Why Rutube Views Grew 20% in Winter 2026

In winter 2026, the Russian video hosting platform Rutube demonstrated impressive dynamics: the number of views increased by almost 20% compared to the same period last year. From December to February, users watched over 15 billion videos – against 12.6 billion a year earlier. This is not a random jump but the result of systematic platform work. Let's analyze the main reasons for growth and how creators can use this trend to promote their channels.

Growth figures: what lies behind the statistics

Before analyzing the reasons, it is important to assess the scale of changes. Over three winter months, viewers spent almost 1.9 billion hours on the platform – which is comparable to every Russian resident watching Rutube for 13 hours over the winter.

The platform's content library reached 437 million videos in February 2026, and its average monthly audience was 85 million people. The daily audience is 22 million users. For comparison: a year ago, these figures were noticeably more modest.

A 20% increase in views is not just a beautiful number for reports. It is a marker that the platform has entered an active growth phase and has become genuinely interesting to the mass audience.

Driver #1: Mass influx of popular bloggers

One of the main reasons for growth is the migration of top creators to Rutube. The platform has become attractive for bloggers who previously based primarily on YouTube.

Sergey Kosinsky, Deputy General Director of "Gazprom-Media Holding," explicitly named the arrival of popular bloggers as one of the key growth drivers. And this is logical: when famous creators bring their audience with them, the platform gains not just new users, but an already engaged, loyal audience.

Which bloggers were the most popular by views in winter 2026:

Double Bubble
"Cartoons for kids, Animated films for toddlers. Мульт"
Over Show
"Vlad and Niki"
"Playing Together"
"Science and Culture for All"

The number of creators on Rutube exceeded 1 million people. This means that the platform is no longer perceived as a "second-rate YouTube" – it has become an independent ecosystem for content creation and consumption.

Driver #2: Implementation of AI algorithms and smart recommendations

The technological development of the platform is the second key growth factor. Rutube is actively integrating artificial intelligence into its recommendation systems, and this is yielding results.

What has changed with the advent of AI:

Algorithms have become better at understanding what content is interesting to a specific viewer
Recommendations have become more personalized and relevant
New channels receive an initial boost if their content is of high quality

As Sergey Kosinsky noted, the platform will continue to develop recommendation algorithms and other products for both viewers and creators. This means that the technological race is just beginning, and new improvements await us.

Driver #3: Growth of UGC content and a segmented approach

The third growth driver is the increase in user-generated content (UGC). But it's not just about quantity, but also about the quality of content organization.

Rutube has implemented a segmented approach to working with UGC. The essence is simple: content is divided into thematic categories, and each category receives its own promotional campaign. What this provides:

New creators receive a boost at the start within their category's promotional campaign
Viewers get a convenient catalog with relevant topics
Advertisers get substantial inventory for targeting

Since late 2025, the platform has successfully promoted the "Business and Entrepreneurship" and "Food" segments. The "Auto-Moto" segment will launch soon. This means that the platform is not just waiting for creators to come on their own – it actively helps them grow.

What content was watched the most in winter 2026

According to the platform, Rutube users most often watched three types of content:

Entertainment content – consistently remains at the top. Shows, challenges, humorous videos gather huge viewership.
Lifestyle videos – life blogs, tips, reviews, vlogs. This category is actively growing and attracting new creators.
Children's content and cartoons – a separate growth driver. Parents actively turn on Rutube for children, and the platform encourages this.

For creators, this is a clear signal: if you create content in these categories, you have every chance to catch the wave of growth. And vice versa – if you create something highly specialized, it might be worth considering expanding your topics.

What growth in views means for creators and businesses

A 20% increase in views is excellent news not only for the platform but for everyone who creates content on Rutube.

For new creators: traffic has increased, and competition remains lower than on YouTube for now. This is an ideal time to start. The platform actively seeks quality content and is ready to promote it – especially within segmented promotional campaigns.
For existing creators: your videos will be seen by more people. At the same time, smart AI algorithms help even small channels get into recommendations – if the content is truly interesting to the target audience.
For brands and advertisers: over 300 brands placed ads on Rutube in 2025, including Sber, Yandex, VTB, Alfa-Bank, and Rostelecom. In essence, all brands from the top 30, with the exception of betting companies, already cooperate with the platform. This means that Rutube's advertising inventory has become liquid and in demand.