Sanja Božić-Ljubičić and Ivan Ljubičić (Pickbox): Finally, We Can Say We Have Transitioned from Startup to Stability

For ten years, the Croatian Pickbox NOW has been operating in the domestic and neighboring markets, the first streaming service in the region, available before Netflix, HBO, and other global giants, either as a standalone application or as a video library offered by operators. Additionally, for the past six years, this brand has also been available as a television channel. After ten years of operation, we wondered how the oldest domestic streaming service is performing, so we decided to talk to its founders, Sanja Božić-Ljubičić and Ivan Ljubičić, who also run the translation agency Mediatranslations and the marketing and television industry agency Mediavision.

However, in our conversation, we focused on Pickbox, which last year achieved total annual revenues of €2.97 million, the same level as the previous year, and operated with a net profit of €368,943, a decrease of 8.34 percent compared to the previous year, 2022. Although Pickbox is available throughout the Adriatic region and Bulgaria, they did not want to share the number of subscribers with us as they do not disclose that information publicly, but they did boast about being available in over three million households.

How did Pickbox start operating? How did you come up with the idea to launch these services?

– Sanja: We launched Pickbox in 2014 by introducing the streaming service Pickbox NOW, but the idea originated years earlier. At that time, many contents were not available in our market, and I wanted to watch series and movies when it suited me. Today, that is completely normal, but ten years ago, the audience often relied on illegal downloads. My long-standing experience in the television business greatly helped me in launching Pickbox, which today also manages the Pickbox television channel. As in any entrepreneurial venture, courage and persistence were key, although I am not sure I would repeat it all, but I wouldn’t change anything either.

You mentioned that you are available in three million households. Can you clarify that?

– Sanja: That is the number of households where Pickbox NOW and Pickbox TV are active through various subscription forms.

There are many streaming services on the market today. What makes you different?

– Ivan: Knowing the users is key. Every streaming service must know who it is addressing and offer content accordingly. Then, we choose quality over quantity. Every month, new series and exclusive premieres arrive, as well as classics that have marked television history. We pay the most attention to European content, with an emphasis on British and Scandinavian production. Let’s not forget that Pickbox NOW has offered subtitled content since its inception, which some much larger global companies are only now introducing in our areas.

How do you view the past two years? Was there a boom during the pandemic, and is viewership declining now?

– Ivan: We can finally say that we have transitioned from a startup to stability, which we are, of course, satisfied with. The years 2023 and 2022 have equally good results, confirming the stability of the company. We are also satisfied with our market position, which is specific given that there are strong global players, as well as strong regional or local players. Regarding the use of streaming services, I believe everyone is aware that this way of viewing is on the rise. On the other hand, traditional television channels do well if they invest heavily in content, which is undoubtedly the case with us. I wouldn’t comment too much on the pandemic as it has been almost four years, but it is clear that every period after the pandemic brings its problems, and we are successfully dealing with them, which makes me particularly proud.

What is your strategy going forward, what are your plans now?

– Sanja: We started this year ambitiously, with the greatest focus on strengthening our brand and partnerships in the markets where we already operate. By the end of this year, we will introduce new attractive titles that you will soon read about.

What Pickbox offers, who they collaborate with, and how they comment on the overall streaming service market can be read in the printed and digital edition of Lider.