This report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) provides data on current development trends in the global and Russian markets for entertainment and media (E&M), gives projected growth rates, and cites opinions of Russian industry experts. For example, the authors state that total global E&M revenue will reach $2.4 trillion by the end of 2022, from $1.9 trillion in 2017. Total global E&M revenue will see a 4.4% CAGR rise over the five year forecast period through 2022. In Russia, the value will be as high as 8.8%. Total Russian E&M revenue will reach $24 billion in 2018 and exceed $33 billion over the five year forecast period.

PwC has singled out the following main trends in the entertainment industry: triumph of mobile advertising, sweeping personalization, rise of VR and e-sports. The experts also mention the main factors in forming a new ecosystem in the E&M industry: consumers now prefer mobile devices to all other ways of accessing E&M content and services, while producers are aiming to personalize their products and establish direct-to-consumer relationships.

According to PwC analysts, in 2018 mobile Internet advertising spend is poised to outweigh that of wired for the first time. Notably, the Russian market for Internet advertising is already the largest in Central and Eastern Europe. As consumers no longer want one-size-fits-all E&M experiences, personalization technologies are becoming increasingly relevant.

PwC experts single out virtual reality as the fastest-growing segment, both in Russia and globally (annual growth will reach 51.3% and 40.4% respectively), although the share of this technology in the total Russian E&M market volume is currently insignificant. E-sports will be the second fastest-growing segment in Russia, with the bulk of revenues coming from sponsorship. This segment has a tendency towards absolute growth.