MOSCOW, Apr 28The number of online cinema subscribers at the beginning of 2023 increased compared to the fourth quarter of last year, almost half of Russians use one or another type of subscription (paid, free or issued for a trial period), research company Gfk reported.
«At the beginning of 2023, the audience of online cinema subscribers increased significantly compared to the last quarter of 2022: almost half of urban residents aged 16-55 use all types of subscription (49% compared to 46% in the fourth quarter of 2022), and paid subscriptions — one third (33% compared to 31% respectively),» the study says based on the answers of 7,500 respondents aged 16 to 55 living in Russian cities, including small towns with a population of up to 100,000 people.
It is noted that such an increase in the use of all types of subscriptions within one quarter occurred for the first time since the end of 2021 — the penetration of subscriptions is growing rapidly among residents of all ages, except for the older generation (from 45 years old). The most significant increase in the number of subscribers to online cinemas in the first quarter of 2023 was in cities with a population of over one million.
It is added that the largest online cinema in the market, Kinopoisk, has again increased its lead over competitors. At the beginning of 2023, a subscription to the service was issued by 21.1% of citizens, a paid subscription — by 15.4%. The second and third places were shared between Ivi and Wink. Ivi still outperforms Wink in total subscribers (Ivi's 10.1% versus Wink's 9.1%) but is slightly behind in terms of paying subscribers (5.8% versus 6.2%, respectively).
In addition to Kinopoisk, the most noticeable growth in both the total number of subscribers and those who pay for a subscription is demonstrated by online cinemas Kion and Start. At Kion, the total number of subscribers increased from 5.8% to 7.9%, and the number of paying ones — from 3.4% to 4.2%. Start has a total subscriber count of 2.2% compared to 1.6% at the end of last year, and 1.1% vs. 0.8% paid subscription users.
The subject of the study were 15 online cinemas: Ivi, Kinopoisk, Okko, Amediateka, Netflix, Google Play Movies & TV, Apple TV+, Premier, Wink, more.tv, START, Beeline TV, Kion, Megafon TV, Viju.