Leading pay TV providers in Russia in Q3 2020, by market share

Russian telecommunications company Rostelecom had the largest share in the pay television market volume from July to September 2020, with its revenue accounting for 35 percent of the total. Tricolor occupied a market share of 18 percent. The Russian telecommunications market worth was forecast at over 1.7 trillion Russian rubles in 2019.

Pay television in Russia

In 2018, nearly 42 billion Russians were subscribed to pay TV, or television services offered on a subscription basis for a fee. That figure was forecast to decrease to approximately 40 billion Russian rubles in 2024. During the COVID-19 lockdown in March and April 2020, several pay TV providers, including Tricolor, Rostelecom, and ER Telecom offered free access to their content to consumers. The segment had a positive outlook, with its turnover increasing to 1.8 billion U.S. dollars by 2023. In the first three months of 2020, Russian pay TV revenue exceeded 26 billion Russian rubles.

Tricolor in Russia

Tricolor, formerly Tricolor TV, also known as JSC National Satellite Company, was founded in 2005 in Saint Petersburg and has the largest premium TV subscriber count in Russia. Started as a satellite provider, it expanded its range of digital services to other entertainment media, such as online video, and electronic devices. For instance, the company offers a package allowing to use pay TV services not only from a TV set, but also on smartphones and tablets. In 2019, Tricolor launched a smart home service for consumers to manage their gadgets from a smart TV or an app.