C-Media

What C-Media does

C-Media (Медиа-холдинг C-Media) is a privately held Russian digital media holding founded in 2006 and headquartered in Moscow, operating a horizontally diversified portfolio of more than 10 vertical web portals and social networks. Its properties cover cinema (Film.ru, EMPIRE digital magazine), automotive (CARS.ru, CAR magazine), audio/video technology (Hi-Fi.ru, AudioMagazine), news and politics (Newsland.com, MaxPark.com), celebrity content (Paparazzi.ru, Zvezdi.ru), sports (Sportliga.com), and city lifestyle (TimeOut.ru). The company reports approximately 20 million monthly unique visitors and 35 million monthly page views (Google Analytics, 2014-2016), reaching an estimated 17.3% of the Russian internet audience in cities of 100,000+ (TNS, 2011).

The holding's technology infrastructure includes cross-platform web, mobile, and tablet delivery, interactive digital magazines built on Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (recognized as Best Digital Publication at the 2013 Adobe Медиа-Менеджер России awards), and proprietary advertising systems — most notably Mediatoday's patented video contextual advertising technology serving 1,000+ publisher sites, and the Soyuz Zhurnalistov banner exchange network processing up to 400 million monthly ad impressions across 100+ partner sites. C-Media also operates SocialCraft (SMM agency), Stereokiller (licensed music aggregation), and iWorker.ru (HR portal), and produces the Premium Hi-Fi & High End Show exhibition.

Revenue is generated primarily through display, video, and rich-media advertising sold via a direct enterprise sales force targeting advertisers in automotive, FMCG, telecommunications, electronics, and finance, supplemented by branded special projects, microsites, event sponsorships, and professional SMM services. Pricing is CPM- and fixed-weekly placement-based, with CPM rates ranging from 40 RUB (low-tier sites) to 1,100 RUB (TimeOut.ru fullscreen) and weekly branding packages up to 800,000 RUB. Distribution combines a direct enterprise sales team, an inside sales operation, and a TimeOut.ru franchise model launched in 2015 for regional Russian cities. The company has 74 employees and remains privately held with no disclosed external funding rounds.

Name

C-Media

Legal name

C-Media

Website

https://cmedia-online.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

C-Media is a privately held Russian digital media holding operating 10+ vertical web portals and social networks (Film.ru, CARS.ru, Hi-Fi.ru, Newsland, Maxpark, TimeOut.ru, Paparazzi, Zvezdi, Sportliga) reaching 20M monthly visitors, selling display, video, and branded-content advertising to enterprise advertisers in automotive, FMCG, telecom, and finance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Media Advertising

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Media Representatives (541840)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

OTT Platform CMS & Content Operations (Catalog, Scheduling, Workflows) (MPAHAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Media & Broadcast Sponsorship (In-Game Broadcast, Streaming Sponsorship) (MPAKALAF)

Keywords

• Digital advertising networks
• Online media portals
• Video advertising technology
• Branded content campaigns
• Interactive digital magazines

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Display/Banner Advertising: C-Media's primary revenue stream comes from selling display advertising across its portfolio of internet portals and social networks. The company offers standard banner formats (240x400, 728x90, fullscreen), rich media, and video banners with CPM and fixed weekly pricing. Premium sites like Film.ru (40M monthly page views), CARS.ru (10.5M), and Newsland (12M) command the highest CPM rates.
2. Video Advertising (Mediatoday): Mediatoday, C-Media's video advertising network, generates revenue from in-stream and in-page video ads across more than 1,000 partner sites. The patented video contextual technology enables higher engagement rates than standard display.
3. Special Projects and Branded Content: C-Media creates custom branded content campaigns and special project placements (microsites, themed editorial content, contest integrations) as a premium advertising product. Pricing is individually quoted per project.
4. SMM and Social Media Marketing Services (SocialCraft): SocialCraft, C-Media's SMM agency subsidiary founded in 2009, provides social media marketing, app development, and analytics services to external clients. Revenue from these services supplements the group's advertising income.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

C-Media is a Russian digital media holding that sells display advertising, video advertising, and branded content/special projects across a diversified portfolio of owned vertical-interest web portals (cinema, automotive, audio/video, news/social, celebrity, sports, city lifestyle) reaching approximately 20 million monthly unique visitors. The company also operates a patented video advertising network (Mediatoday), a banner exchange network (Soyuz Zhurnalistov), an SMM agency (SocialCraft), interactive digital magazines for iPad/Android, and the Premium Hi-Fi exhibition.

