Paid revenues for Russian online VOD services have exceeded those from advertising for the first time.
Quoting data produced by Telecom Daily, Vedomosti reports that in the first half of this year the paid model contributed to 53.3% of total income, with advertising accounting for the remaining 46.7%.
This was in contrast to H1 2016, when the paid model claimed 49% of revenues.
Meanwhile, the total income of online VOD services in the first six months of this year increased by 70% to R5.3 billion (€76.2 million).
For 2017 as a whole, it is expected to amount to R11 billion. Ivi was leading service in H1, with a market share of 20.7% and revenues of over R1.1 billion.
It was followed by YouTube (16.6%, R880 million) and Rostelecom (11.6%, R617 million).
Ivi’s revenues were 66% higher than in the corresponding period last year, while those for Okko, which has from the beginning relied solely on the paid model, grew by 59%.
Viewing of online VOD services in Russia is chiefly on PCs and laptops (49%), followed by home screens (27%) and mobile devices (24%).