Russia to Lead Eastern Europe SVOD Market

By 2029, there will be some 68 million SVOD subscribers across Eastern Europe, with more than half of those in Russia, according to Digital TV Research.

The base of SVOD subs across the region will grow by 27 million from this year, Digital TV Research says, with Russia adding 12 million and Poland bringing in 6 million.

The leading platform in the region in 2029 will be the Russian-only service Kinopoisk, with 10.6 million subs, followed by Netflix with 8.1 million and Ivi Russia with 5.2 million. Digital TV Research estimates Disney+ will have 5.1 million Eastern European subs, with Prime Video at 4.4 million, SkyShowtime at 3.4 million and HBO/Max at 2.9 million.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “We have upgraded our forecasts for Russia due to its greater-than-expected resilience in the face of economic sanctions. None of the U.S.-based platforms is likely to re-enter the Russian market before 2029.”