In 2020, Mail.Ru Group, one of Russia’s largest IT holding companies, wants to launch its proprietary video service. According to CEO Boris Dobrodeev, Mail.Ru’s video hosting will be geared mostly towards the users’ personal preferences.

“We have traditionally proceeded on the assumption that it’s social services that give the most value; the user himself chooses what to subscribe to. But we are beginning to see that new niche markets are opening up for content that is not tied directly to subscriptions or the user’s friends. Yes, YouTube offers subscriptions, but they are bought primarily through recommendations the service itself generates,” Mr. Dobrodeev said.

As a holding company, Mail.Ru Group is only second to Google’s YouTube by monthly Russian audience numbers. In September, according to Mediascope, 86.7 million Russians aged over 12 used Mail.Ru on mobile gadgets and desktop computers, while Google had 88.5 million Russians. However, Mail.Ru Group beats its U.S. competitor by daily audience stats (57.3 million vs. Google’s 52.5 million).