🏴☠️ Pirate Advertising Market is Declining
Advertisers are increasingly abandoning illegal platforms. According to data from Digital Budget, in the first 11 months of 2025, advertising budgets on "pirate" sites plummeted by 7 billion rubles (a 54% drop year-on-year).
Brands are turning away from pirate websites due to reputational risks and pressure from regulators. The share of these platforms in total advertising spending has fallen from 4.7% to 1.9%.
Food manufacturers have almost completely stopped placing ads— their share in budgets dropped from 10.4% to a mere 0.6%.
This category still accounts for 79% of the “gray” advertising market, but even they have reduced their spending on illegal content, dropping their share from 71% to 50%.
Experts note that advertising is migrating to more transparent environments, such as social networks and retail media. It is expected that in 2026, the market for pirate advertising may shrink to 2.5-3.5 billion rubles, losing its status as a source for cheap reach.