Product overview

C-Media is a media holding company operating a diversified portfolio of web portals, digital publications, and media services. The portfolio includes content portals across entertainment (TimeOut.ru), cinema (Film.ru), automotive (Cars.ru), audio/video technology (Hi-Fi.ru), news/social (Newsland.com, MaxPark.com), celebrity/gossip (Paparazzi.ru, Zvezdi.ru), and sports (Sportliga.com). Supporting services include a banner exchange network (Soyuz Zhurnalistov), video advertising network (Mediatoday), and SMM agency (SocialCraft). Digital magazine offerings include EMPIRE Digital and Hi-Fi.ru Digital for iPad/Android, alongside print magazine AudiosMagazin. The company also organizes the Premium Hi-Fi exhibition. Total monthly audience reaches 20 million visitors across all platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TimeOut.ru Entertainment and city guide portal covering restaurants, cinema, clubs, exhibitions, theaters, and urban events. Part of the international Time Out brand with 50-year history. Operates via a franchise model for regional Russian cities, providing partners with ready-made technical platform, editorial strategy, ad management system, and centralized content.
• Film.ru National cinema portal and leading Russian internet publication about cinema. Covers world and domestic cinematography, film reviews, box office results, and festival news since December 1999. 40 million monthly page views.
• Cars.ru (CARS.ru) Multi-purpose automotive portal with vehicle classifieds database. Features car dealer listings, search services, catalogs, credit and insurance programs, and automotive news. 10.5 million monthly page views.
• Hi-Fi.ru Oldest Russian-language portal dedicated to quality audio and video. Features news, professional reviews with measurements, forums, classifieds, and equipment catalog. 4.8 million monthly page views.
• Newsland.com Interactive news service allowing users to influence the news feed by rating originality and importance of materials. Features analytics, video content, and public discussions. 12 million monthly page views; ranked #1 in the 'Society' category on Liveinternet.ru.
• MaxPark.com First Russian social network with developed blogosphere. Targets mature audience (25+) and supports high culture of online communication. Includes loyalty program. 19 million monthly page views. Notable for hosting blogs by prominent public figures.
• Paparazzi.ru

