The Russian video platform Rutube is seeing “millionaire bloggers register en masse”.
According to its owner Gazprom-Media, the new influencers now using it include Maxim Monakhov (It’s Mamix), Dmitry Krymsky (Dymsky), and Andrey Shirgin (HiMan), who made the Forbes list as the Russian YouTube vlogger with the highest advertising revenue.
Furthermore, the psychologist Veronika Stepanova, poetess Anna Egoyan, singer and model Vika (Viki Show), whose music videos, challenges and pranks are watched by millions of viewers, are actively developing channels on Rutube.
Last week the platform announced 100% monetisation, with bloggers receiving all income within 40 days of posting their content. Verified users can now also instantly upload content, with videos undergoing post moderation.
Broadband TV News notes that Google’s YouTube is one of the last foreign social media networks operating in Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
However, it is coming under increasing pressure from the authorities and could like Facebook and Instagram be banned.