.pl, which provides, on a continuous basis, the information about air quality. We also run an ecology portal called Zielona Interia (Green Interia), where our editors discuss the issues related conservation of natural environment in the broad sense of the word, while writing about business and new technologies as well as providing advice on how to live in harmony with nature.

BEST PRACTICE – ECOLOGICAL PODCASTS ON GREEN INTERIA PORTAL

A series of ecological podcasts, entitled ”Przemysław Białkowski podcast” took off in 2021. The podcasts are created as part of  cooperation between Green Interia and Clean Poland Program Association.

 

The series focuses on the topics related to the climate policies in Poland and around the world. It presents the technologies which support ecological solutions, interesting facts from the world of nature as well as advice on how to live in harmony with nature. It is the first in Poland series of interviews held by the host while riding a bicycle.

The subject of ecology is addressed by respective Group companies in their in-house communications, providing inspiration and encouraging their employees to take action. Such topics as conserving water and energy, ecological driving or use of public transportation are addressed on respective Intranet portals. Also posters and stickers which remind of desirable actions are used.

3.8.  Key environmental indicators

Carbon footprint of Polsat Plus Group

Greenhouse Gas Protocol methodology was used to estimate the volume of greenhouse gas emissions by Polsat Plus Group. The limits of the reported emissions cover the dominant unit and all the entities whose operations have the biggest influence on the volume of greenhouse gas emissions as calculated on the basis of their shares in the capital. FY 2017 has been adopted by the organization as the base year.

To calculate the emission from Scope 1 we used dedicated calculation tools supplied by the GHG Protocol. The eCO equivalent was calculated on the basis of GWP (Global Warming Potential Value) values over a 100-year horizon (AR5), as per IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) guidelines.

Greenhouse gas emission generated in Scope 2 was calculated in accordance with the location-based methodology, which is the greenhouse gas emission indicator used in Poland.

The volume of emission in Scope 3 was calculated using the calculation tools supplied by GHG Protocol as well as while either using the emission volume data supplied by the vendors and the parties cooperating with us in the value chain, or based on the data from our in-house registers.

Scope 3 emission was estimated using the following methodologies:

         

Purchased raw materials and services. This category covers the services provided by external partners, including the services involving data transmission over telecommunication infrastructure which are provided by Towerlink. Moreover also the services related to heating of the rented office space have been included.

         

Business trips. Means of transport used, air transport in particular, have been taken into account when calculating the emission generated during business trips. Data regarding the aviation fuel consumed was acquired from internal registers.

         

Employee commuting. The data has been collected based on the in-house registers of Polsat Plus Group which include the information regarding employees’ absence from work, share of the employees working in the office and share of the employees working from home (home-office). Statistical reports  regarding the carbon footprint generated by the selected means of transport and the distances travelled by employees were used when performing the calculations.

 

[GRI 305-1, GRI 305-2, GRI 305-3]

Table 13. Greenhouse gas emission (scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3) generated by Polsat Plus Group

[tCO2e] 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021 

Direct emission (scope 1)

6 229

9 133

8 319

7 649

8 055

Stationary Combustion Sources

344

672

580

761

949

Mobile sources

5 347

7 417

7 061

5 706

5 928

Cooling

538

1 044

677

1 182

1 178

Indirect emission (scope 2)

245 222

271 140

277 920

114 457

69 484

Electrical power

242 169

267 350

273 676

110 156

65 307

Heating

3 054

3 790

4 244

4 300

4 177

Total emission: scope 1 + scope 2

251 451

280 273

286 240

122 106

77 538

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other indirect emission (scope 3)

5 985

5 938

6 153

2 465

42 813

Raw materials and services procured

51

51

51

45

39 612

Business trips

475

428

620

221

464

Employee commuting

5 458

5 459

5 483

2 199

2 738

Total emission: scope 1 + scope 2 + scope 3

257 436

286 211

292 393

124 571

120 352

The observed changes in the overall total emission (scopes 1+2+3) generated by Polsat Plus Group are in particular the outcome of:

         

growth of the scale and scope of operations of Polsat Plus Group, both organic and resulting from acquisitions. What should be mentioned in particular here is the successively increasing capital involvement in Netia S.A. in the years 2017, 2018 as well as in 2021 (generating emission growth in the scopes 1+2+3);

         

successive improvement of energy mix for Polsat Plus Group companies (reduction of emission in scope 2);

         

sale of the controlling stake in Polkomtel Infrastruktura (Towerlink at present) which took place in 2021 (emission moved from scope 2 to scope 3)

         

decrease in the employee commuting level and transition to a hybrid work model as a result of the COVID pandemic (decrease in emissions in range 3).

 

In addition, Polsat Plus Group made calculations regarding the estimated avoided emissions. These avoided emissions were the outcome of use of electrical and hydrogen-powered vehicles as well as use of electrical power generated from renewable energy sources (wind farms, biomass burning1, photovoltaic farms). The calculations also include the influence that the services provided by ESOLEO, involving installation of photovoltaic systems for B2C and B2B segment customers, have on reduction of the CO2 emissions generated by customers.

[GRI 305-1, GRI 305-2, GRI 305-3]

Table 14. Estimated avoided greenhouse emission levels achieved by Polsat Plus Group

[tCO2e] 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021 

Emission reduction

-65

-412

-11 560

-170 605

-216 186

Direct greenhouse gas emission (scope 1)

0

-7

-9

-28

-48

Use of solar energy

 

-7

-9

-19

-22

Use of electric vehicles

 

 

 

-9

-11

Use of hydrogen-powered vehicles

 

 

 

 

-14

Indirect greenhouse gas emission (scope 2)

-65

-405

-11 551

-167 511

-119 588

Use of wind energy

-41

 

 

 

-20 507

Use of energy generated from biomass burning

-24

-405

-11 551

-167 511

-99 082

Other indirect greenhouse gas emission (scope 3)

 

 

 

-3 066

-96 550

Use of solar power - (services at the client’s location)

 

 

 

-3 066

-41 696

Use of energy generated from biomass burning

 

 

 

 

-54 853

1 In accordance with the principles governing the emission trading system, CO2 emissions from biomass burning (firewood and wood waste, biogenic municipal waste and biogas) are not included in the emissions generated from burning of fuel. Such an approach is synonymous with application of a zero emission indicator for biomass. Energy (calorific) values and CO2 emission indicators for 2018 have been used for reporting under the EU Emissions Trading System for 2021

Moreover, we estimated the emission generated by around 6 million of our retail customers who use the products and services which we sell. The calculations were possible thanks to our internal registers of TV audience figures, use of equipment by customers and the number of active customers using the services provided by Polsat Plus Group companies.

[GRI 305-1, GRI 305-2, GRI 305-3]

Table 15. Greenhouse gas emission generated by Polsat Plus Group retail customers

[tCO2e] 

2017 

2018 

2019 

2020 

2021 

Total indirect emission  - downstream

 

 

 

 

 

Use of the products sold to customers

361 832

351 144

323 744

322 873

359 529

Clean energy and energy-savings

In accordance with the recently published Strategy 2023+, the goal of Polsat Plus Group is to rely in 100% on green energy from 2023. The goal can be accomplished thanks to the initiated construction of a number of assets aimed at the production of energy from low- and zero-emission source. This will enable us to reduce the carbon footprint, including CO2 emission, while also blending with the Group’s strategy related to natural environment. It is an effort which is aimed at increasing the satisfaction of our customers, employees and the entire environment. By taking such actions the Group pursues the goals of the Clean Poland Program Association, an organization which was established by Zygmunt Solorz.

DOBRA PRAKTYKA – GRUPA POLSAT PLUS Z ZIELONĄ ENERGIĄ ZE SŁOŃCA

In 2021, Polkomtel, Plus network operator, signed a long-term agreement with ZE PAK Group for the delivery of green energy. The energy is produced by the biggest in Poland, newly constructed solar farm Brudzew with 70 MWp power generation capacity.

Thanks to the concluded agreement Plus customers can use a network powered by green energy from the sun.

By doing so Polsat Plus Group pursues the strategy whose aim is to abandon using energy generated from such sources as coal or crude oil as soon as possible. In addition pursuit of this goal may also lead to growth of satisfaction of the Group’s customers and its employees who will be working for a company which uses electricity generated only from renewable energy sources.

We are aware that the development of state-of-the-art technologies means on one hand a great opportunity for development of social or economic life, but on the other – it is an enormous challenge, with increased demand for energy. This is due to the ever-growing demand for information flow. Our telecommunication infrastructure is constantly being developed to respond to these needs. In order to compensate this unfavorable trend from the energy consumption point of view, we undertake activities related to optimization of energy usage. Therefore, we make all efforts to ensure that our network is rolled-out in the ecological way possible.

BEST PRACTICE – OPTIMIZATION OF ENERGY CONSUMPTIONS BY BASE TRANSCEIVER STATIONS

Optimization of energy consumption by Base Transceiver Stations not only reduces the negative impact on the environment, but also reduces the network maintenance costs.

Initiatives implemented at Polkomtel, aimed at increasing the energy performance of its network include, among others:

        Refarming of 900 MHz band,

        Refarming of 2100 MHz band,

        Replacement of air conditioners unit to AAA+ class equipment,

        Modernization of telecommunication power plants

        Software installation with energy saving feature.

 

We apply latest technological solutions for network upgraded and rollout – high performance rectifiers in our telecommunication power plants, or installation of free-cooling systems in base stations – which not only increase the comfort of network usage by customers, but also reduce power consumption and emission of CO2.

Thanks to a special software with energy saving feature (for 2G and 4G networks) we may flexibly adjust to traffic levels, while switching off an unnecessary capacity and reducing the output power. The test which we conducted together with one of our vendors (Ericsson) on a limited number of sites, equipped with smart meters, enabled us to precisely determine the impact of energy saving feature. According to these estimations, total annual savings of these features exceed 5.5 million kWh, while simultaneously reducing CO2 emission by 4.2 kilotons yearly.

To reduce Netia Group’s impact on natural environment, in 2021 air-conditioning was replaced by the so-called free cooling in all these technical facilities where it was possible.  The company analyzes and makes efforts to improve the energy efficiency of all installations. In some facilities, the company started generating electricity from solar energy by employing photovoltaic panels and solar collectors. Moreover power consumption is also reduced thanks to replacing old power supply and data transmission equipment to new one while exploiting technology upgrades or network optimization. Devices which can be phased out are also identified on an on-going basis.

BEST PRACTICE – NETIA DATA CENTER MIND

Netia Data Center Mind is multifunctional, state-of-the-art facility with over 100 sq. meters of server room space (4 chambers enabling collocation of nearly 520 rack cabinets) and nearly 700 sq. meters of office space which can be arranged to cater to the tenants requirements.

The facility meets class 3 certification requirements, as per EN/PN 50600 standard, and it has been designed with utmost care to assure that it is safe and ecological. Most advanced access control and fire protection systems have been employed, along with numerous energy efficiency-enhancing solutions. The whole complex is powered by 100% green energy.

We also do not disregard any seemingly minor efforts, such as for example leaving computers in stand-by mode – taking into account the size of our organization and the number of people working for us, such efforts translate to actual reduction of the adverse impact on natural environmental. An example of this can be the policy introduced in Cyfrowy Polsat which assumes switching off the light when leaving a room, disconnecting chargers once device charging is completed, rational use of water as well as prudent use of air-conditioning.

[GRI 302-4]

At Polkomtel ecological solutions have also been implemented in the continuously upgraded IT systems. Advanced data storage methods used in Plus server rooms enable significant electricity savings. In addition LED-type lighting has been used for many years in Plus company stores and partner points of sale to illuminate the signage with the company’s logo. Energy-saving bulbs, automatic light switches are also a norm, while recently the low-emission and zero-emission vehicles have been added to the car fleet, including 100 hydrogen cars, whose current use – apart from eliminating exhaust fumes – translates into air purification.

[GRI 302-1]

Table 4. Total consumption of electrical power from own production or purchased, divided into electricity, heat in joules or their multiples

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Electrical energy [MWh]

154 500

11 723

4 560

76 138

246 921

Thermal energy (including steam and consumption of cooling power) [GJ]

10 707

15 173

2 941

19 544

48 365

Natural gas [MWh]

1 882

0

213

617

2 713

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Electrical energy [MWh]

251 851

11 980

4 688

72 097

340 616

Thermal energy (including steam and consumption of cooling power) [GJ]

10 523

13 959

4 017

16 808

45 307

Natural gas [MWh]

784

0

221

403

1 408

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura, whereas Polkomtel Infrastruktura was sold in July 2021, which is reflected in the demonstrated decrease in electricity consumption.

Table 17. Total consumption of energy from own production or purchased, with division in into energy from renewable and non-renewable sources

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Electricity from renewable energy sources [MWh]

109 621

11 723

4 403

29 690

155 437

Electricity from non-renewable energy sources [MWh]

44 879

0

157

46 448

91 483

Total

154 500

11 723

4 560

76 138

246 921

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Electricity from renewable energy sources [MWh]

174 264

11 980

4 350

33

190 627

Electricity from non-renewable energy sources [MWh]

77 587

0

338

72 064

149 989

Total

251 851

11 980

4 688

72 097

340 616

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura, whereas Polkomtel Infrastruktura was sold in July 2021, which is reflected in the demonstrated decrease in electricity consumption.

In 2021 the electricity from renewable energy sources accounted for 63% of total electricity consumed (56% in 2020).

A few years ago, while observing a growing need of mobility between the companies, we decided to launch the service of CAR–SHARING that is sharing of vehicles. At the first stage, we have provided cars to employees for business use only in one office. Later, not only the map of locations has been extended but the service itself has evolved. Today, we also enable leasing of cars outside working hours – for private use, and the offer includes, among others, electric and hydrogen-powered cars.

BEST PRACTICE – HYDROGEN-POWERED CARS IN CAR SHARING SERVICE

Plus Flota has been first company in Europe to extend the scope of its car sharing services to include hydrogen-powered cars.

Toyota Mirai hydrogen vehicles which are available to Polsat Plus Group employees combine innovative technology with stylish looks and dynamic performance. The vehicle is powered by hydrogen thanks to which water vapor is the only by-product of its operation. Moreover, thanks to the applied air purifying system it is not only the emission generated by Toyota Mirai that goes down to zero but the air is also purified when a car is driven, which protects our planet and offers better future.

Plus Flota means more than 1900 managed vehicles in over 50 companies. More than 70 vehicles are available in key Polsat Plus Group companies (Telewizja Polsat, Polkomtel, Cyfrowy Polsat, Netia) in the Car Sharing service. In 2021 14 Toyota Mirai cars were added to the fleet, thus joining the 12 electrical vehicles already available in five Warsaw locations. Low-emission and zero-emission vehicles account for ca. 40% of the vehicles available in the car sharing system. Their introduction contributes to reduction of CO2 emission, which is also supported by advanced analytical tools and telematics which are used to manage our car fleet..

Car fleet management in Polsat Plus Group means not only monitoring and geo-location of vehicles but it also includes effective analysis of fleet-related data, enabling conclusions to be drawn for making management decisions. On a monthly scale, the company realize around 400 private and business car rental operations, translating to around 55 thousand kilometers driven. In 2021 Plus Flota also installed key watchers in further locations thanks to which the contact between a car fleet managing person and a driver has been minimized to the bare minimum

Consumption of raw materials

Wherever possible we modernize our infrastructure. For several years now, we have been consistently implementing a system of electronic circulation of documents and we also encourage our clients to do the same. While caring for natural environment and comfort of our customers, we launched eco-services. Our customers can receive invoices or payment slips in electronic form. In 2021, over 92.3% Polsat Box customers and 97.7% of Polkomtel customers as well as 72% Netia customers were receiving electronic invoices.

[GRI 301-1]

Table 58. Raw materials/materials consumed (copy paper)

 

2021

Polkomtel

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Copy paper (tons)

39.73

31.25

8.00

9.63

88.61

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Copy paper (tons)

18.00

51.30

7.00

6.67

82.97

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

Since 2021 customers of Plus and Polsat Box can sign contracts on tablet while using electronic hand signature at points of sale. As a result, we recorded decrease of consumption of paper in our points of sale by as much as 9 tons (40 tons were consumed in 2021 vs. 49 tons in 2020).

BEST PRACTICE – DIGITAL SIGNATURE ON A TABLE AT POINTS OF SALE

Digital signature means above all fast and convenient customer service as well as time savings. It also offers benefits related to conservation of natural environment – smaller consumption of paper and thus fewer trees logged. It is also a very safe solution as regards circulation of documents and safety of customer’s personal data. In addition, customers have permanent access to documents in electronic format (via e-mail). This a modern, convenient and environment-friendly solution was supplied by Asseco. It is yet another stage of digital transformation of Polsat Plus Group thanks to which customers gain access to state-of-the-art electronic services. The electronic hand signature, implemented in Plus and Polsat Box relies on the SignaturiX solution provided by Asseco, created by Monolit IT and currently developed by Xtension. The signature is linked to Asseco’s trust services which guarantee its security. The tablets necessary to support the signature have been supplied by Samsung, together with KNOX cybersecurity platform solutions on board.

[GRI 301-1]

Table 19. Raw materials/materials consumed (diesel, aviation fuel, gasoline)

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Diesel (cubic meters)

73.93

18.71

326.94

240.00

659.58

Aviation fuel (cubic meters)

0

0

59.96

0

59.96

Gasoline (cubic meters)

299.80

22.07

288.24

541.53

1 151.64

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Diesel (cubic meters)

167.04

20.96

155.20

299.95

643.15

Aviation fuel (cubic meters)

0

0

26,3

0

26.30

Gasoline (cubic meters)

433.15

19.57

215.30

430.99

1 099.01

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura, whereas Polkomtel Infrastruktura was sold in July 2021, which is reflected in the demonstrated decrease in fuel.

We monitor the raw materials and other materials used by our Group. We strive to minimize their volume and mass, which should offer savings and translate to benefits for the natural environment. 

[GRI 306-1]

Table 20. Place of waste water disposal (in cubic meters)

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

To subterranean waters

0

0

0

0

0

To surface waters (lakes, rivers, etc.)

0

0

0

0

0

To municipal companies

12 379

9 175

825

17 592

39 971

Total volume of waste water

12 379

9 175

825

17 592

39 971

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

To subterranean waters

0

0

0

0

0

To surface waters (lakes, rivers, etc.)

0

0

0

0

0

To municipal companies

18 596

8 964

1 006

23 438

52 004

Total volume of waste water

18 596

8 964

1 006

23 438

52 004

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

Waste and recycling

Due to the technology-related nature of our operations, electro-waste is an important area for us. At Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel, that is in the companies which introduce big numbers of STB’s, mobile phones, modems, routers, antennas and other devices to the market every year, we try to make sure that as much of that equipment as possible is recycled.

[GRI 306-2]

Table 21. Total weight of non-hazardous and hazardous waste, depending on the adopted procedure (in tons)

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Recycling

4.9

923.8

31.6

162.7

1 123.0

Salvaging (including recovery of energy))

0

0

0

0

0.0

Other (including plastics, wood, construction waste, pharmaceuticals)

107.1

0

22.2

15.2

144.6

TOTAL

112.0

923.8

53.9

177.9

1 267.6

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Total

Recycling

0

572.4

20.3

95.8

688.5

Salvaging (including recovery of energy))

0

0

0

0

0

Other (including plastics, wood, construction waste, pharmaceuticals)

492.6

0

5.2

19.0

516.8

TOTAL

492.6

572.4

25.5

114.9

1 205.4

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

The decrease of the volume of waste in 2021 at Polkomtel results from the end of civil works at Baletowa office complex.

Polkomtel has for many years been consistently encouraging its customers to adopt a pro-ecological attitude. At the company’s stationary points of sale one can deposit the waste equipment (handsets, accessories, etc.) which will be later on subjected, free-of-charge, to recycling. Our strategic clients are offered assistance in disposing of their electronic equipment – from the process of handing the equipment over to a recycling company to settlement of waste disposal process. In 2021, we supplied nearly 12 tons of waste electronic equipment for recycling.

Polkomtel fulfils its statutory duties in the field of recycling and salvaging of raw materials and carries out the educational campaigns for the public thanks to the cooperation with specialized recycling organizations. In 2021 Polkomtel introduced 533 tons of packaging and other waste related to electrical and electronic equipment to the market, out of which recycling organizations salvaged 97 tons while 59 tons of waste were recycled.

In 2021, Netia supplied over 12.25 tons of waste electronic equipment for recycling.

We try not only to limit the quantity of waste sent to the landfill sites (among others through reduction of the quantity of disposable items at our offices), but also to support the effectiveness of recycling (through education of employees about proper method of waste segregation).

In Cyfrowy Polsat, we have continuous cooperation with companies which collect and recycle all types of waste generated by the company.  In 2021, Cyfrowy Polsat supplied over 923 tons of waste to specialized recycling plants. Electro-waste accounted for over 70% of the supplied waste materials.

BEST PRACTICE – WASTE RECYCLING

Recycling of electro-waste

All electro-waste generated by the staff who repairs customers devices, as well as the company’s equipment intended for liquidation, is handed-over to specialized recycling firms. In 2021, over 654 tons of waste, consisting of electrical and electronic devices, were delivered to specialized recycling plants (352 tons in 2020).

Recycling of documents

The documents intended for recycling are shredded with the use of a heavy-duty shredder. The shredder grinds the material in line with DIN norm (security level III) while the output is successively conveyed as paper waste for recycling..

Recycling of packaging materials

We carefully segregate paper, plastics and Styrofoam. There are five big, clearly marked containers for collecting waste at our company location, and in addition we purchased the equipment which enables flattening of cardboard, which makes its storing more effective and more economic loading. We supplied over 175 tons of cardboard and paper as well as over 51 tons of plastic film for recycling in 2021.

Set-top boxes (STB’s) are used for receiving satellite TV (DTH). Our STB factory − InterPhone Service – is a modern machinery park and professional employees. Location of the factory– in the Special Economic Zone EURO-PARK MIELEC – guarantees that we do not affect precious areas of the nature.

During more than 14 years of operations, over 10 million STBs rolled out of the factory.

         

The latest models, which entered the market in 2021, offer 4K quality, i.e. resolution which is four times higher than Full HD, are: polsat box 4K (with a novel DUO feature which enables switching between satellite TV and cable IPTV, within one and the same TV offer and against one fee for the service package used) as well as polsat box 4k lite (which is ready to operate in all three technologies used by Polsat Box for providing the services: satellite (DTH), cable IPTV and web TV). polsat box 4K lite set-top box is also equipped with the new DUO feature.