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Izdatelsky Dom TOP-50 (Publishing House)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2014C-Media and Izdatelsky Dom TOP-50 entered a strategic partnership to jointly manage the Time Out brand in Russia. A joint venture company 'Media-Servis' was created from January 1, 2015 to manage Time Out assets. Sergey Gorpenko (CCO of C-Media) became Commercial Director of Time Out Russia. The partnership consolidated TimeOut.ru and mobile apps under C-Media's commercial operations.
• AdobecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013C-Media uses Adobe Creative Suite 6 and Adobe Digital Publishing Suite (DPS) for producing its digital magazine editions (EMPIRE, Hi-Fi.ru) for iPad and Android tablets. The digital edition of EMPIRE won 'Innovation of the Year' at the Adobe-supported Медиа-Менеджер России-2013 awards. Adobe provided C-Media with Creative Cloud individual subscriptions as part of the partnership recognition.
• MediaToday (Videoclick.ru, Videointeractive.ru, Otclick-adv.ru)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2011C-Media acquired a 51% stake in MediaToday, which operates Videoclick.ru and Videointeractive.ru (video advertising platforms with proprietary engine and methods achieving 100% user attention to ads), and Otclick-adv.ru (banner network optimizing campaigns by KPI). MediaToday serves 260+ brand clients. C-Media rebranded these as the C-Media video advertising network.
• Family (Design Studio)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2011C-Media acquired 51% of the Family design studio, which provides creative and design services for branded projects and special campaigns within the C-Media portfolio.
• Pro.We (Video Studio)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2011C-Media acquired 51% of video studio Pro.We, which produces video content for advertising campaigns and special projects across C-Media portals.
• Lifeform (Internet Strategy Agency)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2011C-Media acquired 51% of Lifeform, an agency specializing in internet strategy development and digital campaign planning.
• Zvezdi.ru (Acquired 51%)minorOthers · 29 November 2010C-Media acquired 51% of Zvezdi.ru, the #1 celebrity and show business portal in Runet, with 180,000 daily visitors and 5 million monthly visitors. The acquisition aimed for redesign, synergy with Paparazzi.ru, and integration of licensed media content.
• CARS.ru (Acquired)coreOthers · 10 June 2010C-Media acquired CARS.ru, one of Russia's leading automotive portals with 2 million monthly visitors and 40,000 daily visitors. The acquisition created a major automotive media alliance combining CARS.ru with the print magazine CAR (published by C-Media since 2007). The portal features 10,000 monthly classified ads and 3,000 registered car dealerships.
• Soyuz Zhurnalistov (Banner Exchange Network)coreOthers · 31 May 2010C-Media acquired the Soyuz Zhurnalistov banner exchange network, Russia's oldest such network (founded >10 years prior). The network serves 100+ leading Russian media sites and processes up to 400 million ad impressions per month. The founding team led by Artur Ladusan continues to operate the network.
• Film.ru (Acquired from Izdatelsky Dom Sobaka)coreOthers · 21 May 2010C-Media acquired Film.ru from Izdatelsky Dom Sobaka. Film.ru, one of the oldest and most authoritative Russian online cinema publications, has been operating since December 1999. The acquisition integrated with C-Media's EMPIRE magazine for cross-media synergies in cinema content.
• Gidepark.ru (Acquired)coreOthers · 17 May 2010C-Media acquired Gidepark.ru, a social network with developed blogosphere and social networking features targeting mature users (25+). The site grew to 1.7M registered users within one year and reached 8M monthly visitors. Gidepark was later rebranded to Maxpark.com in 2012, merging with Newsland in 2016.
• Newsland.ru (Acquired)coreOthers · 25 February 2010C-Media acquired Newsland.ru, a major news discussion portal with monthly traffic of up to 4 million visitors and daily traffic of 100-150K (Google Analytics). Newsland ranked #1 in the 'Society' category on Liveinternet.ru. After acquisition, the portal's audience was integrated into C-Media's total reach, and Newsland merged with Maxpark in 2016.
• Hi-Fi.ru (Acquired)coreOthers · 29 September 2009C-Media acquired Hi-Fi.ru, one of Runet's oldest audio/video web resources (since 1997). The portal had 250,000 monthly users at the time. The acquisition was part of C-Media's strategy to strengthen its online portfolio, complementing the magazine iVAN (later renamed Hi-Fi.ru magazine).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Webedia: French digital media holding operating thematic vertical portals (cinema, automotive, lifestyle, technology) with advertising monetization. Highly comparable international peer with similar multi-vertical portal portfolio strategy and B2B advertising focus.
• Sports.ru: Leading Russian sports media portal covering sports news, analytics, and fan communities. Directly comparable to C-Media's Sportliga.com portal in terms of vertical, audience, and ad-supported business model within the Russian sports media market.
• Independent Media (Sanoma Russia): Russian publishing house operating lifestyle, fashion, and business magazines with associated digital properties. Directly comparable legacy print publisher that has transitioned to a digital media holding similar to C-Media's structure.
• Rambler&Co: Russian internet media holding operating portals across news (Lenta.ru, Gazeta.ru), entertainment (Afisha), and other verticals with advertising-based monetization. Most directly comparable Russian peer with multi-vertical portal portfolio and advertising revenue model.
• StarHit / Hello.ru (ID Media): Russian celebrity and show business publication with both print magazine and digital portal, comparable to C-Media's Paparazzi.ru and Zvezdi.ru in vertical focus, audience, and print-to-digital transition within the Russian market.
• Afisha (Rambler&Co): Russian entertainment and city lifestyle guide, part of Rambler&Co. Directly comparable to C-Media's TimeOut.ru in entertainment listings, city lifestyle content, and event-focused monetization within the Russian market.
• Hearst Shkulev Media: Russian magazine publisher operating Elle, Maxim, Cosmopolitan and other titles with digital extensions. Comparable model of print roots transitioning to multi-vertical digital media holding with advertising revenue across consumer interests.
• Championat.com: Major Russian sports portal owned by Rambler&Co. Comparable to Sportliga.com with similar audience (sports enthusiasts) and advertising-based revenue model in the Russian sports vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Mail.ru Group / VK: Russia's largest internet company operating social network VK, Mail.ru email, and multiple content/media properties. Overlaps with C-Media's social network (Maxpark) and content portal businesses, but at vastly larger scale and as a broader incumbent.
• Yandex: Russian technology giant operating Yandex.Zen content platform, Yandex.Music, and Yandex.Media advertising network. Competes for Russian digital advertising budgets and audience attention with C-Media's portfolio, particularly through content recommendation algorithms.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-media_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about C-Media