The internet is eating into Russian TV audiences.
According to research undertaken by TNS Gallup Media, viewers with internet access on average watch 17% less TV than those without.
What is more, the TV channels losing out the most in internet homes are the main stations (Channel One, Rossiya and NTV), while smaller ones such (as for instance STS, TNT and music-based channels ) in fact have higher audiences.
This is in part explained by the demographic of internet users, who are typically affluent males aged 35-54 and have children.
However, it is also pointed out that TV still remains a much more cost-effective medium for advertisers, who typically pay $5 (€3.2) to reach 1,000 viewers, as opposed to $18 for those online.