Burda Media Poland chief Maciej Klepacki on cutting reliance on Big Tech

Maciej Klepacki, chief executive of Burda Media Poland, says the publisher has responded to a sharp fall in traffic from global platforms by deliberately reducing its dependence on Big Tech, and is seeing record results in the parts of the business built on its own infrastructure and brands.

Burda Media Polska is Poland's largest lifestyle media company, covering women's categories including fashion, beauty, luxury and lifestyle, travel and food. Its titles and platforms include Party.pl, Polki.pl and Wizaz.pl as well as ELLE, Glamour and National Geographic. It is part of Burda International, which operates in 14 markets with 2,400 staff and 250 media brands.

Klepacki, who has 20 years' experience in media and technology with a focus on digital transformation and business development, describes the news business as being in an “arms race” driven by AI that demands that the traditional publishing model be overhauled completely and at once.

The publisher has faced what he calls a “significant decline in traffic from global platforms”, which has hit display, video and affiliate revenue.

A new revenue mix

Burda Media Poland is moving away from an economy built on page-view volume. Native and branded content, including events, now accounts for 46% of revenue. Direct-to-consumer, including subscriptions, makes up 17%, display 16%, video 13% and other sources, including affiliate, 8%.

“72% of our revenues now come from digital channels,” said Klepacki, arguing that revenue is built not on commodity traffic but on “high-value, bespoke storytelling”.

The strategy is supported by significant investment in production, including a newly launched Burda Content Studio and a Video Hub based around a 300 square metre studio in Warsaw. The aim is to produce high-quality formats once and distribute them efficiently across titles such as ELLE, Glamour and National Geographic.

AI to support, not replace

Klepacki said AI is already “fundamentally redefining newsroom workflows.” To hold current traffic levels, publishers must produce “25–40% more content than a year ago,” he warned, while staffing remains fixed.

AI is now “deeply embedded” in the company's processes, covering research, briefing, editing and optimisation. He sees its main role as an “operational enabler, boosting efficiency” when producing content, and in supporting text-to-video workflows.

The challenge, he said, is “an imperative to integrate AI in a way that supports journalists, not replaces them, ensuring the brand retains its quality, editorial judgement and human touch.”

His advice to other media companies adopting AI is practical: start with an honest review of internal processes, identify specific areas to improve and then choose tools that genuinely support those changes.

‘We missed the moment’

Klepacki is blunt about the industry's relationship with the big platforms. “We have undeniably missed the moment to define a balanced partnership,” he said.

Publishers failed to act with “unity” or a “common agenda”, he argued, and allowed themselves to be “played one by one.” The chance to secure a “fair value exchange”, in which payment reflects the value content creates on platforms, has passed, and the industry is now living with the consequences. That, he said, only strengthens the case for Burda's diversification.

Trust, premium and attention

Klepacki believes the future of media will be shaped not by format but by trust, credibility and brand equity.

Subscriptions are not a “universal solution” for Burda's lifestyle portfolio, he said, but direct-to-consumer revenue as a category is vital, spanning events, memberships and commerce, along with paid access to unique experiences.

Print, in his view, has changed from a mass-reach medium into a “premium environment”, especially for brands in luxury and high-end lifestyle, and works best as part of a coherent brand experience across several platforms.

On monetising attention, he pointed to Burda's award-shortlisted work with QuestPass, known as “questvertising”, which moves from disruptive display towards an engagement-based model. Users answer a short question about an ad before reading an article, which has produced a measurable increase in recall and engagement.

Klepacki said the biggest challenge is the “ongoing reconstruction of the media business model, a process that feels like rebuilding an aircraft mid-flight.”

He expects the winners in 2026 to be those that can “modernise their core business, focus on strong brands, diversify intelligently and build premium, trusted environments.”