         

EVOBOX STREAM model (which enables the use of OTT Television),

         

EVOBOX IP (dedicated to the offer of cable IPTV).

         

EVOBOX HD and EVOBOX LITE (with embedded Wi-Fi modules),

         

EVOBOX PVR (a multi-functional device)

The factory also produces the 300 Home Internet Set supporting LTE Advanced technology while allowing for data transfer rates of even up to 300 Mbps. The product won the Mobility Trends 2018 contest in the ”Mobile Internet Service of 2018” category.

BEST PRACTICE – ECOSET-TOP BOXES

InterPhone Service set-top box factory holds the following certificates: ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 with respect to manufacturing of electronic telecommunication and general use equipment.

We make all efforts to ensure that the equipment manufactured in our factory have as little impact on natural environment as possible. That is why we strive to make sure that all devices we manufacture are packed into ecological packaging, which means that:

        they are produced from recycled materials in 100%,

        maximum use of the surface of the production sheet of material,

        waste reduction at the design stage,

        implementation of the service with a partner who holds a Product Origin Control FSC certificate..

Each set-top-box provided to customers by Polsat Box is also environment-friendly – its specification always complies with valid standards, and power consumption in standby mode does not exceed 1W. We also take care of equipment’s recirculation – the equipment is leased to customers for a definite period and after its return and refurbishment, it is introduced to the market again.

In addition, while bearing in mind organizational efficiency, costs and protection of natural environment, we take care that the trucks and vans which transport the equipment and other materials to the sales network are loaded in an optimum way, which helps reduce the CO2 emission.

In TV Polsat all waste is transferred to specialized companies and recycled outside the company headquarters.

Environmental impact of base transceiver stations

[GRI 413-2]

We listen carefully to the opinions from the public discussion regarding alleged harmful influence of mobile base transceiver stations. Relevant permits, required by Polish law, are secured for each of our base stations before it is put on-air. The permits include the ones related to environmental impact. 

BEST PRACTICE – COOPERATION UNDER SI2PEM PROJECT

Polsat Plus Group was an active participant of the SI2PEM Project (System of Information about Installations Generating Electromagnetic Fields) conducted by Instytut Łączności – Państwowy Instytut Badawczy IŁ-PIB which is aimed at visualizing measurement of the electromagnetic field levels around base transceiver stations, as well as feeding the tool with data about the sources of electromagnetic fields, which allows for simulating the level of electromagnetic field in any place. This information may be rendered available to the society in order to check the levels at the place in which a given person is interested.

 

In 2021, access was provided for users to the information service presenting the results of Electromagnetic Field (EMF) intensity measurements. SI2PEM  system contains 602 thousand records related to base stations of all operators on the whole territory of Poland, including 7 597 base stations operated by Plus.

 

 

C:\Users\asuplewska\AppData\Local\Microsoft Help\Windows\INETCA~1\Content.Outlook\G1LWTO9N\stragia_4 AR-eng.png

4.   S for Strategic thinking of our stakeholders

4.1.  Success thanks to people

[Accounting Act – Key Performance Indicators]

Polsat Plus Group is the leader of the media and telecommunications market. We owe our success not only to state-of-the-art television studios, new IPTV or OTT set-top boxes, transmitters, frequencies or licenses, but most of all to the involvement of our employees. Shaping the culture of cooperation while pursuing common goals is extremely important to us.

We would like our Group to be a good and friendly place of work, therefore we take care to ensure transfer of knowledge and flow of good practices between our companies as well as attractive work conditions and attractive fringe benefits.

Key figures

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2], [Accounting Act – Key Performance Indicators]

7.5 thousand

number of Polsat Plus Group’s employees 1

5 882

number of employees working for the four biggest Polsat Plus Group

companies, out of which2

41.6%

are women

58.4%

are men

61%

have university degrees

2 465

number of employees of Polkomtel

864

number of employees of Cyfrowy Polsat

1 787

number of employees of Netia Capital Group

766

number of employees of TV Polsat

11.1%

staff turnover ratio3

9.4

average number of years worked by our staff in the four biggest companies

70

number of internships and apprenticeships (in the Group’s four biggest companies)

ca. 12.5

average number of training hours in the Group’s four biggest companies

93%

full-time employment rate in the Group’s

four biggest companies

1 Average number of non-production employees of all companies belonging to Polsat Plus Group in 2021, expressed in full-time equivalents, excluding workers who did not perform work in the reporting period due to long-term absences.

2 Status EOP 2021, FTE, active employees, excluding workers who did not perform work in the reporting period due to long-term absences.

3 Blended staff turnover ratio for the four main companies of the Group in 2021.

Our culture of work

We are aware of the value of our employees’ experience. Only highly qualified staff is able to ensure the highest quality of our services. Experts with unique skills work for us, including for instance masters of fine arts in cinematography or organization of advanced television production (at TV Polsat), top IT professionals or experts in broadband electronic communications (Polkomtel) or online video market practitioners, design aces or professional designers (Cyfrowy Polsat) as well as masters of technology (working for Netia), who work to create the best data communication offers for residential and business customers.

Over 61% of our employees have a university degree. Job tenure is the best confirmation of the strong identification with our Group and satisfaction with work. At the end of 2021 the tenure in the Group’s main companies, i.e. Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel, Telewizja Polsat and Netia was 9.4 years on average. In 2021 the staff turnover ratio at the Group level increased, reaching 11.1% (6.6% in 2020). However, increased staff turnover ratio was experienced by the majority of companies on our labor market. Telewizja Polsat can boast of the lowest staff turnover ratio of 3.7% (2020: 4.4%).

[GRI 102-8]

Table 22. Total number of employees, broken down into sex and tenure

 

2021

Polkomtel

Total

Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

TV Polsat

Total

Netia Capital Group

Total

Total GPP

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Employees with fixed-term contracts

5.3%

(57)

4.8%

(66)

123

6.7%

(29)

5.8%

(25)

54

28.5%

(78)

16%

(79)

157

13.5%

(89)

4.3%

(49)

138

472

Employees with contracts for indefinite time

94.7%

(1023)

95.2%

(1319)

2 342

93.3%

(407)

94.2%

(403)

810

71.5%

(196)

84%

(413)

609

86.5%

(570)

95.7%

(1079)

1 649

5 410

Total

1 080

1 385

2 465

436

428

864

274

492

766

659

1 128

1 787

5 882

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Total

Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

TV Polsat

Total

Netia Capital Group

Total

Total GPP

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Employees with fixed-term contracts

4.6%

(51)

3.7%

(64)

115

12.2%

(49)

9.1%

(38)

87

23.2%

(56)

13.6%

(65)

121

10.5%

(83)

5.2%

(63)

146

N/A

Employees with contracts for indefinite time

95.4%

(1063)

96.3%

(1672)

2 735

87.8%

(353)

90.9%

(380)

733

76.8%

(185)

86.4%

(417)

602

89.5%

(710)

94.8%

(1 138)

1 848

N/A

Total

1 114

1 736

2 850

402

418

820

241

482

723

793

1 201

1 994

N/A

1 Data for Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

Table 23. Number of employees broken down into employment type (full-time vs. part-time)

 

2021

Polkomtel

Total

Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

TV Polsat

Total

Netia Capital Group

Total

Total GPP

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Full-time

92.9%

(1003)

93.6%

(129)

2 300

80.0%

(349)

81.5%

(349)

698

97.4%

(267)

98.4%

(484)

751

97.3%

(641)

98.6%

(1 112)

1 753

5 502

Part-time

7.1%

(77)

6.4%

(88)

165

20.0%

(87)

18.5%

(79)

166

2.6%

(7)

1.6%

(8)

15

2.7%

(18)

1.4%

(16)

34

380

Suma

1 080

1 385

2 465

436

428

864

274

492

766

659

1 128

1 787

5 882

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Total

Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

TV Polsat

Total

Netia Capital Group

Total

Total GKCP

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Full-time

92.0%

(1025)

95.1%

(1651)

2 676

83.8%

(337)

84.7%

(354)

691

97.9%

(236)

99.1%

(478)

714

96.1%

(762)

94.7%

(1 137)

1 899

N/A

Part-time

8%

(89)

4.9%

(85)

174

16.2%

(65)

15.3%

(64)

129

2.1%

(5)

0.9%

(4)

9

3.9%

(31)

5.3%

(64)

95

N/A

Suma

1 114

1 736

2 850

402

418

820

241

482

723

793

1 201

1 994

N/A

1 Data for Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

[GRI 401-1]

Table 24. Stuff turnover ratio1

 

2021

Polkomtel

Cyfrowy Polsat

TV Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Women

10.1%

6.8%

4.9%

15%

Men

11.2%

9.6%

3.1%

11%

Total

10.7%

8.1%

3.7%

12%

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

TV Polsat

Netia Capital Group

Women

9.5%

6.7%

4.5%

8.4%

Men

6.5%

6.2%

4.4%

8.7%

Total

7.7%

6.5%

4.4%

8.9%

1 After eliminating migration of employees between Group’s companies.

2 Data for Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura

According to the Human Resources Policy of Polsat Plus Group, we ensure comparable working conditions in each company of the Group. The main goal of the Human Resources Policy is to build an attractive workplace for current and future employees.

We are guided by Polsat Plus Group’s Policy of Diversity and Respect for Human Rights. We believe that diversity is one of the sources of our competitive advantage while confrontation of various views, opinions, styles of work, skills and experiences generates new quality and enables us to improve the performance of our business.

Best practices promoting diversity

        Equal access to job positions, regardless of sex or age.

        Diversified team – in terms of experience, tenure, age or sex.

        Various companies in the Group, numerous in-house experts, sharing of unique knowledge in the course of implementation of in-house projects.

        Competence development, particularly through own experience or involvement in various tasks in cross-departmental projects or in projects whose scope covers key companies in the Group,

        Work-life balance.

Our goal is to ensure a discrimination-free environment with respect to gender, sexual orientation, competence, experience, possible degree of disability, nationality, ethnical or social origin, skin color, language, parental status, religion, belief or lack of beliefs, political views or any other measure of diversity defined by the applicable law. Therefore, we counteract any forms of mobbing or discrimination in the workplace. Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat have an Anti-mobbing Policy in place, which defines the principles of counteracting mobbing. The companies also have an internal Anti-mobbing Committee. In Telewizja Polsat, proceedings pertaining to mobbing have been described in the Anti-mobbing Procedure. We also provide trainings in this respect to employees. Additionally, Netia has relevant anti-mobbing and anti-fraud procedures in place. These regulations are found in two documents: “Mobbing and Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy of Netia Group” and “Fraud Prevention and Whistleblower Protection Policy.”

Polsat Plus Group has implemented a Code of Ethics. This is a set of guidelines regulating issues of fair competition, compliance with the law and ethical standards. The publication is a guide for solving dilemmas of ethical nature which the employees may face in their daily work. An Ethics Board functions in Netia. It is supported by an independent Ethics Officer (ombudsman). Meetings with the Ethics Officer, concerning various aspects of ethical functioning of business, have been held under the name “Etykomat” since 2020.

[GRI 102-16]

BEST PRACTICE – ETYKOMAT (ETHICS-RELAATED PROGRAM)

 

An ethics-related program, called “Etykomat”, has been carried out in Netia since 2020. It was a series of 16 online meetings with the Ethics Officer, Professor Bolesław Rok. The program’s goal was to popularize the principles of ethical conduct and to make people aware of potential irregularities in this area. The program will be continued in 2022.

Each meeting was devoted to a different topic, including:

        Discrimination,

        Fraud,

        Mobbing,

        Harassment,

        Communication of diversity in difficult times,

        Ethical challenges in relations with vendors,

        Ethics in online work.

A total of over 300 Netia employees attended the meetings. Also representatives of Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel had a chance to participate in selected training sessions as an element of cooperation, exchange and sharing of knowledge within the Group.

 

How do we remunerate our employees?

We take care of formal aspects of employment – an employment contract is the basic form of employment in the Group, however depending on the specific nature of operations of individual companies in the Group and/or expectations of our co-workers, we also use other forms of employment.

Remuneration brackets at individual organizational levels are laid down in the Remuneration Regulations. Minimum remuneration offered by the Group is compliant with the Polish law. Salaries grow in line with the growing specialization level and the position in the organizational structure.

In Polsat Plus Group we pay a lot of attention to ensuring that conditions of work at our companies do not discriminate anyone, in particular in terms of remuneration. It is demonstrated by the very high percentage of women on managerial positions and a small, successively decreasing, difference in the level of remuneration offered to women and men holding similar positions, which is illustrated in Table 25.

[GRI 405-2]

Table 25. Remuneration of women in relation to remuneration of men in the same grading (men’s salary equals 100%)1

 

2020

2021

Ratio of  basic salary of women to men

(men’s salary equals 100%)

94.17%

94.21%

Percentage of employees covered by analysis

96.87%

96.36%

1 Data for key companies of Polsat Plus Group. Ratio pertains to specialized positions.

Due to the specific nature of our operations, which are characterized a high percentage of engineering and technical positions occupied mainly by men, in order to give more insight into the issue of differences between remuneration of women and men we have presented salary grading for respective positions. This applies to specialized positions. The ratio of the basic salary of women to that of men consistently remains at a very high level and was equal to 94.2% in 2021. This proves a successful implementation in practice of the principles that guide us: respect for diversity, equal treatment and remuneration solely on the basis of qualifications, competence and experience.

We offer numerous benefits. We want these benefits to not only provide motivation and incentive but also to be the expression of our gratitude for the daily work of our employees. At the same time, some of these benefits support achieving the work-life balance, that is the balance between work (career, ambition) and a private life (health, entertainment, family, spirituality).

Selected benefits available to the employees of Polsat Plus Group

[GRI 401-2]

Healthcare subscriptions

We take care of the health of our employees by providing easy access to medical care. All full-time employees of the Group can enjoy private medical care packages offered on attractive terms.

 Figure 12. Generally available employee benefits offered by Polsat Plus Group

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Sports program

We offer our employees membership in a sports and recreation program, which is provided by our partner and offers access to sports facilities all over Poland. Each employee may purchase a monthly subscription for himself/herself and his/her relatives, and even non-related accompanying persons.

Group insurance scheme

Employees of Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel can join a unique group insurance offer which has been developed by one of the biggest insurers on the Polish market.

Promotions for employees

Every Polsat Plus Group employee can enjoy the employee promotions program, which includes the possibility of buying access to a digital pay TV offer from Polsat Box, provided in three technologies (satellite, IPTV and via Internet access with a set-top box), as well as mobile or fixed-line Internet access, mobile voice services offered by Plus network and a TV offer in 4K standard from Netia’s offer for employees – all with special discounts.

Discount offers

Responding to the expectations of our employees, we also give them access to additional discount offers. Using the intranet portals of Polsat Box, Plus and Netia, as well as via e-mails send to Telewizja Polsat employees, we share information on special offers for summer and winter holidays (including discounts for family stays in Ossa Hotel, or other recreational and hotel locations) and regular special offers for ecological cosmetics with our employees.

Special offers of theater tickets

Our employees have access to a special offer of cultural events. Selected Warsaw theaters have special offers for some of their plays (tickets offered at attractive prices).

Events and contests under the patronage of our business partners

Special events are organized on the company’s premises in cooperation with our business partners (including television broadcasters, manufacturers of electronic equipment). Open Days, which include presentations and demonstrations of state-of-the-art equipment (e.g. smartphones, smartwatches, smart-home devices, audio and video equipment and other gadgets), are very popular. Due to the continuing coronavirus pandemics, in 2021 we organized mainly creative thematic games in our intranets portals.

Participation in events organized by Telewizja Polsat

Our employees have the possibility of participating in recordings of our programs, events and parties organized by Telewizja Polsat, as well as screenings of movies co-produced by the companies from the Group.

COMPANY SOCIAL BENEFITS FUND

The Company Social Benefits Fund is one of the elements of our social policy. The funds from the Company Social Benefits Fund are intended for: i) granting loans for housing purposes; ii) providing material and financial support in the case of unforeseeable events (illness or death, difficult family or financial situation, etc.), iii) co-financing of various forms of holidays, iv) subsidizing sports and recreation activities (sport, tourist, team-building, cultural events etc.).

The following support was provided by Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat to their employees in 2021:

        61 loans for housing purposes were granted in the total amount of PLN 1.4 million,

        Christmas gifts, worth PLN 2.7 million, were prepared for full-time employees,

        financial support in the amount of PLN 1.0 million was granted to the employee sports sections of Polsat Plus Group,

        24 allowances, in the total amount of PLN 300 thousand were granted to cover the costs of medical treatment, care and rehabilitation in connection with serious illnesses of employees or members of their families,

        we co-financed holiday leaves for employees and holiday stays for children of our employees in the total amount of nearly PLN 30 thousand.

 

The following support was provided by Netia to its employees in 2021:

        28 loans for housing purposes were granted in the total amount of PLN 253 thousand,

        45 allowances, in the total amount of PLN 226 thousand granted to cover the costs of medical treatment, care and rehabilitation in connection with serious illnesses of employees or members of their families,

        we co-financed holiday leaves for employees and holiday stays for children of our employees in the amount of nearly PLN 241 thousand,

        Christmas gifts, worth PLN 1.4 million, were prepared for full-time employees and COVID-19-related to allowances, in the total amount of PLN 445 thousand were provided to employees.

 

The following support for employees was provided by Telewizja Polsat to its employees in 2021:

        38 loans for housing purposes were granted in the total amount of almost PLN 374 thousand,

        14 allowances, in the total amount of PLN 54 thousand, were granted to cover the costs of medical treatment, care and rehabilitation in connection with serious illnesses of employees or members of their families,

        Christmas gifts, worth PLN 205 thousand, and Easter gifts, worth PLN 62 thousand, were prepared for full-time employees.

Socializing events and special events are a permanent feature in the calendar of Polsat Plus Group. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, in 2021 we were unable to organize the Family Picnic but as the rate of Covid-19 infections slowed down in 2021, we were able to organize several dozen off-site socializing events for our employees.

Motivation and development of employees

We see potential in each of the several thousand of the Group’s employees. We want to motivate them and invest in their personal development.

Figure 2. Employee development

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We invest in the development of our employees. The development process is based on the 70-20-10 rule.

         

70% – development through experience (tasks, involvement in projects,

         

20% – development through relations with others (knowledge sharing, feedback, coaching, mentoring),

         

10%– development through participation in trainings.

A special scheme called Crowd+ Program operates in Polsat Plus Group. Its fundamental goal is to support the culture of innovation in the organization, acquire and develop valuable business ideas as well as optimize the process of dealing with business challenges in the organization while tapping on the broad experience of the community of participants.

BEST PRACTICE – CROWD+ PROGRAM

Crowd+ Program was launched in 2018. It is based on crowdsourcing, that is the process of sourcing knowledge, information and ideas from a broad group of employees rather than a narrow team of experts.

Crowd+ Program is:

        a joint space for creating new solutions,

        a place to share your ideas and opinions,

        an opportunity for team work,

        a chance to win rewards,

        a possibility to join the TOP12 Innovators group,

        a prospect of participation in the Innovation Academy for the most active and involved users.

 

In the years 2018 – 2021:

        more than 1000 ideas were submitted in total,

        there were over 1200 active users,

        3 editions of the Innovation Academy (an original talent management program).

In Netia there is a program called “Fiber-Optic.” In the course of the program experts from various fields of the company’s operations share their knowledge with employees who wish to either expand or acquire knowledge in a given area. The Fiber-Optic program includes both, specialized training sessions as well as training aimed at developing soft skills.

Training

In Polsat Plus Group the training needs of our employees are based on the nature of their work and potion, the daily challenges they face, the tasks they have to accomplish and the organization’s business needs. Training is conducted by external providers as well as by in-house trainers. Skills can also be enhanced through college studies, foreign language courses as well as via e-learning training sessions. A large part of the training courses carried out in Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat are functional and tool-related courses, which provides an opportunity for developing specialist skills and improving work efficiency. The Academy of Knowledge plays an important role in the process of improving professional qualifications of our employees. A dedicated website, called Edustrefa, has been created for the needs of the Academy. Edustrefa contains proposals of e-learning training sessions, presentations of topics from diverse thematic blocks in a nutshell as well as recordings from webinars conducted by experts in various fields. Edustrefa was launched in Q3 2021 and it forms a comprehensive educational proposal in online format addressed to the employees of Polsat Plus Group.

BEST PRACTICE – ACADEMY OF KNOWLEDGE

 

The Academy of Knowledge is a common digital space where employees of Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel can improve their professional skills. It offers access to 70 topics and training sessions, covering such areas as managerial skills, projects, sessions related to products and tools, interpersonal skills, as well as mandatory training sessions (including work safety, GDPR, business continuity management, prevention of mobbing as well as data communication security).

In 2021:

        New graphical layout, following the rebranding,

        Edustrefa – a new training website.

The Academy of Knowledge also includes a dedicated website dealing with mental resilience.

BEST PRACTICE – HEALTHY YOU AT THE ACADEMY OF KNOWLEDGE

“Healthy YOU” is a dedicated theme zone of the Academy of Knowledge on our Edustrefa website. It includes educational materials, recordings of meetings and presentations, as well as suggestions and inspiration helping people maintain mental health and promoting healthy lifestyle.

Healthy YOU also contains suggestions on where to look for help in crisis situations, including information on the possibility of seeking consultations covered by an additional medical package along with an offer of numerous telephone lines where support is provided free of charge.

 

The pandemic has highlighted the importance of strong and resilient organizational culture. The current situation underscores how important it is to implement responsible rules or best practices in the area of care for mental health in the workplace. The situation that we face globally shows the importance, more than ever before, of an employer’s responsibility and ability to assure stability and peace of mind of the employees in these difficult times.

BEST PRACTICE – WEBINARS CONCERNING MENTAL HEALTH

In the interest of well-being and the best possible functioning of our employees, during 2020 – 2021 we proposed numerous webinars covering the issue of mental health. The webinars discussed matters such as caring for regeneration and personal energy, staying more focused, building internal peace, coping with stress, preventing burnout, or resting effectively. The meetings with experts were enthusiastically received and highly appreciated by users.

The most interesting workshops included meetings with:

        Małgorzata Henke (“Mental strength and resilience” as well a “Being a leader in times of crisis”),

        Magdalena Sękowska (“Stress management, or how not to get fried”),

        Wojciech Herra (“What can business learn from sports?”),

        Miłosz Brzeziński (“How to relax not to get tired?”).

