Russian ad market slips
MARCH 21, 2021 17.40 EUROPE/LONDON BY CHRIS DZIADUL

TV ad spend in Russia was down by 3% in 2020.

According to data published by the Association of Communication Agencies of Russia (AKAR), it amounted to R169 billion (€1.92 billion), with general channels accounting for R161.4 million (-4%) of the total and thematic channels R7.6 billion (+5%).

Losses were more pronounced in other media, with press, for instance, seeing a 47% fall to R8 billion and radio 30% to R11.2 billion.

On the other hand, the internet sector grew by 4% to R253 billion.

Total media ad spend in 2030 amounted to R473.4 billion, or 4% less than a year earlier.

Significantly, this was not as pronounced as the average global reduction of around 7.5%, while many leading foreign markets saw falls of 10-15 and even 20%.

Also, the TV sector overcame the crisis relatively successful, increasing its share of the ad market for the first time since 2009 and in fact growing by 5% in the fourth quarter.