Russia’s online video market was worth R5.88 billion (€76.2 million) in 2015, or 14.7% more than a year earlier.
Quoting data produced by J’son & Partners, Kommersant and Comnews report that YouTube’s share was 24%, or about R1.4 billion. It was followed by Ivi.ru (22%, R1.3 billion), Okko (11%, R0.6 billion), RuTube (10%, R0.6 billion) and Megogo and Tvigle (7%, R0.4 billion).
Online video services in Russia made R5.08 billion from advertising in 2015. Digital content copy sales by iTunes and Google Play amounted to R712 million, while Okko, with R477.3 million, made the most from digital video sales.
Tvigle broke even in 2015 using the ad-funded model. However, it has since introduced a paid element to its service.
Meanwhile, Okko’s income was hit by a fall in the sale of smart TVs. It nevertheless plans to expand to new platforms and increase its revenue by 35-40% this year.
Megogo’s income in 20915 was overwhelmingly (89%) derived from advertising this year.
The online video market in Russia as a whole was boosted in 2015 by moving the “digital window” forward. As a result, it was able to show an Oscar winner only four days after its theatrical release.
J’son & Partners’ R5.88 billion figure includes revenues from user generated content, something not taken into account by TMT Consulting, which earlier estimated the market to be worth R3.6 billion in 2015.