The “crazy increase in TV viewing” that has been seen in China during the coronavirus is already being rolled back and the same is likely to happen in Russia.
Speaking in an online conference organised by Telesputnik and TelecomDaily and attended by representatives of NTV-Plus and Gazprom-Media, Dmitry Pashutin, the head of development and monetisation of internet projects at Gazprom-Media’s sales house, said: “the current situation is short-term and will change much in the future – both in terms of consumption and in terms of monetisation.
“So, the crazy increase in television watching that was recorded in China, with the removal of all restrictions, is already being rolled back to the previous level. Netflix in its latest report say that, despite the significant growth in the subscriber base in the first quarter of 2020, the company does not expect to retain all these subscribers in the future and are preparing for their outflow. In a word, audience indicators will definitely change”.
At the same time, Pashutin emphasised that it is important for TV channels and online platforms to maintain activity in this period.
“The truth is that the business models that many players are working on now are not the business models that they built. To stay on the market in the new conditions, players need to maintain the intensity of their investment in business at a very high level. Due to large discounts, special opportunities and redistribution of content, online players invest in their chance not to lose”.
He also said that a similar situation exists in the TV market: television channels, despite the vast inventory, are not curtailing their content activity.
Pashutin concluded by saying that the future of online players will depend on whether they manage to convert those who currently use online video platforms for free into paid subscribers and attract the attention of viewers in the face of growing competition in the video content market.
