💲 The Media Market Nears RUB 2 Trillion

Meanwhile, the projection for 2026 remains steady: by the end of this year, the group expects the market to expand by 15% to RUB 1.9 trillion (including e-commerce platforms).

Retail Media Leads the Charge

Advertising tools on marketplaces and retail platforms remain the primary engine driving the industry. For 2027, Rodnaya Rech predicts “colossal” growth in this sector—between 10% and 30%—which translates to RUB 889 billion to RUB 1 trillion.

Growth projections for other market segments in 2027 are as follows:

• Digital / Traditional Web: +5% to 10% (RUB 631–661 billion)
• Television: +5% to 10% (RUB 301–315 billion)
• Out-of-Home (OOH): +5% to 10% (RUB 120–126 billion)
• Audio: -5% to +5% (RUB 23–25 billion)
• Print: -5% to +5% (\~RUB 4 billion)

Shift in TV Leadership and the Evolving Consumer Journey

The television market is undergoing a structural shift. Although TV ad spend fell by 4% between January and August 2026, and total volume among the top 20 advertisers remained flat year-over-year, the makeup of key players is changing. Major banking institutions (Sber, VTB, T-Bank) are scaling back their TV presence, whereas tech giants, e-commerce, and telecom companies (Wildberries, Ozon, Avito, MegaFon, MTS, T2) are aggressively expanding their inventory.

Audience behavior is shifting simultaneously: daily messenger reach dipped from 76.5% in January to 71.7% in August 2026, while AI tool adoption nearly doubled from 5% to 9.8%.

Olga Balaboni, Head of E-commerce and Retail Media at Rodnaya Rech, noted that the path to purchase has become fully hybrid. Consumer decisions are now formed at the intersection of AI, e-commerce, and influencer marketing—where users discover recommendations on social media, refine details using AI search, and complete transactions on marketplaces.