While promoting project-oriented culture, relying on cooperation and sharing of knowledge and experience, we have been consistently developing the space dedicated to Project Managers as well to all the people who are interested in project management. PMO Zone is a source of knowledge about project management in Polsat Plus Group which includes thematic blocks covering traditional and agile methodologies, rules and norms of assuring that projects are managed in a methodical and orderly manner, materials broadening one’s knowledge about selected project-related issues, as well as development materials, including publications and video clips.

BEST PRACTICE – PMO ZONE

 

PMO Zone in 2021:

        Nearly 1900 users,

        Nearly 16 thousand page views.

Top 5 novelties in PMO Zone:

        Project Manager’s Calendar – with interesting industry events,

        Reach out for more)– training sessions and webinars,

        Changes in IT Production Process,

        Post-Implementation Review (PIR),

        Categorization of initiatives in Polsat Plus Group.

In 2021, over 1000 people attended meetings organized and conducted by the PMO. Meetings aimed at developing and improving the processes and methodologies of project management in Polsat Plus Group, as well as training sessions related to project management-supporting IT tools were held in cooperation with the representatives of business, technology (IT), security and financial controlling areas. A total of 48 meetings, involving the PMO and invited guest presenters where held, including 36 hours of instructions covered in 12 thematic modules.

BEST PRACTICE – PREONBOARDING AND ONBOARDING FOR NEW EMPLOYEES

The Onboarding program has been created to facilitate effective and efficient introduction of new employees to the issues and the values of the organization. It includes introductory programs found in the Academy of Knowledge, in the section “Preonboarding – before being hired” and “Onboarding – program for new employees,” as well as the introductory courses which are completed on the first day of work by new employees. In Polsat Plus Group, the introductory training is carried out by the Training Team, the Work Safety Team and the PMO Team. 

 

The purpose of the program is to introduce a new employee to the Group’s organizational culture and the project management culture, as well as information security and fulfillment of obligations related to mandatory training in the field of work safety and personal data protection (GDPR).

 

In 2021, 349 people were covered by the Pre- and Onboarding process.

A proprietary talent management program – Innovation Academy is also in place in Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel. Three editions of the project have been completed to-date. The program was attended by 36 employees of the Group who demonstrated the highest involvement in innovation-supporting activities in their respective companies and were the most active participants of the Crowd+ Program.

BEST PRACTICE – INNOVATION ACADEMY

Innovation Academy:

        a series of interesting workshops (discussions, brain-storming sessions, teamwork),

        lots of inspiring meetings (mainly online),

        good atmosphere and super energy (cooperation, partnership, experience sharing, mutual learning),

        solid dose of knowledge and opportunity to become acquainted with various methodologies which are indispensable when developing innovative projects (e.g. Design Thinking),

        an opportunity for enhancing one’s professional skills.

 

The Innovation Academy ends with a so-called Pitch Day. The teams face a jury which assesses the solutions developed by the program’s participants and selects the winning concepts. The winners are awarded the status of the “Innovation Star” as well as valuable prizes.

 

In 2021:

        3 months of intensive work,

        3 teams, 12 members,

        3 concepts and 3 final products,

        hundreds of cooperating partners who either shared their knowledge and ideas directly, or participated in the research.

Taking into account the development needs of our employees, we also offer our employees a series of events and presentations devoted to broadly-understood innovations, new technologies and activities supporting the implementation of state-of-the-art solutions on the market.

BEST PRACTICE – INNOVATIVE TUESDAYS

Innovative Tuesdays:

        Regular development initiative (generally held once every 2 weeks, except for a short summer break),

        Open access to knowledge (in particular for people interested in improving their professional skills),

        Interesting case studies (online presentations which are an introduction to open discussion on certain topics),

        Numerous speakers (representatives of international corporations, creators of innovative start-ups, motivational speakers, writers, industry experts),

        News from the world of media and telecommunications, IT, state-of-the art technologies and marketing or ecology (e.g. production and distribution of hydrogen, modern UX, digital transformation, RPA, e-SIM), global trends in business management (e.g. business scalability, project management).

 

In 2021:

        18 on-line meetings,

        several dozen presenters (the Group’s employees, as well as experts from Poland and abroad),

        average attendance per meeting exceeded 100 people.

Since May 2021 nearly 80 employees (mainly from the IT area) have been also using PERCIPIO Tech&Dev, the latest release of Skillsoft’s competence development platform.

BEST PRACTICE – IMPLEMENTATION OF PERCIPIO PLATFORM

PERCIPIO means:

        470 channels featuring topics from various areas: IT, Business and Management,

        Over 13,000 e-books for IT professionals,

        Publications from both, vendors (e.g. CISCO, Oracle, IBM) as well as publishers, e.g. McGraw&Hill, Apress, Springer, Manning Publ, IT Governance, ClydeBank Media, John Wiley & Sons and over 250 other, 

        115 labs available on a 24/7 basis, 

        Know-how application in real-world environment, Aspire Journeys – “from a Junior to a Senior” programs

        Sets of training courses and exercises which make up a logical whole and which methodically, step-by-step, enable specialists to move from the elementary to the advanced level.

From May till the end of 2021, 380 training sessions were completed, 830 training materials were accessed and 352 certificates were obtained.

Main benefits for the organization include: the possibility of providing access to the latest training courses and development opportunities for a larger group of people within the same budget, carrying out a conscious development guidance policy which supports the accomplishment of business goals, faster response to the evolving technological stack in the company and in client organizations, preparation of the certification exams. 

The situation created by the pandemic forced organizations to switch from onsite work to online work. As part of this process, since spring 2020 numerous activities have been migrated to the online formula. Support in this area has, among others, been offered by Microsoft Office 365 package tools.

Programs popularizing and enhancing knowledge of these tools were carried out to improve the employees’ digital competence. Series of trainings and workshops, available to all employees, were completed in Polkomtel, under the name Digital in the Cloud, as well as in Netia - Digital Netia in the Cloud. As a result, the awareness of the possibilities of use of cloud-based tools as well as the degree of use of such tools in day-to-day work have increased substantially.

[GRI 404-1]

Table 66. Average number of training hours per employee by gender

 

2021

Polkomtel

and Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

Telewizja Polsat

Total

Netia

Total

Polsat Plus Group

Total

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Total number of training hours by gender

23 275

25 416

48 6912

3 091

2 800

58912

5 554

13 619

19 1732

31 920

41 835

73 7552

Average number of training hours by gender

15.35

14.02

14.63

11.28

5.69

7.69

8.43

12.07

10.73

13.03

12.19

12.54

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

and Cyfrowy Polsat

Total

Telewizja Polsat

Total

Netia

Total

Polsat Plus Group

Total

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Total number of training hours by gender

18 390

23 496

41 8862

2 295

3 064

5 3602

N/A

N/A

N/A

20 685

26 560

47 2462

Average number of training hours by gender

12.12

10.90

11.41

9.52

6.36

7.41

N/A

N/A

N/A

11.77

10.07

10.75

1 Data for Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura

2 Data concerns the total number of hours of traditional, stationary training as well as on-line training (both developed in-house and external).

[GRI 404-1]

Growth of the number of training hours confirms our commitment to flexible adjustment to the current trends in the face of the on-going coronavirus pandemic. In Polsat Plus Group we consistently carry out training, especially in the virtual environment, which enhance our employees’ digital competence.

In 2021, Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel employees completed more than 7.5 thousand hours of training in the e-learning mode, more than 9.8 thousand hours of training provided as part of Digital in the Cloud series as well as nearly 12 thousand training hours while attending various seminars.

Netia provided 3.6 thousand hours of training in the form of e-learning. Netia’s employees mainly attended live training sessions which were conducted by their own trainers or by trainers from external training firms. Functional courses prevailed, with topics related to the scopes of duties and tasks performed by respective employees. Due to the pandemic, a majority of the training sessions were held on-line.

Telewizja Polsat systematically develops its training policy. We focus on specialist training, related to TV technologies, and on foreign language courses. Due to the pandemic, in 2021 a majority of the training sessions were held on-line.

Studies

Employees who have worked for us for at least one year may apply for subsidies/grants for their studies – both on Polish as well as foreign universities. There is one condition, however: the field of study must be related to the work performed for the Group. In 2021, 44 employees of the Group took advantage of this opportunity.

Learning English

If a given position requires knowledge of English, employees are invited to participate in one-to-one or group English classes. In 2021, 258 people from Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel, as well as 60 people from Telewizja Polsat, attended English courses. The classes were mostly conducted online.

Assessment of managers

The work of managers in Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel is based on the Feedback 360® culture. Using the Online Feedback Forum, assessment is performed by the assessed individuals’ subordinates, their superiors and co-workers. The goal of the evaluation is to strengthen best practices through positive feedback, identify potential areas for change, including by examining the development needs and offering support in diagnosis of the situation and in making decisions concerning challenges for managers. Since 2021 the assessment has been extended to include Netia managers.

[GRI 404-3]

Table 27. Percentage of employees receiving regular assessments, performance and career development reviews, by gender and employee category

2021

2020

Cyfrowy Polsat

Polkomtel

Cyfrowy Polsat

Polkomtel1

Women

Men

Women

Men

Women

Men

Women

Men

7%

10%

53%

55%

19%

8%

55%

30%

1 Data for Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

No comprehensive, systemic solution of assessment of employees exists in Telewizja Polsat. The employees’  performance is subject to ongoing assessment by their superiors.

In Netia, most of the employees are covered by the MBO (Management by Objectives) program. Goals are set for employees for a whole year and the accomplishment of these goals is assessed at the beginning of the following year. 

[GRI 404-2]

We have prepared a unique offer - the Manager Academy - for people employed on managerial positions as well as for project managers. Since the launch of the Manager Academy, 401 managers have participated in the program. Its goal is to promote the standards of a manager’s work and provide support in dealing with professional challenges, through a series of e-learning trainings and direct meetings with experienced business trainers. By participating in the program managers learn the best practices of managerial work and gain the knowledge necessary for efficient performance of their tasks. In 2021, the most popular topics of these trainings included: How to share knowledge in an effective and efficient manner, Feedback in a manager’s work, Project management, Building trust and involvement, Being a leader.

We are open to young people

For years, we have been inviting young people to participate in internships and apprenticeships organized by Polsat Plus Group companies. This is the best way of getting a job in one of our companies later. The Internship Program is an offer for both, students and young graduates. Apprenticeship programs are organized in Cyfrowy Polsat, Netia, Polkomtel and Telewizja Polsat.

Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat have a long tradition in this area. The first Apprenticeship Program was organized in 1997 at Polkomtel and in 2010 in Cyfrowy Polsat.

We also have a Summer Apprenticeship Program for the students who take their first steps on the labor market. Due to the pandemic and much greater flexibility of students (remote learning), we offer apprenticeships not only during the summer holidays but also during the academic year. Students have an opportunity of working with the best professionals in the technology sector. Apprenticeship is paid and takes place during at least two months. Each apprentice cooperates with a team within one business area. A host is assigned to apprentices during the entire period of apprenticeship, providing help and professional support. Following the completion of the program, apprentices receive a certificate of completion of the apprenticeship and a small gift. The best apprentices receive a proposal of work for Polsat Plus Group. In 2021, 30 apprentices worked for us, the best ones received job proposals.

We offer extension of the apprenticeship to the best apprentices, leading to a six-month, paid apprenticeship. It is an ideal way to gain practical knowledge and skills. Each apprentice is given a project or specific technical tasks to perform for the execution of which he/she is fully responsible. A host is assigned to each apprentice. The host monitors the progress of the apprentice’s work and supports him/her in the execution of individual tasks. In 2021, we offered internships in such areas as IT, Marketing, Sales and Customer Base Management, End-User Equipment, Finance, Audit, ICT Security and Fraud Detection, as well as in the Marketing Communication Department.

To encourage young people to join Netia, the company developed an internship program called Discover Your Career. It enables people with limited experience to develop under the eye of experienced specialists. Upon completion of the program some of the participants get jobs in Netia. In 2021, 6 people participated in the program.

Telewizja Polsat also offers a possibility of unpaid apprenticeship for graduates under the care of experienced employees (journalists, camera operators or people handling promotion of TV channels). Apprenticeship gives a possibility of acquainting oneself with the specific nature and organization of work in a television station on various positions. Apprentices may gain knowledge and skills as well as perform journalistic and TV production tasks assigned to them. After completion of the program, apprentices receive certificates confirming their participation in the apprenticeship program. The certificates specify the scope of the apprenticeship, the skills acquired and an opinion about their performance. Apprentices with highest scores may apply for work in Telewizja Polsat. In 2020, the apprenticeship program was organized mainly in the TV Production Division and the News and Journalism Division, as well as in the Sport Programs, Technology and Thematic Channels Divisions. 62 people participated in this program, out of which 34 people entered into cooperation with the company following the completion of their apprenticeship.

We constantly improve occupational health and safety standards

Assurance of occupational health and safety has the highest priority for us. Related activities are pursued with utmost care by Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel and Netia.

Occupational health and safety units operate in each of the companies. Their goal is to identify and evaluate the threats affecting work safety, cooperate with the employer in the field of assuring relevant safety standards for employees as well as to verify observance of work safety regulations in each of the companies. Work Safety units carry out their controlling and inspection activities according to a predefined plan of reviewing specific locations in each of the companies.

Moreover, dedicated Work Safety Committees have been appointed in each of the companies covered by the present report. The committees include, in equal numbers, representatives of the employer and of the employees. The Work Safety Committee meetings are held at least once a quarter. Work Safety Committees carry out regular assessment of observance of safety and health standards in the workplace, review the safeguards implemented by the employer to prevent accidents at work and occupational diseases, formulate conclusions on how to improve working conditions, and cooperate with the employer in the scope related to fulfilment of the employer’s obligations in the area of safety and health in the workplace.

[GRI 403-3]

All employees undergo work safety training in line with the valid regulations and in accordance with the developed training programs. Job positions which require additional skills are analyzed in detail from the point of view of providing relevant trainings and certificates. Employees are sent to specialized training courses covering safe work at height, safe work in electromagnetic fields, safe work on railway tracks as well as safe operation of motor-powered forklifts. They also acquire qualifications to work with high voltage systems (up to 1 kV). To work at respective positions, the employees must hold valid medical certificates confirming the lack of contraindications for performing specific tasks. Employees get work clothing and individual safety equipment specified in respective standards. When necessary, we provide safety harnesses and other fall arrest equipment. Employees exposed to electromagnetic fields may only stay within the intermediate and hazard zones only. Regular daily work within the danger zone is prohibited for such employees. The permitted working conditions guarantee that the daily, temporary exposure indicator is not higher than one (W<1).

We pay particular attention to the observance of all legal requirements and we continuously adjust our work safety procedures and instructions to the changing regulations, conditions and factors influencing the work environment in respective companies. The developed documentation forms an integral part of the process of work safety management and at the same time assures the effectiveness of this process. Procedures are supplemented by numerous detailed instructions and work safety manuals covering individual processes as well as machines and devices used by employees.   

In connection with the epidemic, instructions have been developed and introduced in each of the Group’s companies specifying the rules of safe and hygienic organization of work so as to prevent and combat COVID-19 infections. Work safety and hygiene are top priorities for us. We pay particular attention to the observance of all legal requirements and we constantly adjust our work safety procedures and instructions to the evolving conditions and factors.

In Telewizja Polsat, selected people undergo specialist trainings. All employees whose work involves operating live electrical equipment have certificates issued by the Association of Polish Electricians for operation of devices with voltages of up to 1kV. People working at height undergo special training before doing any work, and also have the necessary fall arrest equipment such as harnesses, helmets, gloves, safe, certified ladders. Measurements of work conditions are performed regularly for all the positions where exposure to electromagnetic fields exists during work. Measurements of electromagnetic fields identify the safe and the intermediate hazard zones that are then marked according to the applicable law. Results of the measurements are available at workstations. Employees have been trained with respect to safe operation of devices generating electromagnetic fields. Mandatory documentation and registers are maintained on a regular basis. All employees have valid medical examination certificates which permit them to perform work at specific job positions. Measurements of lighting levels in the work environment are also being performed.

Before starting work, each employee undergoes an introductory training (general and position-specific training) in occupational health and safety, as well as fire safety training. We also ensure first-aid training. If necessary, employees have access to first aid kits. Furthermore, there are two defibrillators on the premises. In connection with the SARS-CoV-2 threat, we have introduced measures to protect employees against contact with the virus at work stations. Relevant procedures have been developed and implemented.

[GRI 403-2]

Table 78. Injury, occupational disease, days lot and absence for work ratios as well as the number of fatal accidents

 

2021

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Group

GPP

Total

W

M

W

M

W

M

W

M

Total number of accidents at work

0

4

0

1

0

0

1

4

10

Number of fatal accidents

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Number of serious accidents

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Number of light accidents

0

4

0

1

0

0

1

4

10

Total number of persons injured in accidents

4

1

0

5

10

Incidence rate (IR)2

0

1.43

0

1.98

0

0

1.4

3.86

-

Total number of days of inability to work due to accidents at work3

0

289

0

7

0

0

96

234

626

Accident Severity Rate3

0

71.25

0

7

0

0

96

58.5

-

Occupational Disease Rate (ODR)4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-

Absentee Rate (AR)5

5.76%

3.7%

2.61%

2.88%

-

 

 

2020

Polkomtel1

Cyfrowy Polsat

Telewizja Polsat

Netia Group

GPP

Total

K

M

K

M

K

M

K

M

Total number of accidents at work

4

1

0

0

0

2

0

2

N/A

Number of fatal accidents

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

N/A

Number of serious accidents

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

N/A

Number of light accidents

4

1

0

0

0

2

0

2

N/A

Total number of persons injured in accidents

5

0

2

2

N/A

Incidence rate (IR)2

1.46

0.36

0

0

1

3.9

0

1.98

-

Total number of days of inability to work due to accidents at work3

1

14

0

0

0

15

0

56

N/A

Accident Severity Rate3

0.25

14

0

0

0

7.5

0

28

-

Occupational Disease Rate (ODR)4

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

-

Absentee Rate (AR)5

5.3%

4.3%

2.58%

2.68%

-

1 Data refer to Polkomtel and Polkomtel Infrastruktura.

2 Incidence Rate (IR), calculated as the total number of injured people in accidents / headcount x 1000.

3  Accident Severity Rate, calculated as the number of lost days due to the accident / number of accidents.

4 Occupational Disease Rate (ODR), calculated as <number of cases of occupational disease / total number of hours worked by all employees in a given period >* 200.000.

5 Absentee Rate (AR), calculated as <the total number of days absent at work / number of days worked during a year> *200000.

[GRI 102-41], [GRI 403-1, GRI 403-4]

Two trade unions operate at Polkomtel: Independent and Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity” and All-Poland Alliance of Trade Unions. Trade unions also operate in Netia Group. As of 31 December 2021, 6% of the total number Polsat Plus Group employees were members of trade unions.

Each company covered by this report has a separate Occupational Health and Safety Committee. There is an equal number of members representing the employer and the employees in each committee. In Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel, Netia and TK Telekom (Netia subsidiary) the committees have six members each, whereas in Telewizja Polsat the committee has three members.

In Polsat Plus Group we also have the Civil Defense Formation (FOC). Its existence has largely contributed to minimizing the risk of safety and health hazards for the employees in the Group. In daily work, this means at least several rescue interventions per month, related to various events, mostly ill disposition, which often requires calling an ambulance. Thanks to the existence of the Civil Defense Formation, necessary first aid may be provided to the affected employees until the time a specialized vehicle of the emergency response team arrives. Furthermore, the Civil Defense Formation in the Group is an important factor supporting the process of planned and organized fire drills in our locations, which take place in close cooperation with the State Fire Brigade and the Police. At the same time, the existence of the Civil Defense Formation optimally supplements the crisis management system of the Group and is a part of its consistent policy aimed at the fulfilment of statutory obligations of the employer to effectively ensure protection of employees’ health and life. The Civil Defense Formation is a innovative and effective organizational solution enhancing the level of safety at Polsat Plus Group.

It should be noted that the existence of the Civil Defense Formation in the Group’s key locations during the on-going pandemic has been a factor which substantially helped popularize proper preventive behavior among the Group’s employees, including by popularizing the Distance-Disinfection-Mask rule. To increase knowledge regarding prevention of epidemic threats, the Formation’s rescuers underwent additional on-line training organized by specialized entities, which operate on the rescue services market in Poland. During the pandemic, the educational activities of the Civil Defense Formation met with interest among the Group’s employees, and as a result in 2022 there are plans to establish one more Civil Defense Formation team.

BEST PRACTICE – CIVIL DEFENSE FORMATION

 

Civil Defense Formation:

        nearly 130 trained first-aid responders,

        30 rescuers have rescue certificates of the Qualified First Aid,

        11 Civil Defense Formation teams established in major facilities across Poland,

        Voluntary – all rescuers perform their rescue functions as volunteers, in parallel to performing their business duties,

        Involvement at various levels of organization– ordinary employees as well as directors are members of the Civil Defense Formation.

Each rescuer has individual equipment in the form of an “R0 first aid kit,” and each team also has team equipment at their disposal in each location, in the form of the basic WOPR kit, WOPR R1 kit, long spine board, oxygen bottle and defibrillator (which are properly marked and stored).

The rescuers regularly participate in refresher trainings organized by specialist external entities and they are subject to self-learning process – both theoretical (using a dedicated website) and practical (possible thanks to the training equipment purchased for this purpose).

We are aware that in order to ensure an efficiently functioning first aid system, it is not enough to organize rescue teams and place first aid kits on the walls. It is equally important to offer education in dealing with threat/hazard situations and providing first aid. The on-going coronavirus pandemic has prevented us from relaunching the Rescue Team which met with high interest among our employees who were willing to undergo specialized first aid training.

4.2.  Exceptional customers

Key figures

[GRI 203-1, GRI 203-2], [Accounting Act – Key Performance Indicators]

> 20 million

provided services (RGUs)

6 million

B2C contract customers

 

2.4 million

multiplay

customers

> 19 million

Poles within the 5G footprint

24%

audience share of TV Polsat channels in the commercial group of viewers

28.6%

share held by TV Polsat channels

in the TV advertising market

 

20.2 million

average monthly number

of real users of Polsat-Interia portals

20 000 km

of state-of-the-art fiber-optic backbone network

69 thousand

B2B customers

 

> 1 200

business customers using Netia’s ICT services

 

Caring for the needs of our customers

Rebranding of Polsat Plus Group. “You rule. Choose your everywthing.”

