Major media holdings in Russia are experiencing a significant reduction in Internet traffic from the Zen platform, owned by VK. This is due to the start of a new experiment that was launched last year. It involves a new integration format in the "News" section.
When clicking on a news story, users are redirected to the media's channel on the platform, rather than the publication's website itself. Publications participating in the experiment are reporting a multiple increase in traffic, while those who have refused to participate are facing a drop in traffic.
According to LiveInternet, in May 2025, RBC's traffic fell by 42.2% compared to the same month in 2024, amounting to 7.3 million visits. KommersantЪ saw a decrease of 58%, to 4.5 million. At the same time, some publications, such as TASS and Russia Today, showed significant traffic growth — 804% and 156%, respectively.
Representatives of Zen explain the difference in traffic dynamics by the amount of content that the editorial offices provide to the platform. However, many in the media community believe that the platform artificially increases traffic for participants in the experiment.
The terms of cooperation between Zen and publications that have refused to participate in the experiment are currently being discussed. Media holdings are hoping for progress in the negotiations, taking into account the interests of users and their own goals in the field of advertising and subscriptions.
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