Digital TV Research forecasts 47 million SVOD subscriptions in Eastern Europe by 2026; more than double from 22 million at end-2021. Russia will have 20 million subscriptions by 2026, up from 11 million at end-2021.

Netflix will reach 10.36 million subscribers by 2026, double its 2021 total. Its Russian subscriber base will climb due to its partnership with National Media Group.

Simon Murray, Principal Analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “After several delays, Eastern Europe’s SVOD sector will take off from 2022. This is prompted mainly by launches from Disney+, Sky Showtime and HBO Max. There is plenty of room for growth beyond our forecast period as only a fifth of TV households will pay for at least one SVOD platform by 2026.”

Disney+ will have 6.01 million subscribers by 2026 despite only starting in mid-2022. HBO Max will reach 2.13 million paying subscribers by 2026, having officially started at the same time as Disney+.