2021 was a year of strategic harmonization of the key brands of Polsat Plus Group. The project of rebranding the Group’s key brands was very complex from the marketing point of view. It was implemented by the Group’s employees with the support of leading global strategic consultancy firms.

The work ended with the development of a new strategic direction for the Group and for its leading brands – Polsat, Plus and Polsat Box.

Our goal and ambition is to lead Polsat Plus Group and its customers into the future using the new branding strategy and building on the heritage and the strength of our brands. A future which already weaves together the worlds of technology and content with increasing frequency and intensity. The strategic direction itself has been determined by observing the customers who expect that a brand will respond to their individual needs. Customers want to have the say – they want to have extensive possibilities of choice, aligned with their expectations and needs. We, as a Group, respond to this by saying: “In Plus, Polsat and Polsat Box you can choose anything you want. You can rule over the Internet, the 5G technology, the entertainment, the emotions, the soap operas or the sports.

The assumptions of our strategy have been translated into the new visual language of our brands.

The new logos of our strategic and key brands, i.e. Plus (responsible for connectivity) and Polsat (responsible for content), create consistent identification with the Group. They have been designed with the future and transparency in mind and they use unique typography, the characteristic graphical element (the skin) and consistent color scheme. Green is the color of Plus. It is the color of innovation and development as well as care for the natural environment and better life. Yellow is the color of Polsat. It signifies energy, joy and optimism that come from the sun – the symbol that has been inseparably associated with Polsat. Thanks to this, the brands are easily and clearly associated with the Group and at the same time they retain their individual nature and message.

The changes also included the creation of the new Polsat Box brand. It replaced the existing Cyfrowy Polsat brand. At the same time the Polsat Box Go service and application replaced Ipla and Cyfrowy Polsat Go, and a totally new Polsat Go service and application have been created. Polsat Go offers access to TV Polsat content for free and it operates in the ad-based revenue model.

A new name and logo have also been created for our Group which is now called Polsat Plus Group.

Each brand in Polsat Plus Group has its own identity, method of communication and visual design

        Plus – connects people thanks to the latest communication technologies and the best 5G Internet service in Poland.

        Polsat – the best thrills, content and productions – entertainment, sports, movies, TV series, shows.

        Polsat Box – means choice of content and of the ways of accessing the content – everyone can choose their favorite content while deciding when and where to watch it as well as with whom and in what way to enjoy it.

        Polsat Box Go – means access to content over the Internet – it features over 100 TV channels, live sports, thousands of hours of movies, TV series, news programs, cartoons and superior entertainment offered in a subscription model, without any commercials.

        Polsat Go – is a service offering online access to the best content from TV Polsat free of charge.

The Group focuses on customer relations, which it underscored in the rebranding campaign. During the campaign’s main release the viewers learned the answer to the question which appeared in teasers: “Who rules the world of…. Internet, 5G, entertainment, emotions, TV series, sports?” The answer is: everyone – every inhabitant of Poland, every Internet user, everyone who watches the shows, the movies or the TV series. They rule because they can choose whatever they like most and what they think is best. It is the customer who rules by configuring, selecting, bundling, activating, setting and deciding. The customers chooses his or her everything.

The commercial sport illustrating the transformation of Polsat Plus Group can be viewed HERE.

Figure 14. New logos of the key Polsat Plus Group brands

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Exceptional customers

Residential customers

For Polsat Plus Group every customer is unique and we work hard every day to prove this. We can boast of providing services for nearly all the strata of Polish society.

Each brand in Polsat Plus Group has its own identity, method of communication and visual design

        Cyfrowy Polsat is a strong brand, which has always been associated with an image based on features such as: family, warm, friendly, experienced, offering top-quality entertainment and new technologies at affordable prices. In 2021, a new brand – Polsat Box – was created and it replaced the Cyfrowy Polsat brand. It’s image is supported by an ambassador - Jacek Braciak. The claim of the brand is “Choose your everything.”

        Plus is a brand for the entire family – it is like a good friend or neighbor, who will always lend helping hand, is likeable but not a diva. Who is handy with technical issues and gladly gives advice but doesn’t force unnecessary things on you. In 2021, the brand underwent a rebranding process. It’s new image is supported by Wojciech Mecwaldowski (contract offers) and Tomasz Karolak (prepaid offers). The claim of the brand is “Choose your everything.”

        Polsat Box Go is communicated as an online entertainment service, where you have access to the latest movies, series, live sports, entertainment and TV channels wherever you are, whenever you want and on whatever device you want.

        Plush is a brand targeted to people young at heart. The unique, special and one of a kind protagonist on the advertising market lives according to the promise of brand – WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES. The brand guarantees a very attractive price and an unlimited data pack for use in social media. 

        Polsat has always been close to people, it accompanies them in good and bad times, and changes along with them. It is television for the whole family. It provides excellent entertainment and engaging movies and TV series.

        Polsat Go is the youngest brand in the family. It is an online service and an application which offers the best content of TV Polsat free of charge in the advertising model.

        Netia is a provider of home entertainment – over 200 TV channels, ultrafast fiber-optic access with speed up to 1 Gbps and mobile services. It uses fluffy “fiber-optic termites” as brand heroes in its communication.

        Interia.pl Group is close to everything that you think is important. It describes a reality full of nuance, differences and opposing points of view. In accordance with its claim “Your everything,” it creates information on various topics, entertaining content and multimedia for its users.

Our services are available nationwide – statistically every Polish citizen has either a TV service from Polsat Box or Netia, or a phone or Internet access service from Plus or Netia, or knows someone who uses our services.

Who are Polsat Plus Group customers?

The 6 million of our contract customers include representatives of every social group, most probably of every profession and of a vast majority of cities, towns and villages in Poland. TV Polsat, Polsat Box and Plus network have become a permanent feature in the life of nearly half of Polish households. We treat the trust they have demonstrated as a commitment to provide the highest quality of services

 

Figure 15. Who are Polsat Plus Group customers?

* people using at least one service from Polsat Box, Polkomtel or Netia (individual customers market).

Source: Market situation survey 2018 (residential market), performed by IQS Sp. z .o.o. Sample size 12 763 - a representative sample for citizens of Poland aged 6+.

In accordance with our vision and strategy, we wish to develop and deliver top quality basic services for day-to-day use: reliable and fast connectivity, the most attractive and unique content and entertainment, cheap and clean energy and also other services and products for households as well as for individual and business customers using the best and the latest technologies which respond to the dynamically evolving needs and expectations of our customers in order to keep them highly satisfied.

Figure 16. Customer experience offered by selected Polsat Plus Group brands

 

With business customers in mind

Polsat Plus Group  delivers comprehensive communication and online multimedia services to 69 thousand business clients – medium and large enterprises and institutions – based on state-of-the-art, efficient infrastructure and highly-skilled staff.

The services are provided using one of the most extensive backbone networks in Poland (20 thousand kilometers) as well as the access network that reaches more than 3 million homes (including 2 million fiber-optic connections) and around 70% of class A and class B office buildings and shopping centers all across Poland. Services are also available over state-of-the-art 5G network operated by Plus.

Polsat Plus Group is the provider of cloud solutions and operates two data centers. We provide a full array of cybersecurity solutions, including services provided by the Security Operations Center (SOC).

Business customers will find top quality services in the offers of Plus and Netia Group, including Internet access services, data transmission, voice communication, Unified Communication services as well as numerous advanced ICT solutions which have been developed to help streamline processes and improve efficiency. Currently, the B2B solutions line includes several dozen diverse services – from general-purpose solutions for every organization to services dedicated to specific industries (e.g. hotel TV).

The rich offer of cybersecurity solutions is the Group’s strength. It includes a total of several dozen solutions whose functionality covers the full spectrum of potential cybersecurity threats that companies and institutions have to face.

The Group is also expanding its offer in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT), e.g. by offering the Netia Smart Building solution. It is a comprehensive solution for flexible management of resources in offices and buildings. It enables efficient management of workstations (reservation of desks, parking places, conference rooms), which is essential especially in times of popular hybrid work arrangements. Thanks to a mobile application, users gain access to features such as employee status (presence in the office, remote work), as well as to numerous aggregated information items regarding the degree of utilization of office and parking space. The solution facilitates organization of work, communication and cooperation within a team.

A family of digital workplace solutions – the Netia Digital Workplace – has also been developed as an element of the offer of advanced ICT solutions in the NetiaNext line. It is a set of tools which facilitate and speed up processing documents – from the document editing phase to the e-signature phase, while also streamlining communication and access to knowledge in an organization.

The Group also provides outsourcing of information line/call center services for numerous companies and institutions, helping them in such areas as contacts with customers or staff recruitment.

Availability – for everyone. Everywhere

Polsat Plus Group is the biggest provider of multiplay media and telecommunication services in Poland.

We are:

         

the leader on the pay TV market,

         

one of the leading telecommunication operators in Poland,

         

one of the leading private TV broadcasters in terms of audience share and advertising market share.

Since the beginning our mission was to assure universal and easy access to content, TV services as well as telecommunication services in all available technologies, as well as to work to prevent digital exclusion.

We provide a total of over 20 million TV, Internet access and voice services (RGUs) in various technologies: satellite (DTH), cable IPTV, terrestrial TV and online TV, mobile and fixed-line telephony services, data transmission and broadband access to the Internet using 5G, LTE and LTE Advanced technologies as well as Internet access over fixed-line networks, including fiber-optic connections. We are the owner of the Polish online entertainment service Polsat Box Go, which offers access to live TV as well a rich base of on-demand content on various mobile and home devices. We also own the Polsat Go service which offers access to TV Polsat content. We are the publisher of many popular web portals, including Interia.pl, Polsatnews.pl or Polsatsport.pl.

By providing TV services we exploit the possibilities offered by the Internet, thanks to which our programming content is available to customers in many ways. Users of IPTV, OTT and DTH TV set-top boxes (upon connecting their devices to the Internet) can enjoy some innovative features, such as TimeShift, restart and CatchUP, which enable them to watch their favorite shows with a time shift. These features offer flexibility and freedom when watching TV and they offer the possibility of being independent of the regular TV scheduling. As regards the latest set-top boxes – Polsat Box 4K and Polsat Box 4K Lite – we have introduced the DUO feature which enables reception of TV channels either using the satellite (DTH) technology or the cable IPTV, along with free switching between the two technologies as often as we wish to within one and the same programming package. The set-top boxes also support the 4K standard.

Figure 17. Polsat Box 4K set-top box

Figure 18. PolsatBbox 4K Lite set-top box

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Just as TV Polsat content and Polsat Box and Netia TV packages reach millions of households in Poland, the Internet access service offered by our Group has become “a window to the world” for many Polish families. Not only in big cities, where 5G network and offers of fiber-optic lines are available from Netia and Plus, but above all in the small towns and villages whose inhabitants can enjoy fast 5G, LTE and LTE Advanced Internet access from Plus as well as access via LTE Home Internet sets.

Figure 19. Over 19 million of Poland’s inhabitants live within the coverage of Plus 5G network - map

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Guided by the needs of our customers and while understanding the importance of the services which rely on top quality technological solutions, we continue the dynamic roll out of the 5G network. Thanks to intensive work on the development of the 5G technology, already more than 19 million people - more than half of the country’s population - live within the coverage area of Plus 5G network. At present this is one of our priorities. The once LTE technology leader and the present 5G technology leader, we feel responsible for the digital development of our country, the quality of education, the possibility of remote work, or the operations of companies in the Internet.

We pursue these efforts with equal access to our services for all Poles in mind. We want our extensive portfolio of services to be available to all the inhabitants of Poland and to all families. That is why we consistently develop our offers and we enter new markets.

BEST PRACTICE – PLUS 5G NETWORK ROLL OUT

For years, Plus network has been the leader in the field of the latest Internet access technologies. At present, more than 19 million people - more than a half of the country’s population - live within the coverage of the best and the fastest 5G network operated by Plus. New base stations are put on air not only in bigger towns but also in small locations. Today, we are present in 800 cities, towns and places in all 16 provinces of Poland. The first 5G network in Poland, launched in May 2020, operates in the 2600 MHz TDD frequency band and is being developed using state-of-the-art infrastructure supplied by Nokia and Ericsson. Thanks to the dynamic roll-out, it is currently the biggest 5G network in Poland in terms of geographical coverage. It offers maximum data transfer speeds of up to 600 Mbps.

 

BEST PRACTICE – LTE TECHNOLOGY

LTE Mobile Internet access is universally available in our country. At present nearly 100% of Poland’s inhabitants live within the coverage of LTE Plus network, and 93% living in the areas covered by a network offering even higher transmission parameters - the LTE Advanced network. Connection speed and stability depend to a great degree on the frequency band used for LTE transmission. Plus continues the development of LTE technology on a regular basis so that as many people in Poland as possible can enjoy high speed Internet access.

We use the following frequency bands:

        2600 MHz TDD, which forms the basis for the 5G network that we are currently rolling out;

        2600 MHz FDD and 2100 MHz which are used for enhancing the capacity of the LTE network;

        1800 MHz which is the key LTE frequency band assuring both, high capacity and extensive coverage;

        900 MHz bands used for developing the coverage in less densely populated areas of the country.

Data transfer spped in this standard can reach 300 Mbps (downlink) and 50 Mbps (uplink). The latency (ping) is ~10 ms in the best case.

LTE and 5G Internet access offers an alternative to fiber-optic lines whose installation still remains impossible in many Polish rural areas and small towns. 4G and 5G mobile Internet access enables fast and convenient browsing of the internet, watching films, downloading files, making video calls, uploading photos, or even streaming or playing online games.

 

BEST PRACTICE – COOPERATION WITH THE COPERNICUS SCIENCE CENTRE

Digital services offered by our companies are available nationwide and can be used by practically every inhabitant of Poland. The extensive coverage of our network enables us to indulge in actions which popularize new technologies as well as support innovation and education. The Copernicus Science Centre is an example of this exceptional combination of the world of science and latest technologies, providing information on scientific and technological developments while using the latest technological solutions. For over ten years now, that is since the very beginning of its activity, Plus has been the Supporting Partner of this most modern institution in Europe which combines the popularization of science and culture. Plus, always engaged in new, innovative solutions, assures access to free Wi-Fi for visitors – both in the building and on-site the Discovery Park.

In addition, Polkomtel, who is the legal successor of Aero2, provides free Internet access with restricted parameters (the BDI offer) in accordance with the terms of the license for purchase of spectrum from the 2.6 GHz TDD band.

More information about the offer for our customers can be found in Chapter 1 Our business.

Safety – the DNA of our operations

Due to the nature of services provided by us we acquire a lot of sensitive data every day. To fully protect the data of each customer, we implemented the ICT Security System Development Plan, as well as numerous principles which have been defined in respective policies and procedures, including in particular: the Security Policy, the Information Security Policy, the Personal Data Security Policy, the ICT Security Policy. The policies define fundamental rules of security management, whereas the ICT Security System Development Plan shows how to mitigate anticipated risks related to our activities. At the same time, we are aware that even state-of-the-art solutions is not sufficient to ensure the appropriate level of information security. It is also an enormous responsibility of our employees in their daily work, and therefore we train them in this respect, while reminding them of the fundamental importance of the safety-related issues.

We respect the law

[GRI 416-2]

In 2021, we did not receive any request from the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT). 2 hearings initiated in 2020 did not end with any action being taken against Cyfrowy Polsat.

Polkomtel and Cyfrowy Polsat received 22 complaints regarding spontaneous combustion of equipment. The complaints were rejected by device manufacturers.

In 2021, in Netia there no cases regarding hazardous equipment malfunctions were recorded in the processed failure notifications.

[GRI 418-1]

In 2021, with regard to Polkomtel:

The President of the Personal Data Protection Office (UODO President) asked the company to provide explanations in 9 cases initiated in 2021 on the basis of complaints which concerned personal data processing by the company (in one of the cases the company acted in the role of data processor). In one case a decision was issued to discontinue the proceedings. In 3 cases the UODO President asked the company to provide clarifications while in the remaining cases the UODO President has not responded yet as regards the clarifications provided by the company and has not issued any decisions.

In the case of 3 proceedings initiated during past years, the UODO President requested that the company provides additional clarifications. As of the date of the report the UODO President has not responded as regards the clarifications provided by the company and has not issued any decisions.

Moreover, as regards the cases from past years, the UODO President issued 4 decisions regarding discontinuation of proceedings, 2 decisions refusing the acceptance of the plaintiffs’ claims, 1 decision in which an admonition was given to the company, as well as one decision which upheld the earlier decision regarding discontinuation of the proceedings which was subject to a plaintiff’s complaint.

Moreover the company received letters from the UODO President regarding reported cases of infringement of personal data protection. Exercising its rights, the UODO President assessed the company’s activities associated with the cases of infringement of personal data protection and concluded that the company took actions aimed at minimizing the risks of occurrence of such cases in the future.

In 2021, with regard to Cyfrowy Polsat:

The UODO President asked the company to provide explanations in 4 cases initiated in 2021 on the basis of complaints which concerned personal data processing by the company. In one case a decision was issued to reject the plaintiff’s request. In another case the UODO President asked the company to provide clarifications while in the remaining cases the UODO President has not responded yet as regards the clarifications provided by the company and has not issued any decisions.

For 1 case initiated in 2019 the UODO President requested the company to provide additional clarifications. As of the date of this report, the UODO President has not addressed yet the clarifications submitted by the company as regards the case and has not issued any decision.

Moreover, the UODO President issued a decision to repeal the plaintiff’s request related to proceedings initiated in 2018.

As regards the administrative proceedings initiated in August 2020, related to infringement of personal data protection regulations (infringement of personal data security concerned loss of documents which contained personal data by the employees of a courier firm, as well as a case of documents having been released to an unauthorized third party by a courier company employee), the UODO President issued an administrative decision which confirmed the violation by Cyfrowy Polsat of the provisions of Art. 24, sect. 1 and Art. 32, sect. 1 and 2 of GDPR consisting of non-implementation of relevant technical and organizational safeguards guaranteeing assurance of security of personal data which is processed in cooperation with a party providing courier services, by failing to identify the cases of infringement of personal data security, which resulted in an administrative financial penalty being charged to Cyfrowy Polsat on account of infringement of the provisions of Art. 32, sect. 1 and 2 of GDPR in the amount of PLN 1.1 million and proceedings in the remaining scope were discontinued. By means of the ruling dated 15 November 2021, the Provincial Administrative Court revoked the above penalty charged to Cyfrowy Polsat by the UODO President.

In 2021, with regard to Netia:

The UODO President requested that the company provides explanations related to 5 new cases which were initiated in 2021 following complaints related to personal data processing carried out by the company. In 2 cases the UODO President requested that the company provides additional explanations. As regards 2 cases initiated in 2021, administrative decisions were issued – one concerning discontinuation of the proceedings and another concerning refusal to accept the claimant’s request. As regards the remaining cases, the UODO President has not expressed an opinion yet regarding the explanations provided by the company and no decisions have been issued.

As regards 6 cases from past years, the UODO President requested that the company provides additional explanations. Moreover, in respect of the proceedings from past years, the UODO President issued 5 decisions regarding discontinuation of the proceedings, one decision of admonishment as well as 4 decisions of refusal to grant a request. As regards the remaining cases, the UODO President has not expressed an opinion yet regarding the explanations provided by the company and no decisions have been issued.

Security of products and services

Each new service introduced to the market is analyzed from the point of view of security at the design stage. Key requirements are defined and all components are verified before the commercial launch.

 

Figure 20. “Where is my relative” service

https://www.plus.pl/image/image_gallery?uuid=ca24d98a-9f49-4afd-b507-8cc8ab5ddcf5&groupId=16&t=1414070512113?title=gjd_top_2.pnghttps://www.plus.pl/image/image_gallery?uuid=2ec08cdd-daa2-4569-834a-d356ecade326&groupId=16&t=1414068278347?title=gjd_alarmy.png

 

Polsat Plus Group is aware that the services it offers have an impact on the daily sense of security of millions of Poles. Apart from cooperation with water and mountain rescue teams, a good example of this is the service called “Where is my relative”, or a new generation Parental Control application, which has been developed by parents for parents.

“Where my relative” service

Where is my relative is a locator service for families which shows the location of a child or a relative. One SMS or one click is all that is needed for the system to send information containing location data of the person we are looking for. The service also displays the location on a digital map.

Where is my relative means:

        locating of relatives round the clock,

        location and security for even up to 5 persons,

        location on demand,

        easy and fast location of the person we are looking for,

        location schedule,

        location history in the mobile app and on www,

        view of locations of all persons covered by the service on one map,

        compatibility of location channels,

        location relying on GSM, Wi-Fi and GPS,

        requesting location via SMS, web page or mobile app.



A mobile phone with an active SIM card is all that is required to start locating relatives. There is no need to install any additional software or enter complicated settings to the phone. A person searching for location – e.g. a parent – activates the service and adds a phone number of his/her relative whom they wish to protect. The person being located must express consent to having their mobile phone located. Such consent means that it will be only the parent (the requesting party) who will be able to determine the location, and no unauthorized person will be able obtain information about the location of a relative or a child.

Identity theft, or take-over of user accounts, is one of the threats encountered in the Internet. Identity in the Internet also means passwords, logins, PIN numbers as well as all other information that can be linked to a specific person. Such data can be leaked or stolen, and then placed on various platforms where it can be bought by cybercriminals and used for extortions or account hacking. Though you cannot erase the things that went into the Internet, it is worth checking what the Internet knows about us.

Internet Security with Identity Protection

Latest research concerning data leakage proves that people who used compromised services are much more exposed to cybercrime than others. Identity Protection, offered by Plus, is a solution which can enhance the level of security.

 

The application allows you to:

        check what data was leaked to the Internet,

        receive alerts, 24/7, if your private information has been disclosed anywhere. Thanks to this you can respond quickly by changing your password or PIN number, blocking a credit card or informing the bank of the situation and taking actions recommended by the bank in order to secure your financial resources.

In addition, the Identity Protection application contains a feature enabling the creation and storing of very strong passwords which are automatically completed when you log in to any service, your e-mail account or your bank account.

As regards secure access to the Internet and secure surfing, as well as to assure protection of property, Netia offers proven, top quality products and services to its customers.

Secure Internet

Secure Internet is a software package which enables avoidance of the hazards connected with use of the Internet in daily life.

The package enables a customer to secure each device which has access to the Internet and assures:

        safe online shopping,

        payment data protection,

        secure online banking,

        no spam,

        parental control,

        remote control/safety,

        protection of logins and passwords,

        safety of your child in the Internet.

