St. Petersburg's Advertising Market Grew 4.7% to 17 Billion Rubles

Publishing business: digital outpaced print more than twofold for the first time

Print media advertising fell by roughly 12% — to 261 million rubles. Within the segment, dynamics are mixed: some publications are losing up to 15%, while business media are growing — some players are seeing gains of up to 30%. The share of agency placements in print ranges from zero to 25% and is estimated at 10–15% on average. The ratio of federal to local advertisers is roughly 35 to 65%.

The publishing business's digital segment grew 5% and generated 550 million rubles. The range across individual outlets is wide — from 2% to 30%, with the upper bound once again delivered by business media, whose revenues are supported by major business events. The share of agency placements in digital is 50–55%. For the first time, digital revenues exceeded print revenues more than twofold.

Experts' forecast is cautious. Growth of 5–6% in digital segments for the full year can be considered an optimistic scenario. For print advertising, the benchmark remains a decline of around 12%.

Out-of-Home: +8.9% and 63% digital surfaces

The Out-of-Home segment reached 5 billion rubles, up 8.9%. Static outdoor advertising brought in 3.87 billion rubles (+10.2%), transport advertising — 1.13 billion rubles (+4.6%, an estimate obtained by extrapolating data from previous periods).

In static outdoor advertising, the share of digital inventory reached 63% in terms of the number of advertising faces — that is more than 2,000 screens or 1,500 structures with screens in St. Petersburg. Up to 88% of budgets go to digital formats. By advertiser structure, internet services lead, followed by banking services, real estate, and construction. For the first time in 25 years, the "Clothing and footwear" category strengthened, rising to fourth place. Soft drink producers have returned to outdoor advertising.

Up to 80% of the segment's budgets pass through agencies. Federal placements account for up to 75% of the market, local advertisers — 25%. A pickup is expected in the "Political advertising" segment in the third quarter of 2026.

Radio: −16.2%

The radio advertising market shrank by 16.2% — to 413 million rubles. The share of federal clients on St. Petersburg stations decreased to 20–25%, while local clients' share grew to 75–80%. About 60% of clients work with radio stations directly, 40% — through agencies; in large holdings, the agency share is higher. The leader by volume is the "Real estate" category, with automotive retail showing positive dynamics.

Television: new clients and a reshuffle of categories

In local TV advertising, 41% of budgets came from new clients and those returning after a pause. Among companies that continued placing ads, 44% increased their budgets. The share of agency placements rose by 2 percentage points, to 36%. The leading categories are "Retail" and "Medical goods and services." "Leisure and entertainment" moved up to third place, while "Real estate" dropped from second to fourth.

Analysts attribute the market's difficulties to the economic slowdown, the high key rate, the VAT increase, legislative changes, and declining consumer activity — all of which have hit small and medium-sized businesses, the backbone of the local market, the hardest. Advertisers are betting on precise segmentation, measurable results, and proven channels. If the key rate falls, experts expect a gradual revival of the economy and growth in advertising activity.