• Subscribe to our Daily News Emails
  • Advertise
    • Media Info
    • Terms & Conditions for Advertisers
    • Mechanical Data

Broadband TV News

Independent. Since 2003

  • Home
  • News Line
    • Central & East Europe
    • People
  • TV
    • On Demand/VOD
    • IPTV
    • Cable
    • Satellite
    • Terrestrial
    • Distribution
  • Business
  • Tech
  • Events
    • Events Diary
    • BTN Events
    • Events Coverage
    • Submit the details of your event
  • Features
  • Resources
    • White Papers

Chris Dziadul Reports: Focus on Russia

November 2, 2018 08.42 Europe/London By Chris Dziadul

Fundamental changes are currently taking place in Russia’s TV industry.

The two most important ones are arguably in the pay-TV and OTT/online video sectors. As can be seen from data published on a regular basis by such companies as Telecom Daily and J’son & Partners, subscriber growth in the former sector has slowed considerably. Indeed, according to Telecom Daily the number of new pay-TV subscribers in the third quarter (95,000) was only half that (190,000) in the second.

Moreover, with pay-TV penetration now around the 75% mark and ARPU showing few signs of growth, the market still continues to be dominated by five providers – Tricolor TV, Rostelecom, ER Telecom, MTS and Orion – and only one (Rostelecom) is significantly increasing its pay-TV subscriber base.

It is therefore perhaps not surprising that providers are changing their strategy, widening offers as they develop into multiplatform operators. The delivery of additional services, ranging from catch-up and OTT to Ultra HD channels, is now seen as a necessity.

The second most important change is in the legal online video market. Specifically, there is a gradual shift in the business models being used by providers from ad-funded to all types of subscription. This underlines the fact that an increasing number of Russian viewers are willing to pay for content and is reflected in significant growth in the value of the legal online video market. J’son & Partners has put its value at R10.27 billion (€137.2 million) in the first half of this year, an impressive 48% more than in the corresponding period in 2017.

This growth has been made possible by cooperation between providers of online video services and the operators of linear TV channels, with the latter becoming an increasingly important part of online offers.

There is also cooperation in the fight against piracy. Just this week it has been reported that a number of stakeholders, ranging from Channel One, National Media Group, Gazprom Media and the Internet Video Association, whose members include the OTT services Ivi and Megogo, along with a number of ISPs, have signed an anti-piracy memorandum aimed at removing links to websites displaying unlicensed content.

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp

Related

Filed Under: Chris Dziadul Reports, Columns, Featured Right Edited: 2 November 2018 08:42

Avatar photo

About Chris Dziadul

Latest News

  • Mehmet Zahid Sobacı reappointed as Director General of TRT
  • Telia Company to dispose of Latvian operations
  • David Cho named editor-in-chief of CNBC
  • SFO freezes £10,000 in crypto assets from Arena TV CEO
  • Virgin Media TV adds 14 channels for South Asian Heritage Month

Most Popular

  • Amazon wins out in Prime Video subscriber lawsuit
    Amazon wins out in Prime Video subscriber lawsuit
  • Telenor to sell Allente stake to Viaplay
    Telenor to sell Allente stake to Viaplay
  • SES Completes Acquisition of Intelsat
    SES Completes Acquisition of Intelsat
  • RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery plan joint advertising sales house
    RTLzwei and Warner Bros. Discovery plan joint advertising sales house
  • Viaplay and TV 2 Norway to share football rights 
    Viaplay and TV 2 Norway to share football rights 
  • MultiChoice planning revamp of DStv service
    MultiChoice planning revamp of DStv service
  • MainStreaming supports DAZN free-to-view Club World Cup telecast 
    MainStreaming supports DAZN free-to-view Club World Cup telecast 

White Paper

SES Completes Acquisition of Intelsat

Luxembourg-based SES has completed its acquisition of Intelsat, creating a combined expanded fleet of 120 satellites across two orbits. … [Download the White Paper ...]

Broadband TV News

  • Subscribe
  • About us
  • Contacts
  • Logos & Pictures
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Advertising

  • Media Info
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Mechanical Data
  • Video Services

News

  • Latest
  • Central & East Europe
  • TV
  • Tech
  • Streaming
  • Cable
  • Satellite
  • Terrestrial
  • IPTV
  • Business
  • People

Events

  • Events Diary
  • BTN Events
  • Submit the details of your event
  • Media Meet & Greet

Editorial

PO Box 499
Cambridge
United Kingdom
CB1 0AH
news@broadbandtvnews.com

Commercial

Arundel View Cottage
Wepham
West Sussex
BN18 9RA
sales@broadbandtvnews.com

Connect with Us

 

Copyright © 2025 Broadband TV News LLP · Log in

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.