Russian pay-TV revenues fall

Increased competition from the internet and free public digital TV services contributed to a fall in Russian pay-TV revenues in the first quarter.

Quoting data provided by TMT Consulting, Vedomosti reports that they amounted to R17.5 billion (€235.6 million ), down 1.9% on the previous quarter. However, the general trend remains upwards, with the figure representing an annual growth of 12%.

Much of the reduction in Q1 could be attributed to Tricolor TV, the country’s leading pay-TV platform, which saw its revenues fall by 20% q-o-q. This was put down to seasonal factors, and Tricolor TV also pointed out that its revenues in Q1 this year were 32% higher than in the corresponding period in 2015.

The attraction of the internet in Russia is underlined by the growing number of users. This amounted to a monthly figure 80.5 million in 2015, or 9.2% more than a year earlier. It is also seen by the popularity of IPTV services, and in particular the success of those operated by Rostelecom.