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The past few years have seen a host of Russian streaming services enter the market, and as in other countries around the globe, the pandemic was a boon to the industry, which grew by 66% in 2020 to reach a value of 27.8 billion rubles ($384 million), according to Tmt Consulting.

No company has benefited as much as fast-growing VOD platform Start, which experienced the highest growth in the industry, with a 172% increase in streaming revenue last year.

Founded in 2017 by the producers and owners of Yellow Black and White, the indie studio behind such hits as the Netflix sci-fi series “Better Than Us” and the comedy box office sensation “Son of a Rich,” Start was among the first streaming players to produce original content in Russia.

Over the past three years, the company has produced more than 30 original projects, including the dramedy series “257 Reasons to Live,” which played in competition at Canneseries, and...

In the weeks following the inaugural edition of the Key Buyers Event, a showcase for new Russian productions held in Moscow last fall, Roskino CEO Evgenia Markova reached out to scores of international guests who had made the trip to the Russian capital. After what was largely perceived as a successful event, in which dozens of Russian titles sold to foreign buyers, Markova wanted to understand what else the film promotion body could do to support the continued growth of the Russian industry.

One piece of advice stood out. “Not many Russian names are known abroad,” says Markova. The consensus among many of the buyers in attendance was that “this is definitely what [Roskino] should work on: you should promote your actors, your producers, your directors. You should show the world you exist.”

For the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, an online platform to showcase and promote Russian content that takes...

Walter Presents, the expanding streaming service for non-English-language drama, has acquired U.K. rights to “Russian Affairs,” a glossy drama about power, money, and sex in present-day Russia that is currently the number one TV show in its home country where the local title translates as “Gold Diggers.”

The ensemble series, which is sold by Russia’s Yellow, Black & White Studios, was picked up earlier this year under the title “Russian Affairs” by Amazon Prime Video as an exclusive for Germany, France and the Netherlands.

The deal with Walter Presents, which is a unit of the U.K.’s Channel 4, was announced during the Roskino Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition market. It will mark the show’s debut on the Anglo-Saxon market. Walter Presents will rebrand it as “Gold Diggers.”

Produced by Russia’s Start Studios, the “Dynasty”-like drama set amid Russia’s elite has consistently scored stellar...

Russian film promotion body Roskino has organized a virtual content market showcasing the latest Russian productions to international buyers. Unspooling from June 8-15, the Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition features a program of live presentations, pitches, panel discussions, and matchmaking sessions, along with a dedicated co-development and co-production section and a screening room with more than 150 hours of Russian film, TV, digital and animated content. Here are some of the key projects from up-and-coming Russian producers to look out for:

“Psycho”

Producers: Alexey Kiselev, Sergei Bondarchuk, Anastasia Koretskaya, Vyacheslav Murugov, Maxim Rybakov (Rent A Video Studio)

Director: Fedor Bondarchuk

Genre: TV series/psychological drama

The series revolves around the lonely and confused inhabitants of a major city, who live to feed the ambitions of their egos. They have been led away from happiness, peace of mind, and even themselves by values that have been dreamed up and imposed on them.