Russians have started to spend less time online. From January to May 2026, internet usage decreased by 4%. A particularly noticeable decline occurred in April-May: media consumption dropped from 256 to 243 minutes per day, according to data from GK "Rodnaya Rech".
At the same time, viewing of traditional TV continues to decline – by 5% during this period, to 188 minutes per day. However, Connected TV, meaning viewing through internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes, increased by 14%, to an average of 55 minutes.
The main decline is visible in the online messenger segment. From January to May, the daily reach of WhatsApp decreased by 43%, to 25.6 million people, and Telegram by 49.3%, to 40.2 million.
Meanwhile, the "Max" messenger saw its indicator grow by 36.6%, to 68.6 million. In June, the number of registered Max users exceeded 125 million, and the daily audience reached 87 million people.
A decrease in media consumption in Russia was recorded earlier as well. In January-May 2025, time spent online decreased by 3%. At that time, this was attributed to a 11% drop in the online video audience and a slowdown in YouTube's operation. In late 2025, Roskomnadzor began to gradually restrict WhatsApp's operation, and in February, the measure affected Telegram.
According to Alexander Sazanov, a representative of Hybrid Ecosystem, some users may have simply reduced their content consumption, temporarily abandoned it, or switched to more stable streaming services. Inna Alekseeva, CEO of PR Partner, agrees that some of the audience has moved to Russian video services.
Asya Shabalina, Communications Director of "Rating Runeta", notes that the advertising market is feeling the decline in media consumption.
