A recent MegaFon study analyzed personalized subscriber data to reveal shifts in the streaming landscape during 2023. The findings show that participation across popular broadcasting platforms rose by about half a percentage point year over year, signaling a broader expansion in live content consumption among Russian audiences. The study highlights that streaming platforms are becoming increasingly central to how viewers discover and interact with creators, sponsors, and communities online. This uptick reflects a growing appetite for real-time engagement and accessible entertainment across the country.
Among broadcasters, Twitch remains the clear leader in appeal and reach. Throughout 2023, the platform sustained its position at the top for creators seeking wide audience exposure, with Russian viewership rising noticeably despite ongoing monetization restrictions and calls from some creators to explore alternative services. The data also points to Tencent’s Trovo as a close competitor, ranking second in popularity and attracting a steady influx of streamers and fans who value its growing catalog of live content and interactive features.
Close on their heels, VK Play became part of the top three, cementing its role as a major streaming destination. Since its launch in April 2022, VK Play has evolved into a frequently visited portal for live broadcasts, according to MegaFon’s analysis of user activity. The platform’s continued momentum underscores how social networks and streaming services can blend together to create convenient hubs for watching, sharing, and supporting ongoing broadcasts.
Examining the audience profile reveals a notable shift in who drives viewership. The core user base moved away from younger zoomers born between 1997 and 2012 toward a larger segment of millennials born between 1981 and 1996. In 2022, subscribers aged 17 to 25 accounted for 48 percent of visits, but that share has eased to 44.5 percent in the latest period. Meanwhile, millennials aged 25 to 35 now constitute the dominant audience, representing about 47 percent of total viewership across streaming platforms. This transition mirrors broader changes in media habits as more adults seek consistent, long-form streaming experiences and active participation in online communities without sacrificing flexibility or personal relevance.
Financial support patterns among audiences also shifted in favor of older cohorts. Millennials show a higher propensity to contribute to creators and publishers they follow, composing roughly 46 percent of donors to content creators today. In contrast, the younger demographic in the zoomer range accounts for about 35 percent of donation activity. This difference aligns with broader economic and lifestyle trends, where longer-term engagement often translates into sustained financial backing and ongoing collaboration between creators and their communities.
Looking at donation platforms, boosty.to has emerged as the most popular choice for tipping among Russian viewers. In the first half of the year, Boosty’s participation grew by more than threefold compared with the same period in 2022. Other platforms such as sponsr.ru and donatepay.ru also rank among the top three most frequented donation sites, indicating a diversified ecosystem where fans can support creators through multiple trusted channels. These trends reflect how platforms are competing not only for audience attention but also for the opportunity to facilitate seamless, meaningful financial interactions between supporters and their favorite publishers. The evolving landscape suggests continued growth in donor engagement and platform competition as creators seek the best fit for their communities and revenue models, a dynamic captured in the MegaFon data across the year 2023 and observed in subsequent industry analyses. Attribution: MegaFon market study results, 2023.