START

Online Video Streamingstart.ru

START is a Russian subscription-based online cinema platform offering legal streaming of films, series, and cartoons, including exclusive original productions, to Russian-speaking audiences primarily in Russia via a freemium model.

Company typePrivate
Founded2016
HeadquartersMoscow, Russia
Headcount11–50
GTM typeB2C
OfferingDigital Commerce or Content

What START does

START is a Russian subscription-based online cinema platform (онлайн-кинотеатр) that provides legal streaming of films, series, and animated content to Russian-speaking audiences, primarily within the Russian market. The service operates a freemium monetization model in which a portion of the catalog is accessible for free upon registration and a monthly subscription unlocks the full library, with content delivered in video quality up to 4K and subtitles available in Russian, English, and Kazakh. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the start.ru website and mobile apps under a self-serve, product-led growth motion, with no enterprise channel or B2B distribution documented.

The platform's core product strategy centers on a combination of licensed content and exclusive original productions. Flagship originals include Содержанки (Soderzhanki, a four-season 2019-2023 thriller-drama described as achieving cult status with millions of viewers), КрисТина (ChrisTina, 2021), Черная весна (Black Spring, 2022), Возмездие (Vengeance, 2019), Фитнес (Fitness, 2018-2021, five seasons), and 257 причин чтобы жить (257 Reasons to Live, 2020, two seasons), with newer 2025 titles Таргет (Target) and Подслушано в Рыбинске (Eavesdropped in Rybinsk) extending the pipeline. The catalog spans drama, comedy, thriller, action, detective, youth, and melodrama genres with age ratings up to 18+. Audience acquisition is supported by an editorial Journal (Журнал) featuring longreads, actor interviews, and curated recommendations. START is a private company with no disclosed funding history, parent organization, ownership structure, leadership team, patents, awards, or M&A activity in the available data; the platform has been operating for approximately seven years.

START firmographics

Firmographics

Name: START
Legal name: START
Website: https://start.ru
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2016
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 11–50 employees
Short description: START is a Russian subscription-based online cinema platform offering legal streaming of films, series, and cartoons, including exclusive original productions, to Russian-speaking audiences primarily in Russia via a freemium model.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

START industry classification

Industry

Product category: Online Video Streaming
NAICS: Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
SIC: Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
akta.pro primary industry: Pay-TV / Premium Window Distribution (MPADAJAH)

Keywords

Online video streaming
Russian content streaming
Subscription video service
Video on demand
Original russian series

Where START is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Moscow
HQ country: Russia
HQ region: Europe

Markets served

START business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Digital Commerce or Content
Cost components: Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

Subscription Streaming: START operates as a subscription-based online cinema offering legal streaming of films, series, and animated content. The platform uses a freemium model where some content is free with registration and premium content requires subscription.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Freemium	Monthly	Freemium with registration

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

START product offering

Product offering

Core offering

START is a Russian online cinema (онлайн-кинотеатр) that provides legal streaming of films, series, and animated content to Russian-speaking viewers via a freemium subscription model. Free content is accessible upon registration, while the full library of licensed and exclusive original productions requires a paid monthly subscription, delivered in HD/FHD/4K across web and mobile.

Product overview

START is a Russian online streaming platform (Онлайн-кинотеатр) offering legal access to films, series, and animated content in high-quality video (HD/FHD/4K). The platform operates as a single unified streaming service accessible via web (start.ru) with the core offering being video-on-demand (VOD) content. The portfolio includes original exclusive productions (such as 'Содержанки', 'КрисТина', 'Черная весна', '257 причин чтобы жить') alongside licensed content. Content is organized by categories including drama, comedy, thriller, action, detective, youth, and melodrama, primarily from Russian production with some international titles. The platform provides subtitle options (Russian, English, Kazakh) and audio descriptions (тифлокомментарий) for accessibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

START Online Cinema (Онлайн-кинотеатр START)

Quantifiable outcome

Series 'Soderzhanki' achieved cult status with millions of viewers

Companies that use START

Customer profile

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

START technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

START partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

START competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Kion: Kion is MTS's Russian SVOD platform offering original series, films, and live TV to Russian-speaking audiences, often bundled with MTS mobile/telecom plans. It is a direct Russian-market competitor to START with similar originals-driven positioning.
More.tv: More.tv is a Russian subscription VOD service offering originals and licensed films/series. It competes directly with START for Russian-language SVOD subscribers and has its own originals slate.
Okko: Okko is a major Russian subscription streaming service owned by Sberbank, offering films, series, and originals in HD/4K with a freemium tier. It competes head-to-head with START in Russian-language SVOD, with broader catalogs and bundle distribution via Sberbank.
Premier: Premier is Gazprom-Media's subscription streaming platform focused on Russian original series and films. It competes directly with START in the originals-driven, Russian-language SVOD niche and is backed by one of Russia's largest media conglomerates.
Amediateka: Amediateka is a Russian streaming service specializing in premium international and original series (notably HBO content historically). It is a direct Russian-market competitor to START for premium SVOD subscribers seeking high-quality scripted content.
Rutube: Rutube is a major Russian online video platform with subscription and AVOD tiers offering films, series, and user-generated content. It is a comparable Russian-market streaming peer to START, particularly around licensed and original video distribution.
Kinopoisk HD: Kinopoisk HD is Yandex's subscription streaming service integrated with the Kinopoisk movie-database and bundled into Yandex Plus. It is one of START's primary Russian-market SVOD competitors, leveraging Yandex's traffic, data, and original-content investments.
IVI: IVI is Russia's largest independent online cinema / VOD platform offering subscription and TVOD streaming of films, series, and originals to Russian-speaking audiences — directly comparable to START on product (SVOD streaming), business model (freemium + subscription), target market (Russian-speaking viewers), and competitive set.

Broad incumbents

Netflix: Netflix is a global subscription streaming incumbent. It is a broad comparable for START on SVOD business model, technology stack, originals strategy, and 4K product positioning, though it operates at vastly larger scale and is no longer directly accessible inside Russia.

Regional players

MEGOGO: MEGOGO is a leading CIS-region subscription streaming platform offering films, series, and TV channels across Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and other CIS markets. It is comparable to START as a Russian-language SVOD peer, though it operates across a broader CIS geography and historically a wider content mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

START financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

START leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

START funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

START M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about START

What does START do?

Is START a public or private company?

START is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.

When was START founded?

START was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.

Where is START based?

START is headquartered in Moscow, Russia, in the Europe region.

How does START make money?

One revenue line is on record: subscription Streaming.

Who are START's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Kion, More.tv, Okko, Premier, Amediateka, Rutube, Kinopoisk HD and IVI. Netflix is listed as a broad incumbent. MEGOGO is listed as a regional player.

Does START have an API?

No public API is recorded for START.

What industry is START in?

START's product category is Online Video Streaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAJAH, Pay-TV / Premium Window Distribution. Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7822.