Stolen, not created.
In the rapidly evolving world of streaming services, the Russian market has seen some significant changes in the first half of 2025. According to industry reports, the number of original projects released by Russian streaming services has decreased by 14%, totalling 96 releases. This trend is also reflected in the stock market today, where investors are keeping a close eye on the performance of these companies. One of the key factors contributing to this trend is the shift in content strategy among production companies. David Kocharov, general producer of Premier and Rutube, confirmed this shift, stating a focus on increasing investments in production. This strategy is reflected in the collaborations between production companies like CTC Media, Premier, and Rutube, who have set a total investment of 1.6 billion rubles in 2025 for joint productions. Other streaming services like IVI, Premier, Start, and Wink have also reduced the number of new releases, mirroring the trend. However, despite this reduction, the spending on original projects has not been significantly reduced. Streaming services are planning to invest at least as much as they did in 2024. The reduction was most pronounced in scripted series, which decreased by 15% to 62, and documentary and unscripted projects, which decreased by 46% to 13. The number of projects created with government support also decreased by almost 30%. Interestingly, Okko saw the most growth among streaming services, with a 81% increase in releases. This growth could be attributed to Okko's focus on original content, as the amount invested in original projects by the online cinema last year was not disclosed by a representative of the platform. The total volume of government support for film production increased by 26% year-on-year to 39.7 billion rubles. The Cinema Fund's budget is 10.2 billion rubles, and the Ministry of Culture's budget for supporting the film industry has increased by 4% to 4.2 billion rubles. The volume of the online cinema market in the first half of the year was 78.2 billion rubles, according to 'TMT Consulting'. Despite the decrease in the number of original projects, the market continues to show robust growth. In addition to the changes in the number of original projects, the number of projects exclusively available on one online cinema decreased by 17%. This trend suggests a move towards collaborations between online cinemas, with collaborations remaining at 18 titles. However, there was no significant increase in the number of joint titles during the period. Another noteworthy development is the decline in illegal video services' revenues and traffic to their resources. This decline could be a positive sign for the legitimacy and growth of the online cinema market in Russia. In conclusion, the Russian streaming landscape in the first half of 2025 has seen a shift in strategy, with a decrease in the number of original projects and an increase in collaborations. However, the market continues to show growth, with investments in original content remaining steady. The trend of reducing the number of original projects is predicted to continue in the second half of the year, but the market remains robust and dynamic.
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