 

Home Monitoring

The Home Monitoring service for houses or flats is a multi-dimensional security service which relies on innovative solutions which include the devices and the provided service.

 

Benefits and features:

        simple installation of the camera,

        voice communications,

        motion detection and alarms,

        SMS notifications,

        video recording,

        live video transmission to a phone or a tablet,

        cameral controls,

        low light video capability.

For children, the Internet is a place where they play, learn and socialize with peers. Simultaneously, it is a place where accidents, theft or other unpleasant situations can happen. In the Internet, there exist the same threats as the ones we know from the real world and we must protect children from these threats.

Parental Control application – Children in Plus

Children in Plus” is state-of-the-art solution which allows for safe discovering of the virtual world by children. The service consists of the portal called dzieciwplus.pl and a parental application, both of which are used for setting the rules of usage of the Internet, and a mobile application installed on the child’s device.

 

“Children in Plus” means:

        Safe Internet browsing

        Control of the time spent in the Internet and in applications (full support for applications on Android-powered devices, partial support for iOS-powered devices)

        Control of installed applications (as above)

        Safe Search mode in Google, Bing and Yahoo

        Reports

        Protection in any network

Thanks to this service, parents can easily control the websites that can be viewed by their kids. They just need to select the content categories which can be accessed or blocked. It is also possible to choose directly on a child’s phone applications that can be opened and those which are to be unavailable. Control of time of usage of the device and time spent in the Internet is another very important feature of this service. The parent may set, separately for each day of the week, the hours within which a child will be able to open e.g. entertainment applications or browse the Internet.

 

The service is friendly for all users – also for the parents who have less knowledge about online safety.

In such a situation the application will suggest, based on a child’s age, what content in the Internet can be accessed by the child. The parent may accept the prepared suggestion or easily modify the settings.

 

The service also ensures interaction between the child and the parent. In case of blocking an application or reaching the time limit set for Internet use, a child may send a request to the parent which can be then accepted or rejected (via the parent application of on the web portal).

 

“Children in Plus” is a comprehensive parental control service which can be installed and configured also by less experienced parents.

Security of TV content

Cyfrowy Polsat Group is aware of detrimental effects that television piracy, carried out to a large degree via the Internet or directly in the Internet, has on the development of the Polish economy and culture. For years, we have actively collaborated with “Sygnał” Association, which associated 18 companies from the media and telecommunications sector.

Fight against piracy

In Poland, the level of piracy is much higher than on the developed markets of Western Europe or elsewhere in the world, and the costs of this phenomenon affect not only the authors, but also the State Treasury and the labor market. Services of illegal access to content are usually very well organized and provided in order to obtain financial gains. The sector of such services has grown to the size exceeding legal online services offering online video content in Poland. According to Deloitte’s estimates, Polish economy loses over PLN 3 billion every year because of online piracy. It is the sum which could cover approx. 30% of annual expenditures of the State Treasury on culture and media or make it possible to purchase four cinema tickets for every citizen. The phenomenon of piracy and the associated models of provision of illegal services continue to evolve due to technological progress and legal conditions leading to change of consumer behavior.

W 2021, the “Sygnał” Association continued wide scale educational activities, even in spite of the pandemic-related limitations related to direct personal contacts. An on-line training platform was created. A course related to prevention of TV signal theft in the Internet was developed in cooperation with the Main Police Headquarters which recruited police officers from departments fighting economic crime and cybercrime. A course was developed with the support of experts from Szczytno Police Academy and it is now used as a training material during Courses for Officers in this police academy. In 2021, a total of 400 officers attended the course developed by the “Sygnał” Association. There is a plan to continue developing this tool and to use it as a supporting tool in daily work of the police. In addition, several training sessions addressed to specific Police units were completed, both on-line and as stationary courses. In 2021, the “Sygnał” Association continued its efforts aimed at reducing the availability of illegal sources of TV content in the Internet and of reducing revenues that pirate services obtain from illegal content distribution. In the past years a campaign called “follow the money” was launched. The campaign involved monitoring of services which violate broadcasters’ rights and creating a table containing aggregated data on cases of rights violation, as well as initiating permanent cooperation with payment processing companies whose services were used by the criminals to derive financial benefits from their illegal activities. Apart from permanent cooperation with advertising or financial agents, who are socially-responsible and understand the importance of proper selection of business partners, we also took actions (such as notifying of a potential crime) related to a payment processing company which was at the same time a cryptocurrency exchange serving four of the biggest pirate services.

Regular market analysis performed when updating the “violations table,” was also used to create international reports regarding pirate services, e.g. reports developed by White Bullet research firm, or as a material submitted to the Counterfeit and Piracy Watch List, which is created by the European Commission.

A new analysis of social attitudes of Polish Internet users towards piracy related to online audio-visual content was conducted. The survey discovered some new phenomena, for example the growing awareness of the threats associated with the use of illegal sources. It was used in a number of educational actions carried out by the “Sygnał” Association. These actions included a webinar entitled ”Catch the Thief,” conducted by PTI, or the participation in a highly popular web TV program addressed to Polish citizens living in Britain.

Top level customer service

Servicing several millions of customers is an enormous challenge. Constant technological progress opens new communication channels and forces continuous changes in the organization of work of our customer service representatives. When serving customers and making efforts to ensure their satisfaction, there is no end to improvements.

Our customers decide to contact Polsat Plus Group because of specific issues they want resolved as soon as possible. A malfunctioning set-top box, lack of Internet access in a customer’s smartphone, a request to explain items on the invoice, inquiries about the ways of activation of new services – there are hundreds of reasons. We treat all of them with the utmost care. Our priority is to resolve every issue during the first contact, so that the customers have exhaustive answers to their questions immediately after finishing the conversation with a customer service representative.

A committed and trained team of over two thousand customer service representatives, experienced managerial staff and great flexibility of operations are our main advantages. Latest technical achievements support customer service. We have created an advanced customer relationship management system which integrates all communication channels – both electronic as well as by phone or post. Thanks to the implemented solutions we can service each customer more effectively.

The core of the Group’s customer service is the customer service call center. This system comprises four separate call centers integrated through an intelligent call routing system. It guarantees reliability and uninterrupted round-the-clock phone service on all days of week. The intelligent call distribution system handles calls depending on the subject matter and forwards the call to appropriate agents, which reduces customer service time. Nearly 2 600 people work in our call centers – more than 1 600 of them take phone calls from customers, the rest manages letters and e-mails. Customer service representatives are competent to handle all issues related to the services we deliver. Contact numbers of our call center lines are universally known – we publish them when advertising our services in the media.

Polsat Box Call Center has more than 600 workstations for agents handling phone calls and around 320 back office desks for processing written and electronic requests. Plus’ Call Center comprises 800 workstations for agents answering phone calls and around 350 back office desks, while Netia’s Call Center has over 250 workstations for answering phone calls and around 250 back office desks (which also process reported technical problems). Our call centers are available to our existing and potential customers round the clock, on all days of week and they are responsible for comprehensive and professional customer service. Call Center agents inform customers of our services, act as agents in the process of concluding subscriber contracts, accept potential complaints, provide information related to payments for services, provide technical support as well as ensure all other types of support offered by customer service.

We constantly modernize the tools supporting customer service and implement latest technological solutions available on the market. All of this is aimed at ensuring that our subscribers have a convenient and satisfactory form of dealing with their issues. These activities are extremely vital in today’s world in which technology is an important element of daily life, helping people save time and stay safe, which is also important in pandemic times.

The received requests and complaints are qualified according to the problems and their sources. Then they are immediately directed to relevant functional units of the company. Thanks to advanced customer care processes, customers receive answers to their complaints and requests in a short time. Regular analysis of the root causes of problems enables their identification and resolution as well as taking actions to prevent future situations which could cause inconvenience to our customers. In addition, the information found in problem notifications is used while developing products and building the processes which assure top level of customer service.

Furthermore, in connection with the application of the provisions of GDPR, apart from the standard requests and complaints-related inquiries requests for processing of the personal data of customers by Polkomtel, Cyfrowy Polsat and Netia are also processed in Polsat Plus Group.

Thanks to an ergonomic customer service scheme, we are able to respond in a precise and scrupulous manner to all signals that we receive from customers and use the information obtained this way to continuously improve all contact channels.

Customer service under pandemic-related restrictions was the biggest challenge last year. We developed numerous solutions to support our customers during these difficult times. Our customers aged 65+ could use a 14-day payment deferral and the option of suspending their service without incurring any subscription charges.

Customers who use services in the smartDOM offer, which in recent years has become a very popular method of reducing the cost of core services, such as TV, Internet or voice services, can count on very efficient support of dedicated customer service representatives who have knowledge about the products offered by both, Polsat Box and Plus. Furthermore, constant monitoring of smartDOM services by customer service representatives enables continuous improvements to this flagship offer of Polsat Plus Group.

Every year our customers are able to resolve more and more issues without having to contact our employees. Aside from interactive voice response systems, online customer service systems ensure safe and free-of-charge access – both Polsat Box, Plus and Netia offer their own online platforms. Customers can purchase or modify their service packages by themselves, check the payment balance together with payment history, control available units within active service packages and make payments. Additionally, via online systems they can modify their contact data, print a postal payment slip or direct debit form for a bank, check the technical specification of the owned equipment, print relevant operating manuals, reestablish the connection with a satellite, restore factory settings of PIN in the set-top box, and contact us through the online contact form.

Plus provides a mobile application iPlus dedicated to customer account management and accessing of up-to-date information related to the account. The application also enables contact with us via a special form, chat and authorized call to the Call Center. The use of this service is free of charge and data traffic generated while using this application is not subject to fees for data transmission.

Polsat Box provides access to a state-of-the-art mobile application iPolsat Box. This application allows for verification of services, modification of contact data, viewing invoices, online payments and fast contact through a chat as well as authorized calls to the Call Center.

Possibilities which appeared thanks to adding another entity – Netia – to Polsat Plus Group, brought another offer to our portfolio. Fixed-line Internet access is a relatively new product which is currently used by quite a number of customers. Our customer service representatives acquired the knowledge related to the product and the process, which has been built for this purpose, enables us to provide professional and fast service of requests coming from users of fixed-line Internet access.

All solutions in the area of customer service, in particular the provided service channels which are regularly modernized (in response to customer expectations) also help us to take care of the natural environment. We minimize the need for producing traditional letters, thanks to which we use less paper, which ultimately has a positive impact on the scale of wood processing for industrial purposes. We constantly search for various possibilities to limit traditional forms of communication which use paper. We place strong emphasis on educating our customer service representatives by promoting the “zero waste” policy, making them all aware that every single sheet of paper which was printed unnecessarily means another felled tree. Natural environment is also very important for our customers. In 2021, they chose e-invoices instead of traditional invoices. As many as 97.7% of the invoices issued by Plus and as many as 97.4% of the invoices issued by Polsat Box (excluding DTH) were e-invoices. In Netia, e-invoices constitute 72% of all invoices.

Polsat Box and Plus meet the needs of their customers and facilitate contact with consultants in Points of Sale.

BEST PRACTICE – AMENITIES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Deaf people can use the service of an interpreter of Polish sign language in all customer service-related matters. All they need to do is contact a selected Point of Sale where the date and time of a meeting with the participation of an interpreter will be set.

People with hearing problems or who use hearing aids can use a hearing-supporting system, the so-called induction loop. Thanks to this a customer will be able to hear even in a noisy environment.

Physically disabled people can use our Points of Sale which are free of any access barriers.

The list of Points of Sale offering access improvements for persons with disabilities can be found on our websites.

We set standards

Our television channels – everybody will find something for themselves

The foundations of our TV operations are the production, acquisition and broadcasting of news, sports, and entertainment programs as well as of TV series and feature films aired in our TV channels. The size of our audience mobilizes us continuously to increase the portfolio of channels and to offer diverse content which is matched to the viewers’ needs. At the moment we have 39 channels, including our main channel, POLSAT. In addition we have 6 channels cooperating with us which are linked to Polsat Plus Group either by equity or by joint broadcasting projects. The Group’s channels are broadcast via both, terrestrial TV and multiplexes (free-of-charge), as well as via cable and satellite (in a paid version).

Figure 21. The portfolio of TV Polsat channels

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The trust and appreciation of our viewers are proven by the popularity of the channels they choose to watch. TV Polsat ended 2021 at the top of audience rankings. In the commercial viewers group (aged 16-49), which is the most popular among advertisers, POLSAT had 9.0% audience share, TVN – 9.5%, TVP1 – 6%, TVP2 – 5.8%. The audience share of the thematic channels of TV Polsat was also high in viewership rankings and amounted to 15% (16.1% for TVN and 7.5% for TVP).

It is an honor to be one of the most popular TV channels in Poland, but at the same time it is an obligation to provide our viewers with high quality news, unforgettable sport experience and the best entertainment – both at the global and local levels.

Objectivity as the basis of our information activities

The program „News” (Wydarzenia), the channel Polsat News and a new channel– Wydarzenia 24 (News 24) – launched in September 2021, are the basis of information activities of TV Polsat, and their credibility is proven by surveys. According to surveys published by CBOS in September last year, the news and journalistic programs of Polsat and Polsat News are regarded by respondents as the most trustworthy.

The “News” is our flagship news program which is broadcast on Polsat and Polsat News channels. The first edition of the program was broadcast on October 11, 2004 in the Polsat channel. It is also among the most popular news programs in Polish television.

Every day the “News” ensures access to reliable news to millions of viewers in Poland. The best team of journalists in Poland, closely working together and devoted to their work, prepares news from Poland and from around the world for millions of Poles so as to give them coverage of the most important events in less than 30 minutes. Apart from providing latest domestic and international news, a lot of attention is also devoted to social issues.

At present the “News” can be watched four times a day – at 12.50 p.m. 3.50 p.m., 6.50 p.m. and 9.50 pm. Starting from early afternoon, every three hours viewers get the most objective and reliable review of information that is available on TV in Poland. The main edition of the “News” is broadcast at 6.50 p.m. daily in Polsat’s main channel and in Polsat News channel. The program is hosted by Dorota Gawryluk and among others, Agnieszka Mosór, Katarzyna Zdanowicz and Michał Cholewiński.

Socially engaged journalism

In our television channels we broadcast the most popular journalistic program – “Guest of the News” – which is aired right after the main edition of the “News” in Polsat, Polsat News and “Wydarzenia 24”. According to the data as of December 2021, 1.4 million viewers on average watch interviews with the guests invited on a given day to the program by, among others, Bogdan Rymanowski and Piotr Witwicki. “Guest of the News” can be watched from Monday to Saturday, right after the main edition of the “News”.

In our journalism we not only inform, but also try to help viewers, whenever we have such a possibility. The program “Intervention” is an example of socially responsible journalism, which is for many people the last chance for help and justice. An engaged and dynamic team analyzes all reported cases and every request is considered. Reporters of the program are not indifferent to the suffering of ordinary people. People who fight against dishonest employers and officials receive support. Also the weakest, who are unable to fight for their rights themselves, may count on support. The team also gets involved in cases of child victims, poor families and persecuted animals. Many people, whose stories were shown in “Intervention”, received help from other people or institutions. The effectiveness of the editorial team results in the increased number of received letters asking for help. The program is aired on the Polsat channel at 4:15 p.m. and is hosted by Michał Bebło.

Each Sunday at 7.30 p.m. in Polsat and Polsat News, viewers can watch the program “State within a State, which for over a decade has condemned cases of abusing power in relations such as state-entrepreneur, state-citizen. Thanks to the program, among others, important amendments were introduced to regulations, erroneous decisions of officials were repealed and tens of cases were sent for re-examination. The editors of “State within a State” received numerous awards for their work, including, among others, the Andrzej Woyciechowski honorary award presented by Radio Zet, the main prize of Władysław Grabski Contest, as well as the “Golden Scale” of the Polish Bar Council or the award of “Freedom of speech” and Grand Press 2012 award in the category of Journalism. The program is hosted by Przemysław Talkowski.



BEST PRACYTICE – OUR NEW HOME

 

“Our new home” is a special TV show in the portfolio of TV Polsat. It brings joy and hope for families from various parts of Poland. In each episode specialists (an architect and a team of builders) race against time and difficulties to assure a new home for a selected family, a family which has been sometimes hurt by fate or plagued by financial or health problems, or orphaned. The program is hosted by Katarzyna Dowbor who helps make the program’s participants’ dreams come true with great passion and involvement. Thanks to the support of the sponsors, TV Polsat carried out repair works in many houses and flats, provided basic furnishing, including state-of-the-art TV sets with access to hundreds of information, educational and entertainment programs from Polsat Box as well as tablets, smartphones and Internet access from Plus.

Already, over 250 families live in warm, safe conditions created by the team of “Our new home”.

Diversity in entertainment 

Polsat’s viewers may count on great entertainment – cabarets, movies, TV series and game shows enjoy unwavering popularity with millions of viewers.

Popular “Dancing with the Stars” show is regularly watched by millions of Poles. The show has been broadcast in Polsat since 2014. The viewers had a chance to enjoy as many as 12 editions, in which 135 celebrities from the world of show business, sport or Internet participated. Apart from being a spectacular dance show which delivers a lot of emotions each time, the program has also become the space to show successful social integration of disabled persons. Several dancers with various disabilities have appeared on the dancefloor, wishing to demonstrate to viewers that anything is possible and limitations are just something that we create for ourselves.

Over eight years ago “Your Face Sounds Familiar” show appeared in Polsat and since the very start has attracted a faithful group of fans. The program’s fan page has over 400 thousand fans, and metamorphosis of celebrities is still one of the hottest topics for Internet portals. During the live broadcasts of the show, since the very first episode, Polsat has consistently been the viewership leader. “Your Face Sounds Familiar” is the type of production that many artists dream of appearing in. Becoming a participant in this program is an honor and a chance to gain new, non-standard experience, despite the fact that they face hundreds of hours of tough work: vocal and choreography trainings. So far, over 100 stars of the Polish music, theatre and film scene participated in the show.

BEST PRACTICE– CHARITY GOAL OF THE SHOW „YOUR FACE SOUNDS FAMILIAR”

Your Face Sounds Familiar” is a Polish entertainment show which has been on the Polsat channel since 8 March 2014. It is based on a Spanish format. The winner of each episode donates every week a check for PLN 10 thousand and in the finale a check for PLN 100 thousand to a charity – to support an ill person struggling with disease, an orphanage, or an animal shelter. During the 15 editions of “Your Face Sounds Familiar”, over 100 artists underwent over 1 000 perfect transformations and they donated over PLN 2 million to selected charity causes.

 

In 2021, Robert Janowski won the show and decided to donate the prize to Jakub Potkański from Polsat Foundation. A special Christmas episode was already produced twice in the form of a contest, not as an edit of archival performances. Nine guests, who appeared in the program before, participated in the special edition. By the vote of the jury the winner of the special episode was a vocal trainer - Agnieszka Hekiert. The prize, in the amount of PLN 100 thousand, was donated to Polsat Foundation.

 

The winners of to-date editions of “Your Face Sounds Familiar” and the charity causes they donated the prizes to:

 

1st edition: Katarzyna Skrzynecka – “Koocham” Foundation,

2nd edition: Marek Kaliszuk – “Między Niebem a Ziemią” Foundation,

3rd edition: Stefano Terrazzino – “Pomóż Dorosnąć” Foundation,

4th edition: Bartłomiej Kasprzykowski – “Szkoła Otwartych Serc” Foundation from Malbork,

5th edition: Aleksandra Szwed – “Dom w Łodzi” Foundation,

6th edition: Maria Tyszkiewicz Medical treatment of Ewa Grabarczyk,  a person under the care of ”Dum Spiro, Spero” Foundation,

7th edition: Katarzyna Popowska – Fundacja Dzieciom „Zdążyć z pomocą” – for the medical treatment of Karinka Cichecka,

8th edition: Kacper Kuszewski – Centrum Praw Kobiet Foundation,

9th edition: Filip Lato – Fundacja Dzieciom „Zdążyć z pomocą” – for Julek Maranowski,

10th edition: Mateusz Ziółko – Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Chorych Sądeckie Hospicjum,

11th edition: Kazimierz Mazur – Fundacja Jednorogów,

12th edition: Adam Strycharczuk – „Zdążyć z pomocą” Foundation for the medical treatment of Lenka Szczepańska suffering from a cat cry syndrome,

13th edition: Paweł Dudek "Czadoman" – Rak’n’Roll Foundation,

14th edition: Lesław Żurek - Dajemy dzieciom siłę Foundation,

15th edition: Robert Janowski –for Jakuba Potkański  from Polsat Foundation.

In each edition of the already cult sport show “Ninja Warrior Polska”, participants have to overcome increasingly difficult obstacles, but each edition brings tougher and more agile players who are able to make acrobatic wonders with the power of their muscles and mind.

The participants of “Family Food Fight” love to cook, but not by themselves but with their relatives. In each episode family teams compete for special privileges and continued participation in the program. To win the Family Food Fight one needs technique, cooperation, nerves of steel, but most of all the heart which is put into preparation of meals.

In the first edition of “Design Dream” six amateur designers competed for a statuette of the best designer of the program and the main prize worth PLN 100 thousand. Their task was to design a room which was adjusted as much as possible, in terms of function and style, to the requirements of the heroes of a given episode. Designs are adjusted in response to the changes taking place in the life of heroes and their new needs.

Everyone has waited really long for this festival, but this was worth it. The first, fantastic event after the lockdown definitely met the expectations of the audience, waiting for fun, music, joy and most of all contact with favorite stars of the music and cabaret stage. On 25 and 26 June in Opera Leśna in Sopot, Poles spent time with Polsat SuperHit Festival 2021 and the invited guests, dancing to the sound of the biggest hits of, among others, Maneskin, Sanah, Andrzej Piaseczny, Justyna Steczkowska, Korteza, IRA or Paweł Domagała.

Our entertainment offer is also enriched by several popular TV series, including “Przyjaciółki” (Friends), “Pierwsza miłość” (First Love), “Świat według Kiepskich” (The world according to the Kiepski Family), “Komisarz mama” (Mama detective), ”Kuchnia” (Kitchen), „Kowalscy kontra Kowalscy” (Kowalscy vs. Kowalscy) and para-documentary series, i.e. “Trudne sprawy” (Difficult cases), „Gliniarze” (Cops), „Dlaczego ja” (Why me?) or documentary soap series “Na ratunek 112” (112 to the rescue).

