In the first half of 2024, Russians spent 45% more time watching films and television series online than in the same period of 2023, according to a MegaFon report referenced by socialbites.ca.
Within the series category, drama dominated viewer preferences, driven in part by the popularity of the program titled “The Boy’s Word.” The trend line also shows rising interest in the phrase “Blood on the asphalt” throughout 2024. Comedy and melodrama series remain highly sought after as well. The fastest-growing genres in this period were drama, up 64%, family content up 62%, and action up 50%.
Among films, Russians who favor comedy watched 28% more titles than a year earlier. Yet the most pronounced increases occurred in science fiction, which rose 91%, historical cinema up 42%, and family movies up 34%.
Regarding audience demographics, about 70% of the data traffic spent on online cinemas originates from Russians aged 25 to 44, with 38% coming from viewers aged 35 to 44.
When it comes to viewing patterns, the New Year holiday period in January saw the strongest interest in online cinema, while May recorded the lowest levels of site visits. Most watchers prefer evenings after 6 pm, and Sundays emerge as the day with the highest movie-watching activity.
Regionally, residents of Moscow and the Krasnodar Territory were the most active users of online cinema content, together accounting for roughly half of total Internet traffic in this segment. The top five regions also include Saint Petersburg, Rostov, and Samara.
In a separate development, the Federation Council addressed rumors about YouTube being blocked in Russia, clarifying the situation on content access across platforms.