Gazprom-Media Holding recently held a new event under its PROfnavigator brand: a meeting between the CEO of PREMIER online cinema, Sofia Mitrofanova, and students of the market technology department of RANEPA. The meeting, which was also part of the MediaEnvironment. Open Mic project at the RANEPA Industry Management Institute, was dedicated to how PREMIER works with video content. The participants discussed how to choose an idea for a TV series, why people love crime films, what it means to be a leader, and how the crazy idea of paying for content managed to win over audiences in Russia, where piracy is so commonplace.
The first online cinemas were introduced in Russia in 2010, when piracy was quite rampant, and they seemed rather out of place: the notion of paying for copyrighted content was completely unheard of. But now, online cinemas are an integral part of the media industry. PREMIER became the first video host to also create its own content, such as commissioning the show House Arrest. With viewers all over Russia, the PREMIER project is being developed by an enormous team. This type of work combines marketing, public relations, promotions, creativity, management, and even sociology. But the greatest contribution to the development of online cinema is made by the audience. The more people watch films and shows legally, the more new high-quality content can be produced by the creators.
Mitrofanova explains that it is new releases that make online cinemas popular, which is why there must be many of them. “And I mean, lots and lots and lots. New content keeps people entertained, quantity does not affect quality, and a large supply of films and shows is what the market needs! We use surveys and feedback to understand what kinds of movies people want. Interestingly, audiences from the Ural region are the most outspoken and willing to share their impressions.” Mitrofanova urged viewers to actively express their thoughts on the further development of online cinema and to take part in creative accelerators.
She noted that the future of online cinema lies in creating perfectly customized film collections for each individual viewer. This will be handled by AI.