Factors and trends of the development of Russian streaming services in the 2020s: balancing technology and content

Section: Media Economics

In the 2020s, Russia’s media system found itself in unusual conditions, among which international sanctions stand out, leading to the withdrawal of Western media companies from the country. Domestic online cinemas today operate in the absence of Western content and competitors – the global leaders. Within this study, we examined the financial statements of online cinemas, analytical reports from measurement agencies, and conducted expert interviews with five top managers from this segment of the media system. The chronological scope of the study covers the period from 2020 to 2024. It was revealed that Russian online cinemas, like their foreign counterparts, depend on large technology companies that own them; however, they do not face the challenge of competing against major American services. Russian online cinemas are focused on increasing their subscriber base and reducing content production costs through collaborations and securing funding from institutions providing subsidies, as audience demand for new film and series content remains strong.

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To cite this article: Babyna D. A. (2025) Faktory i tendentsii razvitiya rossiyskikh onlayn-kinoteatrov v 2020-kh gg.: mezhdu tekhnologiyami i kontentom [Factors and trends of the development of Russian streaming services in the 2020s: balancing technology and content]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 4: 169–191. DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.4.2025.169191