Big Christmas carols singing with Polsat 2021” is already our Christmas Eve’s tradition. Last year, the most beautiful Christmas carols and pastorals were sang by, among others: Natalia Kukulska, Igor Herbut, Alicja Majewska, Halina Mlynkova, Viki Gabor, Ania Rusowicz, Golec uOrkiestra, Dawid Kwiatkowski and Krzysztof Cugowski, and the event took place in the neo-Gothic St. Mary’s Church in Katowice.

After a two-year break, TV Polsat returned to the Silesian Stadium and it was a big-style return. During the New Year’s Eve Power of Hits over 20 most popular artists performed on our stage, including Golec uOrkiestra, Minelli, Ewelina Lisowska, Michał Szpak, Liz Mitchell – The Original Lead Singer of Boney M or Beata Kozidrak. As many as 9 hosts led the event in TV Polsat, Polsat Go and in social media of Polsat.

For 18 years, on 6 December of every year, right before the News, a special advertising block called the St. Nicholas Day Commercial Block is broadcasted. Last year’s edition attracted 5.5 million viewers, thanks to which Polsat Foundation - celebrating its 25th anniversary that year – collected over PLN 1.6 million for the aid to sick children. This is nearly PLN 55 thousand more than last year.

Best sports

The quality of TV Polsat’s channels is proven by the attachment of the viewers who have been with Polsat for many years. It is with such viewers in mind that we create our programs. The year 2021 once again confirmed the position of Polsat Sport on the Polish market. One of the leading sports commentators of this channel – Jerzy Mielewski – received the Telekamera award for a third time in a row, a statuette awarded each year by viewers in a special poll. This choice was proven right quite soon. Last year was an exceptional one for the world of sports, because within a span of just three months Football and Volleyball European Championships and the Summer Olympic Games took place. The editorial staff of TV Polsat was involved in all these events, and Jerzy Mielewski was one of the leading faces of these projects. In case of Football Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympic Games this journalist hosted daily sport and journalistic programs on Polsat Sport, dedicated to the above mentioned events: Cafe Euro and Studio Tokyo. The Women’s and Men’s EuroVolley Championships in Polsat sport channels meant a great volume of live broadcasts covering over 100 matches, and Jerzy Mielewski was involved in many of them. The event held in September guaranteed a bronze medal to our National Team, but fans of this sport discipline had reason to be happy already in May this year, when a team from Kędzierzyn-Koźle won – for the first time in history – the CEV Champions League title. All of the above mentioned tournaments were properly presented in sport channels of TV Polsat which consistently supports the Polish volleyball and the entire Polish sport for over 20 years already.

Starting from the 2018/2019 season, the best and most prestigious football clubs competition of the world - UEFA Champions League matches - are shown in Polsat channels. To cover the elite event, Polsat has launched the most modern and the biggest sports studio in Poland and in our part of Europe. Each program before, during and after matches, is visually realized using state-of-the-art technologies – VIZRT, augmented reality (AR) and 3D models as well as a virtual studio. UEFA Champions League matches are broadcast live, in SuperHD quality and without commercials in two dedicated Polsat Sport Premium channels and four pay-per-view television services. Media support of these tournaments provided by TV Polsat was highly appreciated by the authorities of UEFA, which was reflected in the extension of the agreement for broadcasting of UEFA Champions League matches for years 2021 – 2024. Viewers may watch matches in the most convenient way for them, both on traditional TV sets and mobile devices via the Internet. Additionally, the package of broadcasting rights includes the UEFA Youth League tournament during which the talents of future world football stars are forged. Each season means 138 UEFA Champions League matches, including the UEFA Super Cup match, and in total during three years it was over 400 matches of the best clubs in Europe for Polish viewers in TV Polsat channels. In each round Polsat Sport commentators and reporters are present on the biggest football stadiums of the Old Continent to provide viewers with first-hand information and opinions. During the validity of the new agreement, TV Polsat will show a total of 531 matches, including matches with the participation of Robert Lewandowski, Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and their successors.

Next three seasons of the Champions League in Polsat channels mean in total 15 years of the best European football in the homes of Polish fans. The Champions League was broadcast by Polsat in the years 2000/2001, and the current season – 2020/2021 is already the twelfth season in the history of our station. It was on Polsat channels that viewers could watch, among others, the triumph of Jerzy  Dudek with Liverpool in 2005  in one of the best finals in history on the stadium in Istanbul and a victory over AC Milan after penalties as well as the dream final of Robert Lewandowski who raised the most precious club trophy in the world in the 2019/20 season.

BEST PRACTICE – TECHNOLOGY IN POLSAT SPORT STOUDIO

With the UEFA Champions League as well as the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Nations League matches in mind, in 2018 Polsat Plus Group built the most advanced and the biggest sports studio in Poland.

Thanks to new possibilities and technology, Polsat Plus Group’s premium channels present the matches in a totally new dimension, both as regards live broadcasts themselves and the match-related materials (match analyses, statistics, replays of match situations, reporting or commentaries from experts).

New Sports studio of TV Polsat:

        700 square meters of floor space,

        the only LED wall of this type in Poland  which allows multiple broadcasts to be shown  simultaneously;

        four shooting locations, including

        a special place for discussing match statistics,

        a location with touch screen for drawing and conducting detailed analyses of match highlights,

        a green box which will virtually transpose the experts discussing a given action directly to the pitch, next to the players;

        the studio uses 8 cameras (including cameras installed on a crane with extendable arm);

        state-of-the-art, computer controlled LED studio and stage lighting.

Visual setting in TV Polsat new sports studio is prepared with the use of state-of-the-art VIZRT technologies, augmented reality (AR) and 3D models as well as a virtual studio, which offers enormous possibilities of recreating  the football pitch, the crown of the stadium, the team lineups or individual situations. Fixed fiber-optic connections allow the possibility of simultaneous coverage of up to 6 matches. The whole broadcast is realized from state-of-the-art control room with dedicated equipment for sports production.

Thanks to TV Polsat, Polish viewers have the opportunity of watching the most important sports events, which are followed by hundreds of millions of people around the world. We show the most popular and the most thrilling competitions and sports stars. Broadcasting of major events also means popularization of numerous disciplines of sport, which often stimulates people of all ages to practice a given sport. On the one hand, it encourages children and teenagers to go outdoors and get interested in sports, and on the other, it often helps adults in deciding to devote at least part of their leisure time to sports

Polsat, as well as our sports and news channels willingly support activities which promote physical education by popularizing such activities in the media and in TV channels. Both, the news programs and the programs dealing with sports inform of mass sports events while encouraging viewers to participate in them. By presenting sports stars, who also willingly join such initiatives, we promote active leisure and tourism. We also promote mass running or cross-country skiing events and we support hockey, football and tennis tournaments for children. For all sport fans we have prepared the “Athletes” program, where viewers will find reports from sports events, interviews with sport stars as well as practical advice given by experts. They will also come across interesting people involved in sports and learn about unique places on the sports map of Poland.

Volleyball (#7 Zone magazine), Basketball (Basketball Magazine), martial arts (Colosseum Magazine) and Fortuna 1. Football League have their own, dedicated weekly magazines. Reports presenting secrets of the art of individual sports disciplines are an important part of each of these programs. Polish Ski Jumping Hills Magazine is an absolute novelty which appeared in 2021. The magazine is devoted to ski jumping and also touches upon other winter sports disciplines.

The year 2021 also means a new initiative of TV Polsat related to martial arts, or specifically to boxing. In order to develop and rebuilt the discipline, which is strongly rooted in Poland, the Polsat Boxing Promotions group has been established. Its main task is to organize boxing galas with the participation of young and talented boxers, who will built the strength of the national scene in the future and will replace such stars as Andrzej Gołota or Tomasz Adamek. In the first year of its operation, the Polsat Boxing Promotions group produced 5 boxing galas and in 2022 it plans to organized another ten events.

Acquisition of broadcasting rights as well as production of major sports events at world class level mean expenditures reaching hundreds of millions of zlotys. Financing of such efforts only from the money obtained from sponsors or commercials is not possible. For that reason – similarly as in practically all countries in the EU and North America – part of the broadcasts are shown on paid channels. Ease of purchase of such services, affordable pricing as well as superb quality of the presented materials result in such services enjoying increasing understanding and popularity among our customers, and the need to pay is gaining more acceptance now than in the past.

At the same time we try to make sure that individual events of top importance are available for the most extensive groups of viewers.

Involvement in cinema productions 

Polsat Plus Group is heavily involved in cinema productions, both in co-production as well as in production of own titles. The Digital Artists Zone (CST) operates within Polsat Plus Group. It is a unique program in Poland for supporting domestic film productions. We offer filmmakers an opportunity to submit their projects which could then gain the Group’s support in the fields of production, promotion and distribution.  

Since the beginning of CST’s operations, titles produced by CST have been very successful commercially (a total of 12 films were watched by more than 11.5 million viewers)

Last year, two new titles hit the cinemas and were watched by nearly 3 million viewers before the March lockdown:

         

”Najmro. Kocha, kradnie, szanuje” (Najmro. Loves, steals, respects), directed by Mateusz Rakowicz.

         

”To musi być miłość” (It must be love), directed by Michał Rogalski.

         

“Szczęścia chodzą parami” (Happy couples), directed by Bartosz Prokopowicz, produced in 2021 will have its premiere in 2022. 

In spite of the difficulties that the film industry faced in 2021 because of the pandemic, we were able to produce more feature films which are planned to be shown in cinemas in 2022/2023:

         

“Miłość na pierwszą stronę” (Front page love), directed by Maria Sadowska

         

“Zadra” (Infidelity), directed by Grzegorz Mołd

         

“Miłość na 4 łapy” (Love on four feet), directed by Denis Delica

         

“Fuks 2”, directed by Maciej Dutkiewicz.

For people with sight and/or hearing impairment

In Polsat Plus Group we want to reach as many people as possible with our offer. Our Super Polsat channel – the first channel in Poland and Europe with most of the programming adjusted to the needs of people with sight and/or hearing impairment – is more and more popular among viewers. The offer of Super Polsat includes the best content produced by TV Polsat – great entertainment, cooking and music programs as well as the best TV series which have acquired faithful fans. The schedule also includes well-known blockbuster movies. On Saturdays viewers can watch classic movies of the Polish post-war cinema, and on Sundays – the best foreign movies – family films, great comedies and dramas – all content with closed captioning. The morning programming includes cartoons for the youngest viewers. Super Polsat also broadcasts sport events and concerts produced by TV Polsat

BEST PRACTICE  – POLSAT NEWS WITH CAPTIONING

File:Sustainable Development Goal 10.png - Wikimedia Commons

Polsat News, Polsat Group’s news station, was the first commercial news station to introduce live captioning, mainly for deaf people and people with impaired hearing. Since February 2020, the main edition of the “News” and the “Evening News” (a program which is already broadcasted with interpretation to sign language) as well as the station’s journalistic programs, including “Guest of the News”, “News and Opinions”, “Intervention Extra”, “The Scandalmongers” and “Presidents and Prime Minsters”, have all been available with captioning upon selecting the relevant feature in a TV set.

Live captioning is realized using the method of respeaking with facilitation. Respeaking has been used for nearly 20 years now. It is used, among others, by British and American TV stations. The method was first used by BBC in 2001. In Polsat News a team composed of a respeaker and a facilitator prepares, on an on-going basis, the captions which are displayed to viewers. This way practically every person following a program with muted sound can still watch it with the full content being conveyed, instead of just reading the information displayed in a ticker.

The captioning is prepared by the Dostępni.eu team which already worked with TV Polsat earlier, when preparing live captioning for the deaf in the "Dancing with the Stars" show.

Strictly regulated commercial time

In TV Polsat channels – according to regulations – at least 33% of the quarterly programming are broadcasts initially developed in Polish, and over 50% are European broadcasts, coming mainly from the EU member states.

We also strictly follow the obligations and the restrictions regarding advertising. Commercial blocks in our channels are clearly distinguishable from broadcasts and the total time of commercials and telesales from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. does not exceed 144 minutes, whereas from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. does not exceed 72 minutes. All sponsored programs are clearly marked as such. We also reveal product and service placements.

Polsat Media Advertising Office

Polsat Media Advertising Office offers a portfolio of 79 television channels – a big nationwide Polsat channel and an extensive range of thematic channels owned by Polsat Group and by other Polish and foreign broadcasters.

Polsat Media means also a comprehensive offer of non-TV products, including Polsat Media Online (video and display advertising), with full advertising support of Interia.pl Group, Polsat Media AdScreen (digital media OOH), Polsat Media AdTube (a platform associating popular Internet creators), Polsat Media Digital Audio (audio commercials in the Internet) and Muzo.fm pan-regional radio station.

Polsat Media is the biggest advertising office not only in terms of the number of channels supported but also in terms of audience shares (39% SHR in a group of people aged 16-49) and share in the TV advertising market.

[GRI 417-3]

As a group operating on the market which is subject to numerous legal regulations, we are subject to constant monitoring and verification of our activities by regulatory authorities. In the previous years the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) occasionally questioned selected aspects of our marketing communications, initiating explanatory proceedings as well as proceedings related to alleged practices violating the competition and collective interests of consumers. Our appeals against some of these decisions issued by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) are still pending.

A detailed description of ongoing proceedings before the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection is presented in item 5.4 of the Report of the Management Board on the activities of Polsat Plus Group in 2021.

[GRI 102-12]

We are the signatories of several voluntary industry agreements concerning ethics of program broadcasting. The following are the most important ones:

         

QUALID IAB Polska standards regarding online advertising formats.

         

Television broadcasters agreement on the rules of distribution of advertisements and sponsor references regarding food products and beverages including ingredients which are not recommended in the daily diet in excessive quantities.

         

IAB Polska Fair Advertising Initiative.

         

Code of good practice concerning detailed rules of protection of minors in on-demand audiovisual media services.

         

Declaration of Cooperation for Safety of Children in the Internet.

 



5.   G for Governance

5.1.  Key regulations

We meet the requirements of the Directive EU 2014/95 and the resulting amendments to the Accounting Act.

We operate on highly regulated markets – while conducting our operations we have to account for several domestic laws, including the telecommunications law, the press law as well as the regulations governing radio and television, the EU law, or the capital market regulations and the principles of best practices for WSE-listed companies.

Polsat Plus Group companies are members of several industry organizations.

5.2.  Transparent communication

[GRI 101, GRI 102-45, GRI 102-46, GRI 102-47, GRI 102-50, GRI 102-51, GRI 102-52, GRI 102-54, GRI 102-56]

We understand the importance of responsible communication with the market, our employees and other stakeholders of our Group. As a public company, listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, we regularly publish financial statements and management reports on our activities. More information on this item can be found in chapter 1 - Our business.

This report is the fifth report on non-financial information published by Polsat Plus Group, prepared in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative Standard in its Core version and the art. 49b sections 2-8 of the Accounting Act. Our report covers Polsat Plus Group, and in particular data related to the following companies:

         

Cyfrowy Polsat,

         

Polkomtel,

         

Telewizja Polsat,

         

Netia Capital Group.

In terms of generated revenue, assets held and the nature of operations the above-mentioned entities are the key companies of our Group, and in our view they provide the basis for a comprehensive description of our business. In line with the requirements of the Accounting Act, all the presented data is broken down into the above mentioned companies including, in particular, the data for our parent company, i.e. Cyfrowy Polsat S.A.

This report was not subject to external audit.

[GRI 102-44]

Just like in the past years, our report has been compiled in line with the rules defined by the GRI Standard. During the preparation of this publication, we went through the processes of identification, prioritization and validation.

Developing the content of this report was preceded by a survey regarding the expectations of stakeholders – in Netia Capital Group in 2020 and in the remaining companies in 2016.

In 2021, we did not hold a dialog session with stakeholders. Instead we used the data collected during recent surveys, since in our reality the aforementioned data did not lose its validity in any of the discussed areas.

The survey of stakeholders’ expectations in Netia Capital Group was conducted in the form of an online questionnaire addressed to employees, contractors, social partners, representatives of management, investors, and other Group’s stakeholders. During the survey the respondents answered questions regarding economic, strategic, environmental, social, human rights as well as corruption and bribery prevention issues.

The survey in Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel and Telewizja Polsat was conducted based on the AA1000SES international dialog standard. The discussion held in 2016 was attended by the representatives of entities operating in our business environment. As assumed, the dialog defined the strategic topics which we have included in our corporate social activities as well as in the present report. The discussion held during the dialog session enabled us to prepare the Relevance Matrix – a set of topics from the area of corporate social responsibility which are the most important to the Group and to its stakeholders. In our opinion, taking into account the scope of the issues raised in our day-to-day contacts with the Group’s stakeholders and based on discussions with management, these topics remain valid also in 2021.

[GRI 103-1]

Responding to the current trends related to economic, environmental and social changes, we analyzed a list of key topics for Polsat Plus Group. We have categorized them based on the ESG analysis, allocating them to three dimensions (economic, environmental and social).

Economic dimension

        influence of Polsat Plus Group on the Polish economy and legislative environment,

        management approach towards corporate responsibility,

        corporate ethics and governance (including risk management and prevention of corruption),

        product quality,

        innovation (including investments in research and development),

        improving efficiency through adapting in Polsat Plus Group to challenges related to technological revolution, e.g. automation or robotics

        expanding our offerings and our customer base,

 

Social dimension

        responsibility in relations with customers (including quality of customer service, satisfaction surveys, management of complaints, customer data and privacy protection, assurance of safety of the children using the Internet),

        responsible marketing communication and advertising,

        responsibility while building TV messages (including protection of intellectual property rights and copyrights, editorial standards, educational value of the topics related to sustainable growth, promotion of right attitudes),

        activities carried out for local communities (via Polsat Foundation, the Group and corporate volunteering),

        prevention of digital exclusion,

        safety, thanks to products and services provided by Plus network,

        sponsoring of sports events,

        promoting an active lifestyle thanks to the promotion of sports,

        activities undertaken to counteract the social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,

        solutions ensuring data integrity and safety,

        customer satisfaction with solutions improving user experience,

        work conditions,

        education and development of employees,

        Occupational Health and Safety (OHS).

 

Environmental dimension

        health and safety of products and services (during the entire lifecycle of a product),

        solutions supporting a pro-ecological approach and contributing to the achievement of climate neutrality,

        proper waste management.

5.3.  Compliance with requirements 

[GRI 103-2, GRI 103-3]

Industry standards and self-regulation

Details related to policies, due diligence procedures as well as performance indicators can be found in the chapter S like strategic thinking about our stakeholders: employees, customers and viewers.

Management approach disclosures

All our activities are undertaken in compliance with law applicable in Poland. We operate in accordance with regulations that pertain to commercial companies in Poland, in particular with legislation that regulates activities on the telecommunication, pay TV and TV broadcasting markets, as well as with regulations pertaining to publically listed companies.

Every year, together with its annual report, Polsat Plus Group publishes a statement concerning compliance with corporate governance rules in a given year. Relevant documents for the year 2021 are available publicly on our website.

In Poland, the corporate governance rules are found in a document entitled Best Practices for WSE Listed Companies 2021. The purpose of these rules is to consolidate the transparency of listed companies, improve the quality of communication between companies and investors, strengthen the protection of shareholders’ rights, also in the areas which are not regulated by the law. The Best Practices cover fields in which implementation of the rules may have a positive influence on market valuation of the company, thus reducing the cost of acquisition of capital.

Due diligence procedures

In each company from the Group, both the legal departments and the operating units which carry out specific business activities, are responsible for making sure that the operations are conducted in compliance with the law.

Our activities on the telecommunications market (Internet access and mobile telephony) are supervised by the Office of Electronic Communications (UKE), while the activities on the TV market is supervised by the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT). Representatives of our Group regularly participate in the work of Polish and international industry organizations and then implement and promote the solutions developed by these organizations.

We are signatories of numerous voluntary industry agreements.

The most important ones include:

         

Standards regarding online advertising formats QUALID IAB Polska.

         

Broadcasters’ agreements regarding the principles of dissemination of advertisements and sponsor references regarding food or beverages containing components whose presence in excessive amounts in a daily diet is not recommended.

         

IAB Polska initiative for fair advertising.

         

Code of best practices regarding the principles of protection of minors in respect of on-demand audiovisual media services.

         

“Warsaw Declaration”: International Cooperation Key to Combating Piracy.

         

5G Strategy for Poland Agreement.

         

Declaration of Cooperation for the Safety of Children in the Internet,

         

IAB Qualid program on improving the quality of online advertising.

No dedicated compliance management procedures have been implemented in the Group.

Performance

[GRI 419-1 Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area (penalties for accounting fraud, discrimination in the workplace, etc.)]

In 2021, one of the Group’s companies was penalized for non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area.

Polsat Box provides access to 150 Polish-language TV channels, including all the channels from the extensive portfolio of Telewizja Polsat in DTH, IPTV technology as well as Internet connectivity from any provider. Every day Telewizja Polsat provides reliable and impartial information on all major events from Poland and from around the world. The top quality of work of our journalists is confirmed by, among others, the audits performed by the National Broadcasting Council.

Our Internet access service contributes to providing equal opportunities for the inhabitants of cities and rural areas alike. Wireless LTE communication offered by Plus network reaches big cities as well as villages and small towns. Our Internet access service is often the only possibility of connecting to the Internet, which reduces the threat of digital exclusion on a nationwide scale. In May 2020 Plus launched the first commercial 5G network in Poland and dynamically extends its coverage, ensuring new opportunities with respect to access to the latest solutions and services for customers, companies and the economy.

With the wellbeing of underage viewers and their protection against harmful content in mind, Polsat Box offers parental control which can be activated for specific channels or shows. As regards VOD, we have adopted the “Code of VOD best practices in the field of protection of minors” which was developed by the National Broadcasting Council jointly with the IAB Polska Association of Employers in the Internet Industry.

Telewizja Polsat understands the particular responsibility related to the impact that television, advertising in particular, has on children. On 25 November 2019 a self-regulation document was signed in the head office of the National Broadcasting Council. It was developed jointly by the TV broadcasters carrying advertising activities for their own channels as well as for the channels they represent (Telewizja Polsat, Telewizja Polska, TVN) and by organizations which associate producers of food supplements (PASMI Employers Association “Polish Union of Non-Prescription Drug Manufacturers,” POLFARMED Polish Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry and Medical Devices, Polish Council for Supplements and Nutritional Foods (KRSiO), Polish Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (PZPPF)). The essence of this self-regulation document is the universal adoption of the regulations whose observance will, on the one hand, ensure access to reliable information on the beneficial effects of supplements which support the organism and, on the other, protect viewers, to even a greater extent than to-date, against advertising messages being too intrusive. The self-regulation took effect on 1 December 2019 and it concerns all food supplement ads which are aired from 1 January 2020.

