Video on Demand services have been growing rapidly in Russia, according to new research by the European Audiovisual Observatory.
The figures are part of a new report on The Film Industry in the Russian Federation by the European Audiovisual Observatory (part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg) together with Nevafilm Research, Universe Consulting (the Movie Research project), and iKS-Consulting.
In 2012, iKS Consulting estimated that the sales volume for Video on Demand in Russia totalled RUB 1.13 billion. In 2013, that figure had grown to RUB 2.79 billion, and then to RUB 2.32 billion in the first half of 2014.
The transition to digital technologies in cinemas is now nearly complete. As of mid-2014, 75% of cinemas had a digital projector for every screen, and only 7% of cinemas had no digital screens. All films in 2014 were issued for distribution in either digital or hybrid format. Only 9% of releases were also printed on celluloid.