Ad spend in Russia has almost returned to pre-crisis levels, with its total worth of around R240 billion (€3.4 billion) in the first nine months of this year being 13% higher than in the corresponding period in 2015.
According to data published by the Russian Assocation of Advertising Agencies (AKAR), TV accounted for around R102.4 billion of the total, again a 13% increase on a year earlier. Mainstream services claimed R100 billion and thematic channels the remaining R2.4 billion.
The strongest performing sector was the internet, with the minimum spend of R83 billion being 24% up on a year earlier.
Much of this growth is due to the poor performace of the Russian ad market in H1 2015, when it slumped by 16%, and overall growth for 2016 is projected to be a more modest 10%.
The market’s performance this year was helped by the election campaign for the State Duma.
