Digital ecosystem as a model for the development of media platforms: opportunities for application to the Russian online cinema market

Abstract

The transformation of the media industry under the influence of digital technologies has led to the formation of a new configuration of the audiovisual services market, where streaming platforms integrated into broader digital ecosystems play a decisive role. In the conditions of the Russian online cinema market, this model manifests itself in specific forms determined by geopolitical factors, the departure of global services, and the intensive development of national players, which has stimulated the growth of the industry’s total volume to over 130 billion rubles alongside a significant increase in original content production. A comparative analysis of leading platforms demonstrates fundamental differences between ecosystem-oriented services embedded in multiservice subscriptions («Yandex Plus», «SberPrime», MTS and Rostelecom offerings) and independent operators: the former are characterized by higher audience growth rates, substantially lower churn rates, favorable lifetime value to customer acquisition cost ratios (LTV/CAC up to 14.7 through ecosystem channels), and the ability to undertake advance investments in original content reaching 72 percent of budgets. The latter compensate for the lack of ecosystem support with higher ARPU and a focus on direct monetization but face limited sustainability of their financial models amid growing competition. The identified patterns of cross subsidization, lock-in effects, value redistribution between ecosystem components, and market polarization indicate a shift toward an oligopolistic structure, where competitiveness is determined not by isolated video service indicators but by its contribution to the overall value of the digital ecosystem. This is of fundamental importance for strategic management and investment analysis in the platform economy.