YouTube Premium ranks among the Top 5 most frequently subscribed-to video platforms in Central and Eastern European markets, according to ViewTube CEE – a WPP Media study covering Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Croatia. Between 8% and 18 % of internet users in these countries pay for or share a subscription to the paid version of YouTube. In Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, YouTube Premium achieves results similar to Disney+, while in Croatia and Serbia – countries with fewer paid streaming customers – YouTube Premium ranks among the Top 3 paid video platforms and surpasses the popularity of Disney’s platform.

However, YouTube competes for viewers’ money differently from traditional SVOD platforms. The strength of Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+ is driven primarily by films, series, and original productions. On YouTube, the common denominator across the region is music and music videos, the leading content category on YouTube in all seven markets surveyed. This does not mean that YouTube remains solely a platform for short, light content. Entertainment and how-to programs, documentaries, podcasts and news content, as well as – in some markets – films, also rank highly. Among the youngest YT viewers surveyed in the region (aged 16–24), content from online creators, vlogs and gaming stand out more strongly.

These distinctive features of YouTube also shape the reasons for purchasing YouTube Premium. The most important is using YouTube without advertising, but access to YouTube Music Premium, which enables convenient, ad-free music listening and music video viewing, is also among the main subscription drivers. Other features enhance the convenience of using the platform: background play and the ability to download content to watch later offline.

Young users – aged up to 34 – are overrepresented among YT Premium subscribers. Parents of children aged 0–6 stand out particularly strongly – in each market surveyed, they subscribe to YouTube Premium at around twice the average rate.

“YouTube Premium is a different category from traditional SVOD platforms, but it competes for the same valuable currencies in the video market: viewers’ time and money. Although they are buying something different on YouTube than on Netflix or HBO Max, they are willing to pay, and YouTube Premium’s place among the Top 5 demonstrates the platform’s strong position. From advertisers’ perspective, however, this means reduced reach for traditional advertising campaigns on YouTube among attractive demographic groups” – comments Izabela Albrychiewicz, WPP Market Manager CSEE & CEO WPP Media CSEE.

YouTube Premium – in addition to its “young” user profile and the high proportion of parents among its customers, also stands out from SVOD platforms for its relatively high proportion of direct customers.

In the ViewTube CEE study, WPP Media conducted a comprehensive analysis of the regional television and streaming market, with a particular focus on YouTube. The study covered Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovakia. ViewTube CEE was conducted from May to July 2026 using online interviews with a sample of more than 10.000 residents of these countries.