ivi.ru | |
Current Status: | Active |
Language: | Russian |
Num Users: | 50 million unique visitors per month |
Registration: | Not required |
Num Employees: | 150 |
Industry: | Russian Internet-based media company |
Ceo: | Oleg Tumanov |
Area Served: | Russia |
Company Type: | Private |
IVI (ivi.ru) is a Russian online video streaming service which offers licensed video content: movies, TV shows, cartoons and music videos.
ivi.ru offers licensed content from all major content producers, including Mosfilm, Lenfilm, Paradise, CTC Media, Gorky Film Studio, Warner Brothers/ Warner Music, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures/Sony Music, NBC Universal/Universal Music, Disney, BBC, National Geographic,, Central Partnership and much more.
ivi.ru is available on devices such as cellphones and tablets, runs operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Symbian, Bada), as well as the Smart TVs from major manufacturers (Samsung, LG, Philips, Panasonic, etc.).
ivi.ru was launched on February 26, 2010, and attracted more than 180,000 users on the first day, making it one of the most successful start-ups among Russian Internet companies.[1] At the time, ivi.ru was owned by founder Oleg Tumanov and Leonid Boguslavsky's company ru-Net. In 2010, Vladimir Potanin's media holding ProfMedia was brought in as a financial investor. ivi.ru raised more money in 2011 from the international technology investment fund Tiger Global Management.[2]
In 2012, the streaming service raised $40 million in another round of funding. The investment was attracted from Baring Vostok, a private equity firm, along with existing investors ru-Net, Tiger Group, ProfMedia, and Frontier Ventures. The funds were used to build out the company's technology, as well as its content catalogue.[3]
ivi.ru operates three online video streaming services: ivi.ru, deti.ivi.ru, and music.ivi.ru:
ivi.ru discourages the proliferation of illegal video and music content amongst Russian Internet users by promoting and offering high quality and easily accessible licensed videos without malware.[6]
97% of content on ivi.ru’s website is free of charge and can be accessed without registration, while the remaining 3% represents the latest movie premiers and the best titles from majors’ catalogues that can be viewed by subscribing to a premium ivi+ service.
In 2012, ivi.ru became the first online video service in Europe streaming licensed content from all major Hollywood content producers.[7]
Users can access content through multiple mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Bada, Symbian and Smart TVs applications for LG, Samsung, Philips, Toshiba, Sony and Panasonic. ivi.ru’s application is pre-installed on STBs as well as devices by Fly, Sony, Acer, Rover Computers, iconBIT, Rolsen, Qumo, inch, PocketBook, Supra, Lexand.[8] ivi.ru was also available on Xbox 360, the home game console by Microsoft.