According to the results of the first half of the year, the largest increase in Russian film consumption was mainly due to the YouTube platform, access to which is restricted by Roskomnadzor. The report said daily viewing time per user on the largest video platforms increased by 6%, but excluding YouTube, it decreased by 5%.Kommersant» Refer to data from the laboratory of the future.
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In the first half of 2026, the average daily viewing time of Russian users increased by 6% to 87.7 minutes, although excluding YouTube, this number fell by 5%, which means that Google-owned video hosting accounted for almost all of the growth in Russian video consumption. Last year, it was a different story: total watch time across all platforms fell 27%, excluding YouTube, which grew 32%. In addition, YouTube showed that the viewing time per user increased by 24% in the first half of 2026, reaching 99 minutes per day, while the value fell by 28.6% in the same period last year.
Future Lab conducted statistics on Russian users based on Mediascope Cross Web data: This includes mobile and desktop versions of video platforms, excluding videos inserted by smart TVs and third-party websites. Excluding video insertions on third-party websites, video consumption on the Rutube platform increased by 9.5% to 62.8 minutes; if we take into account inserted videos, this number will decrease by 4.7% to 41 minutes, according to Future Lab calculations. Rutube itself denies this statistic and the fact that video consumption on the site has declined – instead, taking inserted videos into account, it increased by 9.1% in the first half of the year.
The Future Lab study did not consider VK Video’s metrics because Mediascope only provides information entirely about VK as a single platform. VK reports that average viewing time will increase by 65% year-on-year in the first half of 2026 – with each user watching nearly 100 minutes per day. Wink discussed changes in viewing numbers on mobile devices due to limitations of mobile networks, noting an increase in viewing numbers for TV channels on the platform. Start began analyzing content more deeply and more accurately predicting audience interests, which “brought results,” they said.
Experts interviewed by Kommersant said the imbalance in the number of viewers of Russian films is related to the redistribution of platforms. In 2024 and 2025, some platforms experienced unnatural growth as viewers abandoned the slow-moving YouTube and looked for alternatives that fit their needs. YouTube is experiencing growth right now because it has a lot of quality content and a better recommendation algorithm. But Rutube’s negative dynamics can be explained by a high base effect: after YouTube slowed down, the number of users of the domestic platform increased significantly.
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