Furthermore, Telewizja Polsat is a signatory of an agreement protecting children against an unhealthy diet. This agreement clearly formulates the principles to be observed when approving commercials and sponsor references shown in connection with children’s programs. In accordance with this agreement, all advertisers from the industry must submit statements confirming compliance of their products with the criteria developed by the Polish Federation of Food Industry (PFPZ) and the Nutrition Institute (IŻŻ).

The amended regulation of the National Broadcasting Council of 15 November 2018 on increasing accessibility of television programs for disabled persons with impaired vision and hearing, took effect from 1 January 2019. Generally, in 2019 Telewizja Polsat, Lemon Records and Music TV fulfilled the requirements imposed by the amended regulation as regards accessibility of television programs for persons with disabilities. Programs produced for Super Polsat channel in 2020 were adapted, in 89% of the reported air-time, to the needs of people with impaired hearing, speech and sight. Moreover, in 2020 Telewizja Polsat implemented displaying of text live on screen in its news channel.

We exceed standards

[GRI 102-12, GRI-102-13]

Our representatives participate in the activities of work groups of the 11 industry organizations that we are members of. Participation in these groups is voluntary and addressed topics include, among others, the development of the telecommunication market, regulation of the media market and intellectual property protection. We are also a member of the Polish Association of Listed Companies.

Table 29. Representatives of Polsat Plus Group in industry organizations

Company

Cyfrowy Polsat

Netia

Polkomtel

Telewizja Polsat

Polish IT and Telecommunications Chamber (PIIT)

X

X

X

 

Association of Private Media Employers Lewiatan

X

 

 

X

Polish Confederation Lewiatan

 

 

X

 

National Chamber of Commerce of Electronic Industry and Telecommunications (KIGEiT)

X

X

 

 

Polish Chamber of Digital Broadcasting (PIRC)

X

 

 

 

IAB Polska

X

 

 

 

SYGNAŁ Association of Distributors of Television Programs

X

 

 

X

Polish Internet Surveys

X

 

 

 

Advertising Council (Rada Reklamy)

X

 

 

X

Creative Poland Association (Stowarzyszenie Kreatywna Polska)

 

 

 

X

Polish Chamber of Electronic Communications (Polska Izba Komunikacji Elektronicznej)

 

X

X

 

PREVENTION OF CORRUPTION AND BRIBERY

Management approach disclosures

The Group has never permitted and will never give permission for any corrupt practices. Ethics in business has always had very high priority in our organization – our Code of Ethics covers all the Group’s companies. The document defines fair competition, respect for law and ethical behavior.

Due diligence procedures

Internal audit and control units operate in Polsat Plus Group. An Internal Audit Division and an Internal Control Office function in Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel. Moreover, there is an Internal Audit Department in Netia and a Head and Control Office in Telewizja Polsat. These units are responsible, among others, for the verification of compliance of our operations with procedures and regulations, and they also deal with issues related to corruption and bribery in sensitive areas of the organization. Every suspicion of corrupt practices is examined meticulously and if our suspicions are confirmed, then we terminate our cooperation with a given individual or firm.

In Telewizja Polsat prevention of corruption and bribery is the responsibility of the legal department, whose duty is to assure that adopted ethical norms are observed by the employees.

No dedicated due diligence procedures associated with preventing corruption exist in Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel and Telewizja Polsat. Netia Group implemented the Policy of Fraud Prevention and Protection of Whistle-blowers and the more detailed Fraud Prevention Procedure in the area of sponsorship, benefits and conflict of interests.

Performance

[GRI 205-3]

No incidents having the nature of corrupt practices were noted in Polsat Plus Group in 2021.

Table 30. Noted corruption incidents in Polsat Plus Group

Noted corruption incidents ended with:

2021

2020

Termination of employment or a disciplinary penalty for employees

0

0

Refusal to renew contracts with contracting parties due to violation of rules related to corrupt practices

0

0

Court suits related to corrupt practices filed against a reporting organization or its employees during the reporting period

0

0

Total

0

0

Whenever a case of corrupt practices is confirmed the guilty person is dismissed on disciplinary grounds and we introduce procedures in our companies to remind other employees of the valid principles and internal regulations. We tighten the processes, modify the procedures and carry out numerous preventing and educational actions.

Inspections of areas, where cases of corruption were discovered in the past, did not demonstrate any irregularities in these areas in 2021.

Moreover, in 2021 the Ethics Officer held one-to-one consultations with employees, managers and trade union representatives in connection with the reported issues. In 2021, the Ethics Officer received 3 formal notifications from Netia Group employees concerning potential violation of the adopted rules of ethical conduct. All of these notifications concerned the human rights sphere in the context of the workplace, with two of them concerning charges of discriminatory conduct in the relations between a superior and an employee, while one concerned violation of the principle of fairness in the course of employee assessment. No notification was received concerning any corrupt practices. The smaller number of reported cases, as compared to the preceding year, is partly connected with a lot of work being done in a hybrid or exclusively remote mode. The conclusion, upon holding the meetings with the parties involved and obtaining their explantions, was that there existed no grounds for holding formal proceedings in any of the above cases. Advice was given to the parties involved, resulting in adopting a solution which was satisfactory for all. Follow-up meetings were held after several months which demonstrated lack of further objections/complaints by the persons reporting these cases.

Principles of free competition

[GRI 206-1]

No incidents involving the violation of freedom of competition or anti-trust regulations occurred in Cyfrowy Polsat in 2021.

Nevertheless, the Company was fined by the President of the Competition and Consumer Protection Office for an incident which occurred in September 2012 – this refers to broadcasting in the pay-per-view system of two qualifying matches of the Men’s Polish National Football Team during the qualifying stage to the World Cup 2014. On 22 December 2021, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection issued the decision no. DOK – 7/2021 in which he decided that Cyfrowy Polsat violated the freedom of competition and imposed a fine in the amount of PLN 1.6 million on the Company. The Company appealed against this decision on 26 January 2022.

No incidents involving the violation of freedom of competition or anti-trust regulations occurred in Polkomtel in 2021.

No incidents involving the violation of freedom of competition or anti-trust regulations occurred in at Netia in 2021.

In May 2021, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection initiated antimonopoly proceedings against Telewizja Polsat concerning market practices in distribution of TV channels to operators of paid TV platforms. The President of UOKiK examines whether the model of selling TV program produced and broadcast by Telewizja Polsat in bundles can be treated as an abuse of market position by this company with regard to distribution of TV program. As at the date of publication of this Report the proceedings are ongoing.

As regards the case against Telewizja Polsat initiated in 2020 by Play – P4 Sp. z o.o., the operator of Play mobile network, in connection with the alleged so-called “hidden advertising” of Plus mobile telephony network’s services also no ruling has been issued yet.

Responsibility towards the employees

Details related to policies, due diligence procedures as well as the performance indicators can be found in the chapter S like strategic thinking about stakeholders: employees, customers and viewers.

Management approach disclosures

In every company belonging to Polsat Plus Group employee affairs are regulated by the applicable Work Regulations.

We try to make sure that the policies that we use internally in the organization reflect applicable standards. This rule also applies to our Work Regulations. The Human Resources Policy has been implemented in Cyfrowy Polsat, Polkomtel and Telewizja Polsat. The main purpose of this policy is to build an attractive working environment for existing and potential employees. The document has been used to align the understanding of the principles of staff management with the values adopted by our Group.

In Netia there is no document equivalent to the Human Resources Policy. There are separate procedures and regulations in place, regulating different aspects of the organization’s activities, including the Recruitment Procedure, Remuneration Regulations, Training Participation Rules or documents regulating the rules of assuming liabilities and policies regarding security.

Due diligence procedures

The Human Resources Policy regulates the process of hiring new employees, their adaptation, offered terms of employment and organizational culture, competence development, freedom of association. We offer fair remuneration to our employees, depending on the type of their duties, scope of responsibilities and complexity of their tasks. The thresholds of remuneration at individual employment levels/positions are defined by the Remuneration Regulations, while the minimum remuneration level offered by the Group complies with the provisions of Polish law.

Performance

The following performance indicators have been adopted to assess performance:

         

GRI 102-8 Information on employees and other workers,

         

GRI 102-41 Collective bargaining agreements,

         

GRI 405-1 Diversity of governance bodies and employees,

         

GRI 403-2 Types of injury and rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days, and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities,

         

GRI 403-3 Workers with high incidence or high risk of diseases related to their occupation,

         

GRI 403-4 Health and safety topics covered in formal agreements with trade unions,

         

GRI 404-1 Average hours of training per year per employee,

         

GRI 404-3 Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews, with division according to gender and employment category.

         

GRI 405-2 Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men.

We exceed standards

Selected benefits available for Polsat Plus Group employees: [GRI 401-2]

         

Prepaid medical care package,

         

Prepaid sports pass,

         

Promotions for employees,

         

Insurance,

         

Special offers for theater tickets,

         

Discounted offers of products and services.

Respect for human rights

Details related to policies, due diligence procedures as well as the performance indicators can be found in the chapter S like strategic thinking about stakeholders: employees, customers and viewers.

Management approach disclosures

In Poland respect for human rights is effectively enforced by the Polish law. Our business is not exposed to forced labor or employment of minors.

Polsat Plus Group has implemented the Diversity and Human Rights Policy. We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of the International Labor Organization. The fundamental principles and rights stipulated by these declarations have been incorporated into the Code of Ethics and the Human Resources Policy of Polsat Plus Group.

By virtue of other regulations and codes (e.g. the Work Regulations or the Anti-Mobbing Policy), the Group’s companies are obligated to protect their employees against any act of physical, verbal or psychological harassment; abuse, humiliation or threats coming from either co-workers or superiors with respect to the below listed dimensions of diversity: sex, age, sexual orientation, competence, experience, potential degree of disability, nationality, ethnic and social origin, skin color, language of communication, parental status, religion, denomination or lack of denomination, political views or any other dimensions of diversity which are defined by valid law.

Due diligence procedures

An Internal Anti-Mobbing Committee has been appointed in Cyfrowy Polsat and Polkomtel as an element of the Anti-Mobbing Policy. The Committee is responsible for reviewing the complaints related to occurrence of mobbing. To familiarize our employees with the topic as well as to make them aware of potential threats and the rights they have, regular mandatory training is carried out for employees with regard to this topic via our e-learning platform. An Ethics Officer has been also appointed in the companies.

Netia also has relevant anti-mobbing and fraud prevention procedures. Regulations are included in two documents: “Anti-mobbing and Sexual Harassment Policy in Netia Group” and “Fraud Prevention and Whistle-blowers Protection Policy.” An Ethics Council operates in Netia, supporting an independent Ethics Officer.

In the case of Telewizja Polsat, acts having the nature of mobbing are covered by the Anti-Mobbing Procedure which is an internal document of that company.

No dedicated procedures aimed at assuring respect for human rights have been adopted in Polsat Plus Group.

Performance

[GRI 406-1]

No complaints regarding alleged mobbing behavior were received by the Anti-Mobbing Committee of Polkomtel in 2021.

No complaints regarding alleged mobbing behavior were received by the Anti-Mobbing Committee of Cyfrowy Polsat in 2021.

In 2021, the Ethics Officer received 3 formal reports from the employees of Netia Group concerning a possibility of violation of the adopted ethic rules. All of these reports concerned the area of human rights in the context of the workplace. 2 of them concerned accusations of discrimination in relations between a superior and a subordinate, and 1 concerned the violation of the fairness of the employee assessment process.

After conducting interviews and collecting explanations, it was decided that there was no grounds to carry out formal proceedings in any of the above mentioned cases. The involved parties were given advice as a result of which a solution which satisfied all parties was found. After a few months control interviews were conducted which failed to produce any further reservations on the part of people initially reporting the above mentioned complaints.

In 2021, no complaints regarding alleged mobbing behavior were received in Telewizja Polsat.

Activities for the society

Details related to policies, due diligence procedures as well as result indicators can be found in the chapter Our strategy in a nutshell.

Management approach disclosures

Social and community-related activities are carried out on our behalf by Polsat Foundation whose mission includes saving the health and lives of children. The framework and the principles of the Foundation’s activities are defined in the Incorporation Deed of Polsat Foundation. The document is available on the Foundation’s website www.fundacjapolsat.pl.

No dedicated policy governing corporate social responsibility issues exists in Polsat Plus Group.

Due diligence procedures

The Foundation Board supervises whether the activities of Polsat Foundation are performed in due manner and in compliance with the statutes of the Foundation. Since November 2016 the Foundation Board comprises 8 members. The Board’s members include the following:

         

Małgorzata Nawrocka,

         

Katarzyna Ostap-Tomann,

         

Nina Terentiew-Kraśko,

         

Józef Birka,

         

Mirosław Błaszczyk,

         

Paweł Januszewicz,

         

Aleksander Myszka,

         

Tobias Solorz.

The Foundation’s activities are supervised by the Minister of Health.

Performance

The following indicators have been adopted to assess performance:

         

GRI 203-1 Infrastructure investments and services supported

         

GRI 203-2 Significant indirect economic impacts

We exceed standards

Our definition of social responsibility:

In Polsat Plus Group we see and understand the huge impact that our services have on communities. The pillars of our activities for the benefit of the society are:

         

Safety

         

Aid to children

         

Promotion of sports

         

Environment

         

Education

For this reason Polsat Plus Group cooperates with rescue services – WOPR, MOPR, TOPR and GOPR, makes donations and supports Polsat Foundation, supports amateur and professional sports events and promotes physical activity among the society as well as makes efforts to counteract digital exclusion and promotes knowledge about ecology, among others in cooperation with Clean Poland Program Association.

Key figures:

         

Polsat Foundation provided aid to over 40 thousand children,

         

The Foundation provided support to over 2 653 hospitals and medical centers, as well as schools and orphanages,

         

More than PLN 267 million was donated for the Foundation’s statutory goals.

         

Over PLN 23 million was raised for the Foundation from the St. Nicholas Day’s commercial block in Telewizja Polsat.

         

Over PLN 31.2 million in proceeds for Polsat Foundation from the donation of 1% of the income tax,

         

Two toll-free emergency numbers were activated by Plus network – 601 100 100 (for emergencies occurring at the seaside and on lakes) and 601 100 300 (for emergencies in the mountains).

         

Over 188.5 thousand active users of our app RATUNEK (RESCUE), the only approved application that is connected to the accident notification system operated by voluntary rescue units.

Environmental impact

Details related to policies, due diligence procedures as well as performance indicators can be found in the chapter E like education and pro-environmental activities.

Management approach disclosures

All our activities are undertaken in compliance with the Polish legal order. Our Group operates in compliance with the following laws:

         

Environmental Protection Act dated 27 April 2001, 

         

Waste Management Act dated 14 December 2012, 

         

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act dated 11 September 2015, 

         

Packaging Waste Management Act dated 13 June 2013, 

         

Waste Batteries and Accumulators Act dated 24 April 2009.

Due diligence procedures

Environmental goals have existed in Polkomtel since 2012. Their observance has become an important element of the company’s strategy. The company’s ecological targets include:

         

introduction to the market of products which meet the relevant norms and regulations,

         

achieving levels of salvaging and recycling of electrical and electronic equipment, batteries and accumulators as well as packaged products not lower than levels required by the law,

         

sale of electricity generated from renewable sources of energy, gas burning or cogeneration in amounts not lower than required by the law,

         

monitoring and reporting of used raw materials,

         

rational and thrifty management of electrical energy,

         

restriction of the negative environmental impact,

         

membership in the Clean Poland Program Association (Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska), whose mission (with the support of Polsat Plus Group) is to initiate changes, educate society and promote important topics and actions related to ecology, environmental protection and improvement of life quality.

Under the implemented environmental management system we commit to:

         

promote environment awareness among customers and encourage them to use digital solutions,

         

promote and encourage employees to take care of the natural environment and support ecological habits,

         

constantly develop the environmental management system,

         

constantly develop processes and products in order to reduce their negative impact on the environment,

         

strengthen beneficial and ecological activities and reduce negative impact on the environment,

         

meet all requirements (including legal ones) and other requirements concerning environmental aspects.

In addition, our InterPhone Service set-top box factory holds the following certificates: ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 as well as ISO 45001:2018 in the field of design and manufacturing of electronic equipment as well as PN-N-18001:2004 standard in the field of design and manufacturing of electronic equipment which was issued by BSI – British Standards Institution, while Polkomtel conforms with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 standards issued by DEKRA Certification. Details regarding ISO certificates are presented in the chapter E like education and pro-environmental activities.

Performance

The following indicators have been adopted to assess performance:

         

GRI 301-1 Materials used by weight and volume,

         

GRI 302-1 Energy consumption within the organization,

         

GRI 306-1 Water discharge by quality and destination,

         

GRI 306-2 Waste by type and disposal method,

         

GRI 302-4 Reduction of energy consumption.

We exceed standards

For years we have worked on issues related to environmental impact. The topics which are in the area of interest of Polsat Plus Group include among others: clean energy efficiency, green hydrogen, energy efficiency, ecologic products, renewable energy or waste reduction.

Energy efficiency and investments in renewable energy sources are one of the most important environmental priorities of the Group. Therefore Polsat Plus Group has extended its strategy by a new business pillar based on production and sale of clean energy. According to the assumption of our Strategy 2023+, announced in December 2021, in the years 2022-2026 we plan to invest ca. PLN 5 billion in the development of zero- and low-emission energy sources with a view to achieving ca. 1,000 MW of installed production capacity from biomass, solar and wind farms, and thermal waste processing. We estimate that the implementation of our investment plans may contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by over 2 million tons of CO2 equivalent yearly.

In 2021, Polkomtel, Plus network operator, signed a long-term agreement with ZE PAK Group for the delivery of green energy. The energy is produced by the biggest in Poland, newly constructed solar farm Brudzew with 70 MWp power generation capacity. Thanks to the concluded agreement Plus customers can use a network powered by green energy from the sun.

The major Shareholder of Polsat Plus Group, Mr. Zygmunt Solorz, has initiated establishment of the Clean Poland Project Association (Stowarzyszenie Program Czysta Polska), whose goal is to undertake activities which would ensure that Poles will live in a healthy and clean environment.

We strive to make sure that every set-top box manufactured in Polsat Plus Group’s factory is packed only in recycled packaging. In addition, in the interest of organizational efficiency, cost optimization and natural environment protection and conservation, we make sure that vehicles transporting equipment and other materials to the sales network are loaded in an optimum manner, which enables reduction of emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Cyfrowy Polsat constantly hands over its waste (packaging waste, electro-waste, batteries and other waste from operations) to specialized recycling firms, in which the waste is recycled or utilized. The documents which are intended for reprocessing at Cyfrowy Polsat are destroyed in a special heavy duty shredder. The output is successively shipped as waste paper for recycling. We enable our users to dispose electro-waste and used batteries in selected collection points on the premises of the company.

In Polsat Plus Group we support good habits which, taking into account the size of our organization and the number of people employed, bring tangible changes:

         

we use two-sided copying and printing,

         

we switch off the lights when leaving a room,

         

we use the stand-by mode on computers while they are on,

         

we disconnect chargers once battery charging ends,

         

we use water rationally and are conscientious when using air-conditioning,

         

we no longer use disposable plastic cups and plates.

 

 

 



6.   Additional information

6.1.  About this report

The ESG Report of Polsat Plus Group for 2021 meets the requirements of the Accountancy Act. The report has been developed on the basis of the Global Reporting Initiative – GRI Standards. It also constitutes  the fulfilment of the requirements of the Directive 2014/95/UE4 of the European Parliament and Council dated 22 October 2014.

[GRI 102-49]

In 2021 this Sustainable Report of Polsat Plus Group we expanded with the Netia Capital Group. We tried to show all the data related to the economic, social and environmental area, as well as to present the key GRI indicators for 2020 and 2021.

Due to the sale of 99.99% of shares in Towerlink Poland Sp. z o.o. (formerly Polkomtel Infrastruktura Sp. z o.o.), which is described in chapter 1 of this Report, entitled Our business, the data presented for that company are only for the period up to the sales date.

The report for 2021:

contains 71 GRI indicators (both numerical and descriptive) which discuss the basic figures, offerring insight into the profile of our operations and our approach to management and also includes the indicators related specific topics from the ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) areas:

         it presents the Group’s key priorities in terms of Sustainable Growth Targets which are aligned with the pillars of the Group’s corporate social responsibility mission,

         it discusses the economic, social and environmental impact of the Group,

         it presents 49 best practices in the SDG area,

         it is available in two language versions: in Polish and in English,

         it is published in two versions (PDF and online).

All of the Group’s non-financial reports which have been published to date are available on www.grupapolsatplus.pl website, in the “ESG Reports” bookmark.

“The Sustainable Report of Polsat Plus Group for 2021”” presents the approach adopted by the key Group members (Cyfrowy Polsat, Netia, Polkomtel, Telewizja Polsat) to social, environmental and economic issues. It also summarizes our economic, social and environmental impact as well as our involvement in the implementation of best practices reflecting the UN Social Development Goals for 2021.

The document is not subject to external verification. The auditor only examines the fulfilment of our reporting obligations.

The participants of the internal verification process included the representatives of the Management Board as well as directors from respective business areas. The verification process also involved stakeholders (for more information see “Who are our stakeholders?” section). It is also the employees of Polsat Plus Group who were involved in the development of the report while the whole process was being coordinated by the Corporate Communication Unit in cooperation with Investor Relations Unit.

6.2.  Stakeholder guide

INDEX GRI

[GRI 102-55]

GRI standard number

Indicator number

Indicator title

Required at CORE level

Is it marked in the Report?

