Transformation of ownership structures on the Russian media market in the new economic conditions

Section: Media Economics

This article examines the restructuring of property relations in the Russian media market, caused by the general sanctions pressure on the country’s economy since 2022, as well as the mass refusal of foreign media companies to engage in most forms of business cooperation. A number of significant cases from various industry segments were examined: magazine and book publishing, pay television and content production, film distribution and online cinemas, music labels and audio streaming, and internet platforms. In each segment, the top five media companies with historical ties to foreign investors or offshore parent organizations were selected. The Rosstat database served as the empirical basis for the study, from which official data for 2021 and 2025 was used for comparison. This resulted in the updated composition of legal entities that have assumed the functions of owners or co-owners of Russian mass media. The author concluded that the changes that have occurred in the area of property management are systemic in nature, and that the domestic media business has effectively entered a new stage of development, relying much less on connections with partners abroad and the presence of structures in offshore jurisdictions.

DOI: 10.55959/ msu.vestnik.journ.6.2025.323

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To cite this article: Smirnov S. S. (2025) Transformatsiya struktur sobstvennosti na mediarynke Rossii v novykh ekonomicheskikh usloviyakh [Transformation of ownership structures on the Russian media market in the new economic conditions]. Vestnik Moskovskogo Universiteta. Seriya 10. Zhurnalistika 6: 3–23. DOI: 10.55959/msu.vestnik.journ.6.2025.323