Mastercard has confirmed that it has withdrawn its commercials from the TV Republika channel. It is the second company after RTV Euro AGD to stop advertising on the station following its coverage of the attack in Kraków.
Mastercard’s press office said that the spots aired on Republika were part of a broader advertising package and have already been withdrawn from it. The information was provided by company spokeswoman Aleksandra Gołda in response to questions from the Gazeta.pl editorial team. Mastercard did not publish a separate statement on this matter on its social media accounts.
Mastercard was on air during the weekend of the attack
According to Nielsen data, obtained by the Wirtualnemedia.pl portal, 113 spots from 50 brands and 36 advertisers aired on Republika over the weekend of 7–8 November. They included InPost, Castorama, Provident, Wawel and, indeed, Mastercard. The attack near the Main Market Square in Kraków took place on Saturday, 7 November.
Dispute over Sakiewicz’s coverage
Criticism was sparked by the fact that the station’s president, Tomasz Sakiewicz, while reporting on events in Kraków, suggested that there were no police officers at the scene because their reserves were allegedly being sent to Warsaw in connection with the situation surrounding the Constitutional Tribunal. Sakiewicz rejected the accusations, writing on X that his report was based on observation of the scene and that he had seen only one forensic technician at the square. According to Wirtualnemedia.pl, around 5,000 complaints have been filed with the National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT).
Earlier, RTV Euro AGD
On Monday, 9 November, the RTV Euro AGD chain announced it was suspending advertising on Republika, citing “controversies over the way the tragic events in Kraków were covered”. Online ads were switched off from Sunday, 8 November, and the withdrawal of TV spots began after the decision was announced. Sakiewicz called on X for a boycott of the chain and for customers to return ordered goods. RTV Euro AGD’s decision was backed by five entrepreneurs’ organisations.
Wirtualnemedia.pl asked other advertisers about continuing to work with the station. By the time of publication, only Hyundai had responded, saying it does not comment on its advertising strategy. No public positions on the matter are known from Provident, Castorama, InPost, Carlsberg or Wawel.