Page

Reporting principles and foundation

GRI 101

 

Reporting principles and foundation

CORE

yes

130

General disclosures

Organization profile

GRI 102

102-1

Name of the organization

CORE

yes

10

GRI 102

102-2

A description of the organization’s activities, brands, products and/or services

CORE

yes

10,13

GRI 102

102-3

Location of the organization’s headquarters

CORE

yes

10

GRI 102

102-4

Location of the organization’s operations

CORE

yes

10

GRI 102

102-5

Ownership and legal form

CORE

yes

10

GRI 102

102-6

Markets served

CORE

yes

10

GRI 102

102-7

Scale of the organization

CORE

yes

9

GRI 102

102-8

Information on employees and other workers of the organization

CORE

yes

86

GRI 102

102-9

Supply chain

CORE

yes

65

GRI 102

102-10

Significant changes to the organization and its supply chain

CORE

yes

17

GRI 102

102-11

Whether and how the organization applies the Precautionary Principle or approach

CORE

yes

18

GRI 102

102-12

Externally-developed economic, environmental and social charters, principles, or other initiatives to which the organization subscribes, or which it endorses

CORE

yes

32,128, 134

GRI 102

102-13

Membership of associations and organizations

CORE

yes

32, 134

Strategy

 

GRI 102

102-14

Statement from senior decision-maker

CORE

yes

5

GRI 102

102-15

Description of key impacts, risks, and opportunities

CORE

yes

5, 18

Ethics and integrity

 

GRI 102

102-16

Organization’s values, principles, standards, and norms of behavior

CORE

yes

88

 

GRI 102

102-18

Governance structure of the organization, including committees of the highest governance body

CORE

yes

10, 11

Stakeholder engagement

 

GRI 102

102-40

A list of stakeholder groups engaged by the organization

CORE

yes

28

GRI 102

102-41

Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements

CORE

yes

101

GRI 102

102-42

The basis for identifying and selecting stakeholders with whom to engage

CORE

yes

28

GRI 102

102-43

Approach to stakeholder engagement, including frequency of engagement by type and by stakeholder group

CORE

yes

28

GRI 102

102-44

Key topics and concerns that have been raised through stakeholder engagement, including how the organization has responded to those key topics and concerns, including through its reporting

CORE

yes

131

 

GRI 102

102-45

Including in the report entities included in the organization’s consolidated financial statements

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-46

Process for defining the report content and the topic Boundaries

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-47

List of the material topics identified

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-48

Effect of any restatements of information given in previous reports, and the reasons for such restatements (e.g. mergers, acquisitions, change of base year/periods, nature of business, measurement methods)

CORE

N/A

 

GRI 102

102-49

Changes in reporting

CORE

N/A

145

GRI 102

102-50

Reporting period

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-51

Date of the most recent previous report (if any)

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-52

Reporting cycle

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-53

Contact point

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-54

Claims of reporting in accordance with the GRI standards: Core or Comprehensive option

CORE

yes

130

GRI 102

102-55

GRI content index

CORE

yes

146

GRI 102

102-56

Organization’s policy and current practice with regard to seeking external assurance for the report

CORE

yes

130

Management Approach

 

GRI 103

103-1

Explanation of the material topic and its Boundary

CORE

yes

39, 53, 131

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

The management approach and its components in the area of compliance with law and regulations

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

Evaluation of the management approach in a given area

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

The management approach and its components in the area of Human Resources

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

Evaluation of the management approach in a given area

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

The management approach and its components in the area of Education and training

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

Evaluation of the management approach in a given area

CORE

yes

39, 132

GRI 103

103-2

103-3

The management approach and its components in the area of Diversity and equal opportunity

CORE

yes

39, 132

Topic-specific disclosures

Economic topics

Economic performance

GRI 201

201-1

Direct economic value generated and distributed (including revenues, operating costs, employee wages and benefits, donations and other community investments, undistributed profit and payments to providers of capital and government)

 

yes

9

Indirect Economic Impact

GRI 203

203-1

Infrastructure investments and provision of services to communities through commercial, in-kind and pro bono engagements. Impact of these activities on communities

 

yes

27, 43, 44, 47,  48, 49, 51,  85, 103

GRI 203

203-2

Identification and description of significant indirect economic impacts, including the scale and extent of impact

 

yes

27, 43, 44, 47,  48, 49, 51,  85, 103

Anti-corruption

GRI 205

205-3

Confirmed incidents of corruption and actions

 

yes

135

Violation of the principles of free competition

GRI 206

206-1

Total number of legal actions regarding anti-competitive behavior and violations of anti-trust and monopoly legislations and their outcomes

 

yes

136

Environmental topics

Materials

GRI 301

301-1

Non-renewable / renewable materials used by weight or volume

 

yes

78, 79, 80

Energy

GRI 302

302-1

Energy consumption within the organization, including fuel types

 

yes

76

GRI 302

302-4

Reduction of energy consumption

 

yes

76

Emissions

GRI 305

305-1

Direct greenhouse gas emissions

 

yes

73, 74

GRI 305

305-2

Indirect greenhouse gas emissions

 

yes

73, 74

GRI 305

305-3

Other indirect greenhouse gas emissions

 

yes

73, 74

Effluents and waste

GRI 306

306-1

Total volume of water discharge by destination

 

yes

80

GRI 306

306-2

Total weight of waste by type and disposal method

 

yes

80

Social topics:

Employment

GRI 401

401-1

New employee hires and employee turnover

 

yes

87

GRI 401

401-2

Benefits provided to full-time employees that are not provided to temporary or part-time employees

 

yes

89,138

Occupational Health and Safety

GRI 403

403-1

Percentage of workers represented in formal joint management-worker health and safety committees, which advise on occupational safety programs and monitor such programs

 

yes

101

GRI 403

403-2

Rates of injury, occupational diseases, lost days and absenteeism, and number of work-related fatalities

 

yes

101

GRI 403

403-3

Workers with high incidence or high risk of diseases related to their occupation

 

yes

100

GRI 403

403-4

Health and safety topics covered in formal agreements with trade unions

 

yes

101

Training and education

GRI 404

404-1

Average hours of training per year per employee

 

yes

97

GRI 404

404-2

Programs for upgrading employee skills and transition assistance programs which support continued employability and facilitate the retirement process

 

yes

98

GRI 404

404-3

Percentage of employees receiving regular performance and career development reviews by gender and employee category

 

yes

98, 100

Diversity and equal opportunity

GRI 405

405-1

Governance bodies and employees, by employee category, gender, age and other indicators of diversity

 

yes

11

GRI 405

405-2

Ratio of basic salary and remuneration of women to men

 

 

89

Non-discrimination

GRI 406

406-1

Total number of incidents of discrimination and actions Yesen in this respect

 

yes

139

Local communities

GRI 413

413-2

Operations with significant actual and potential negative impacts on local communities

 

yes

83

Customer health and safety

GRI 416

416-2

Incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning the health and safety impacts

 

yes

112

Marketing and labelling of products and services

GRI 417

417-3

Incidents of non-compliance with regulations and voluntary codes concerning marketing communications

 

yes

127

Customer privacy

GRI 418

418-1

Substantiated complaints concerning breaches of customer privacy and losses of customer data

 

yes

112

Socioeconomic compliance

GRI 419

419-1

Non-compliance with laws and regulations in the social and economic area

 

yes

133

Requirements of the Directive 2014/95/EU

Description of the undertaking’s business model

 

yes

9, 27, 104

Description of key risk management

 

yes

18

Description of the policies, due diligence processes and key performance indicators pursued by the undertaking in relation to employee matters

 

yes

85

Description of the policies, due diligence processes and key performance indicators pursued by the undertaking in relation to environmental matters

 

yes

27, 63, 85

Description of the policies, due diligence processes and key performance indicators pursued by the undertaking in relation to anti-corruption and bribery matters

 

yes

136

Description of the policies, due diligence processes and key performance indicators pursued by the undertaking in relation to respect for human rights

 

yes

27, 41

We define human rights as: the right to the protection of private life, freedom from degrading treatment, right to non-discrimination

 

yes

27, 41

List of good practices

#

Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)

Good practice title

ESG field

1

SDG 7, 9

Strategy 2023+ of Polsat Plus Group

2

SDG 3

Integrated rescue system and “Rescue” application

3

SDG 3, 4

25 years of Polsat Foundation

4

SDG 3

Verano for children

5

SDG 3

Polsat Foundation’s Center for rare diseases

6

SDG 3, 4

#JESTEŚMYDLADZIECI(#WEAREHEREFORTHECHIILDREN) Program

7

SDG 3

St. Nicholas Day Commercial Block

8

SDG 3

Gift packs in hospitals on the Children’s Day

9

SDG 4

Great Board Game Tournament

10

SDG 1

Christmas gift packs for children from orphanages

11

SDG 1

Santa Claus Courier

12

SDG 3

Christmas Home Workshops: DIY

13

SDG 3

Polsat and Plus as titular sponsors Gdańsk Arena

14

SDG 3

Development and promotion of Polish volleyball

15

SDG 13

Integrated Environmental Management System

16

SDG 13

New campaign of Clean Poland Program Association

17

SDG 13

„Czysta Polska” (Clean Poland) Program

18

SDG 13

“Earth Festival. Stars for Clean Poland” concert in Polsat

19

SDG 13

Ecological education in “Brawo Ty!” magazine of Polsat Plus Group

20

SDG 13

 „Zwierzostan” show

21

SDG 13

Ecological podcasts on Green Interia portal

22

SDG 13

Polsat Plus Group using green solar energy

23

SDG 13

Optimization of energy consumption by base transceiver stations

24

SDG 13

Netia Data Center Mind

25

SDG 13

Hydrogen-powered cars in car sharing service

26

SDG 13

Digital signature on a table at points of sale

27

SDG 13

Waste recycling

28

SDG 13

Ecological set-top-boxes

29

SDG 13

Cooperation under SI2PEM project

30

SDG 9

New technology in Polsat Sports Studio

31

SDG 9

5G network roll-out

32

SDG 9

Development of LTE technology

33

SDG 4

Cooperation with the Copernicus Science Centre

34

SDG 10

Services for the disabled

35

SDG 1

„Nasz nowy dom” (Our new home) Program

36

SDG 10

Support for disabled people and diversity

37

SDG 1, 3

Charity goal of the “Your Face Sounds Familiar” show

38

SDG 10

Polsat News with captioning

39

SDG 4, 5

Etykomat (Ethics-related program)

40

SDG 9

Crowd+ Program

41

SDG 4

Academy of Knowledge

42

SDG 3, 4

„Zdrowy TY” (Healthy YOU) in Academy of Knowledge Academy

43

SDG 3, 4

Webinars concerning mental health

44

SDG 4

PMO Zone

45

SDG 4

Preonboarding and Onboarding for new employees

46

SDG 9

Academy of Innovation

47

SDG 9

Innovative Tuesdays

48

SDG 4

Implementation of Percipio platform

49

SDG 3, 8

Civil Defense Formation

TABLE INDEX

#

Table title

Page

1

Table 1. Supervisory Board

11

2

Table 2. Management Board

12

3

Table 3. Key ESG risk factors

19

4

Table 4. Stakeholder map and forms of dialogue with individual stakeholder groups

28

5

Table 5. Summary of the ESG strategy

38

6

Table 6. Donations for Polsat Foundation from key donors in 2021

48

7

Table 7. Sustainable Development Goals which are being implemented in Polsat Plus Group

54

8

Table 8. Key priorities for the Sustainable Development Goals executed in Polsat Plus Group

58

9

Table 9. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible revenues

67

10

Table 10. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible operating expenses (OPEX)

68

11

Table 11. Share of Polsat Plus Group’s Taxonomy-eligible capital expenses (CAPEX)

68

12

Table 12. Potential impact of the 10 biggest threats to Earth on the business activities of Polsat Plus Group

69

13

Table 13. Greenhouse gas emission (scope 1, scope 2 and scope 3) generated by Polsat Plus Group

73

14

Table 14. Estimated avoided greenhouse emission levels achieved by Polsat Plus Group

74

15

Table 15. Greenhouse gas emission generated by Polsat Plus Group customers

74

16

Table 16. Total consumption of electrical power from own production or purchased, divided into electricity, heat in joules or their multiples

76

17

Table 17. Total consumption of energy from own production or purchased, with division in into energy from renewable and non-renewable sources

77

18

Table 18. Raw materials/materials consumed, according to weight (copy paper)

78

19

Table 19. Raw materials / materials consumed , according to weight (Diesel, Aviation fuel, Gasoline)

79

20

Table 20. Place of waste water disposal (in cubic meters)

80

21

Table 21. Total weight of non-hazardous and hazardous waste, depending on the adopted procedure

80-81

22

Table 22. Total number of employees, broken down into sex and tenure

86

23

Table 23. Number of employees broken down into employment type (full-time vs. part-time)

87

24

Table 24. Stuff turnover ratio

87

25

Table 25. Remuneration of women in relation to remuneration of men in the same grading (men’s salary equals 100%)

89

26

Table 26. Average number of training hours per employee by gender

97

27

Table 27. Percentage of employees receiving regular assessments, performance and career development reviews, by gender and employee category

98

28

Table 28. Injury, occupational disease, days lot and absence for work ratios as well as the number of fatal accidents

101

29

Table 29. Representatives of Polsat Plus Group in industry organizations

135

30

Table 30. Noted corruption incidents in Polsat Plus Group

136

Glossary

4K – a technology offering very high display resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels), i.e. four times bigger than the Full HD format, translating into even higher contrast and better color rendering.

5G it is fifth generation mobile networks.

AA1000SES STANDARD – a standard developed by the Institute of Social and Ethical AccountAbility outlining guiding principles for strategic management of the organization and its activities in the social and ethical area.

ACCESS NETWORK – a set of such units which guarantee the required ability to carry telecommunication services between with SNI (Service Node Interface) and the UNI (User Network Interface).

ACCOUNTING ACT – a Polish legal act which sets out the rules of accounting and financial and non-financial reporting.

ARPU – average revenue per given unit generated in a given settlement period.

AUDIENCE SHARE – the group of TV viewers watching a channel at a given time, expressed as the percentage of all TV viewers at the time.

BACKBONE (CORE) NETWORK – a telecommunication network, including data network, carrying the biggest volumes of information. It usually interconnects smaller networks (local networks), work groups, switches and wide area networks (WAN).

BUSINESS ETHICS – accounting for the moral aspects in business, i.e. using the solutions which reconcile the requirements of morality with a company’s strategic interest. Business ethics define the ethical standards of behavior, the norms, the values and the code of conduct in a company.

BTS – a mast, transceiver station which, thanks to transmitting-receiving antennas establishing the radio coverage, communicates with terminals (mobile phones, modems) remaining in its operating area.

CARBON FOOTPRINT – calculation of the overall emission of greenhouse gases during the full lifecycle of a product (an enterprise). It is expressed as the equivalent of carbon dioxide volume per functional unit of a product (CO2/functional unit).

CHURN – termination of the contract with Customer by means of the termination notice, collections or other activities resulting in the situation that after termination of the contract the Customer does not have any active service provided in the contract model. Churn rate presents the relation of the number of customers for whom the last service has been deactivated within the last 12 months to the annual average number of customers in this 12-month period.

CODE OF ETHICS – a document defining a set of basic values adopted by the company as a code of conduct. This document include also standards of conduct of the company and its employees towards various groups of stakeholders, consistently resulting from the adopted values. Contents of the Code of Ethics of a given company depend on many factors, both internal and external ones.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE – a set of rules concerning shareholders, governing bodies of the Company and their members, describing their internal and external relations.

CSR – (z ang. Corporate Social Responsibility) according to PN-ISO 26000 standard, it is a responsibility of the organization for the impact of decisions and activities undertaken by it on the society and environment, through transparent and ethical behaviour in key areas.

CSR GOOD PRACTICE – a voluntary activity being an expression of corporate social responsibility, going beyond the requirements defined by law and long-term in its nature. This includes business activities, programs or projects related to specific areas of the organization’s operations which are addressed to one or many groups of stakeholders, and their essence is linked to the social mission of the organization.

CUSTOMER – natural person, legal entity or an organizational unit without legal personality who has at least one active service provided in a contract model.

DATA CENTER – in reality a data center consists of multiple elements, such as routers, switches, security systems, mass memory, servers, controllers and many other IT components which are necessary to enable storing and processing of data as well as management of critical systems.

DIALOGUE SESSION – a meeting with key internal and external stakeholders, during which they provide information, opinions and requests addressed to the organization.

DIALOGUE WITH STAKEHOLDERES – it is an open communication by the company with groups and/or individuals who have direct or indirect impact on its activities. Honest, systematic dialogue is the basis of effective CSR policy, because information acquired thanks to such a form of communication plays a key role in defining strategic assumptions of the social responsibility at the level of the entire organization. Being aware of expectations of individual stakeholders, including them in the solution creation process helps in building trust in the company.

DIVIDEND – part of Company's profit distributed to the shareholders.

DONATION – a form of agreement in which the donor is obliged to provide a free benefit to the beneficiary, at the expense of the donator’s assets. The donation may be granted both by natural and legal persons. The subject of the donation may include real property and movable property, money as well as economic rights, whereas it may not include free provision of services.

EBITDA – we define EBITDA as net profit (loss), as determined in accordance with IFRS, before depreciation and amortization (other than for programming rights), impairment charges and reversals on property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, net value of disposed property, plant and equipment and intangible assets, revenue obtained from interest, finance costs, positive (negative) exchange rate differences, income taxes and share of net results of jointly controlled entities.

EMPLOYEE VOLUNTEERING – undertaking and supporting charity activities by the organization, with voluntary cooperation of people employed by it, for the benefit of non-governmental organizations (NGO) and other institutions specified by law.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT – impact of a given organization, through its activities, products or services, on the natural environment.

EU TAXONOMY Regulation (EU) 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, called the EU Taxonomy. It is a system of uniform classification of actions supporting sustainable growth, aimed at supporting investors in their investment decisions.

ESG – an acronym for environmental, social, governance. ESG provides a kind of framework for enterprise analysis, allowing for comparing of companies against their competitors based on certain specific measures from three main areas related to environment (E), society (S) and corporate governance (G).

ESG STRATEGY OF POLSAT PLUS GROUP – sustainable growth strategy which accounts for the ESG factors – environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance.

FTE – the abbreviation from English meaning "Full Time Equivalent." It is expressed as the hours worked by a full-time employee during a year. The FTE is most often used to convert the hours worked by several employees who work part-time to employees with full-time contracts.

GDPR – Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Directive 95/46/EC.

GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI) – international reporting standard of responsible business and sustainable development for companies.

GRI INDICATORS – indicators showing economic, environmental data and covering social aspects of the organization’s operations.

HUMAN CAPITAL – the employees of a given company who contribute to the company’s operation and its development thanks to their specific knowledge, skills and talents.

ICT SOLUTIONS – Information and Communication Technologies – it is a group of solutions which include transmission, collecting and processing of data in electronic form. Automation, digitization and development of the networks and of communications contribute the development of industrial intelligence.

IPTV – technology which allows for sending television signal in IP-based broadband networks (Internet Protocol Television).

ISO 9001 – defines the principles of quality management and describes the process-oriented approach in an organization’s operation. It also serves the purpose of improving the quality of services and assuring the stability of provision of these services to clients.

ISO 14001 – ISO environmental management standard, which allows for building Environmental Management Systems based on the so-called process approach. A continues improvement of activities of a given organization is the basis for this standard.

ISO 26000 – ISO standard which systemizes the knowledge in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility. It defines its framework and outlines its basic assumptions. According to ISO 26000, the area of corporate social responsibility includes: corporate governance, human rights, employment relations, protection of natural environment, relations with consumers and social involvement. At the same time, ISO 26000 clearly distinguishes between the terms of “sustainable development” and “social responsibility”, which are often used interchangeably.

ISO 27001 – the standard which sets the rules of functioning of the information security system and which also defines the requirements in the areas of information security risk assessment and risk management.

LTE – (Long-Term Evolution) - wireless data transmission technology, characterised by much higher transfer speeds, larger network capacity, and lower latencies than traditional technologies.

NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION – a non-profit voluntary organization which acts outside governmental and political structures and functions for social issues and the public good. Its operations are largely based on voluntary work (NGO).

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE – a set of norms, values, patterns of behavior, attitudes and assumptions as well as symbols which determine the way of thinking and acting in a given company and which set the standards of communication and conduct.

REBRANDING – it is the process of transforming of all of a brand’s elements which are used while offering products and services, the quality of service and the methods of communication as well as the appearance of the logo itself.

RGU (Revenue Generating Unit) – single, active service of pay TV, Internet Access or mobile telephony provided in contract or prepaid model.

SET-TOP BOX – a device processing the encoded digital signal so that it may be received by a TV set. It is generally used to receive digital satellite, cable or online pay TV services.

SFDR (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation) – a regulation imposing standards of disclosure of information regarding sustainable investments by the financial market participants (Regulation 2019/2088) which is intended to increase market transparency and prevent the so-called greenwashing.

SHARE IN ADVERTISING MARKET – share of TV advertisement and sponsorship revenue of a given entity in the total revenue from TV advertising in Poland.

SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT– deliberate participation of the enterprise / organization in social life. This may take various forms, e.g. charity activities, community investments, cooperation with social partners, children and adults education, cooperation with universities, sponsoring, participation in social campaigns. Not only engagement is what counts, but also an effective measurement and evaluation of these activities. Social engagement often contributes to solving local and trans-regional social problems.

SOCIAL MISSION OF POLSAT PLUS GROUP – we pursue our social mission (#DigitalResponsibility) in the fields of safety, aid to children, education and promotion of sports.

SOHO – Small Office, Home Office.

SPONSORING – a joint obligation between two parties, a sponsor and beneficiary. The sponsor provides funds, material aid or services to the beneficiary in return for promotional services of the beneficiary. Sponsoring is a planned and conscious activity undertaken to develop a positive image of the company. It is often a part of the long-term marketing strategy of a business.

STAFF TURNOVER – the process of movement of employees within the structures of an organization or outside it; it denotes replacement, hiring, laying off and voluntary leaves by employees. Staff turnover is calculated as "the sum of the total number of employees (FTE) leaving over the year to the total number of employees (FTE)".

STAKEHOLDERS – persons or groups of persons interested in the activities of the organization, who have some influence over the organization, as well as persons who are affected by the activities of this organization.

STRATEGY 2023+ OF POLSAT PLUS GROUP – a business strategy of developing the key segments of activity – Telecommunications (Plus network), Content (Polsat brand) and a new segment – Clean Strategy.

SUPPLY CHAIN – a flow of materials, products, services and/or money from the development of a concept of product / service until the moment of its consumption by the customer and the receipt of payment by participants of the process.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDG) - 17 goals of UN thanks to which in 2030 the society should live better, healthier and safer in social, environmental and economic terms.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT – a report which covers the environmental, social and governance issues while presenting a condensed view of the way an organization is managed and the results of doing business responsibly.

TCFD (ang. Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures) – Task Force’s recommendations regarding Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

TEASERS – advertising which is realized in a process consisting of at least two-stages. During the first stage a message is sent which is intended to arouse a consumer’s interest, while the actual proper message is published in the second stage.

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Should you have any questions regarding this publication, please contact us:

raportcsr@cyfrowypolsat.pl

www.grupapolsatplus.pl