Russia/CIS streaming donations market totals $350mn, has years of growth ahead, Qiwi research says
A study conducted by Qiwi, the country’s leading payments processor, estimates that Russia and CIS streaming donations market totaled ₽21.6bn ($350mn) in 2019, and will show 20% y-o-y growth in coming three years. The research was based on a representative poll that involved over 5,700 streaming donators, and showed that around ⅓ of all viewers send donations regularly, with an average check of ₽356 ($5.7). In terms of payment channels, the majority of donations (57%) go via banking cards, and 31% and 17% of fans use Qiwi Wallet and Yandex.Money, respectively.
“The study confirms our main point: the market of streaming donations in Russia and CIS is a big one, it is growing and it represents a valid opportunity for us. We intend to grab our own share by offering a proposition both streamers and viewers desire,” DeStream founder and CEO Anar Mekhtiev says. “In addition to raw numbers, we’ve been eyeing closely the motivational part of the poll, where 85% of respondents said they want to support their favourite streamer, and 49% seek better engagement in the streaming process. That’s exactly where DeStream steps in delivering better streaming experience and helping both sides share emotions,” he adds.
Earlier in 2019, Wanta Group took a deep look on streamers’ monetization statistics. The research that covered over 100K of streamers indicates that 61% of them try any forms of monetization, and 96% of those monetizing use donation services, with DonationAlerts and StreamLabs taking 85% and 11% of the market, respectively. In terms of streaming platforms, Twitch domination (60–70%) is actively challenged by YouTube and local peers, VK and OK.
“Wanta numbers show that in 1H19 Russian language channels and local streamers saw a 62% y-o-y increase in their profits. This is a clear sign of domestic market structuring, and “neighbourhood starts” playing more important role in the gaming sector and other content creation,” DeStream founder and CFO Tachat Igityan comments. “Only 8% of VK streamers monetize their efforts, and with OK the number is even lower at 1%, and this is largely due to lack of prominent and convenient tools to do so. We are certain about filling a gap here by offering our service to those content creators not involved with their audience and not monetizing yet,” Tachat Igityan adds.
Earlier in December, DeStream has, in full accordance with plans, successfully launched its financial ecosystem for streamers donations with full functionality. The platform was rolled out for users in Russia and CIS, and other regions will be able to use the system shortly. DeStream first priority will be starting its operations in Europe, and early in 2020 the platform will seek exposure to the major markets in Asia and Americas.
