Olga Filipuk of Yandex-owned KinoPoisk describes the Russian streamer’s big amibitions when it comes to taking its content to the world stage.

Innovative drama Aeterna transplants 17th century Europe to a fictional planet

Yandex Media Services’ chief content officer Olga Filipuk, who is also CEO of the company’s streamer KinoPoisk, says IP is a core part of its strategy and believes Russia could become the next South Korea in terms of local content being sold worldwide.

Russian audiences have certainly taken their time to come around to the allure of both global and local streaming platforms, with international giants only arriving in the country last year.

On the local OTT front, things are also starting to finally heat up. After several years establishing itself as one of the biggest streamers in its own territory, KinoPoisk is ready to break out of its own borders and take on the world.

“Linear TV is stagnating in Russia right now,” says Filipuk. “Streaming, meanwhile, has finally entered a boom. We’re the biggest in Russia with about 10 million subscribers, and we want to double our customer base within the next couple of years with a potential Russian market of 40 million people. Our nearest competitors are on four or five million subscribers, so the competition is fierce, but we’ve got the advantage of being a market leader with a small amount of international clout.”

Olga Filipuk

After making locally established series such as The Last Minister and teen drama Topi, KinoPoisk has selected two series that it feels will catapult it to worldwide success.

The first is adult cartoon series Cyberslav (8×25’), which borrows heavily from Slavic folklore and is made by Dmitry Yakovenko, the creator of Russian kids’ show Kikoriki. Slated for release next autumn, the show tells the story of a post-apocalyptic Russian future where protagonist Cyberslav aims to bring peace to the world.

Second is Aeterna, an 8×60’ series set on a fictional planet with tensions escalating between various factions and houses who all dress like 17th century Europeans.

The show is based on Vera Kamsha’s book The Sparks of Aeterna and the first episode will debut this December, with the remaining seven shows becoming available in autumn 2022. For Filipuk, the fact the series has a literary work behind it already makes all the difference.

“We try to base any new genre we break into on our literary IP,” she says. “When an audience is comfortable with a format and the set-up is already there, it makes it much easier to get on to the screen. With Aeterna, we wouldn’t have gone in for it if the author hadn’t been attached. We needed Vera Kamsha attached to represent her world on screen, so that it would be what fans had imagined.”

Despite wanting to create a show that was true to the original novel, Filipuk says there is nothing in the show that is remotely Russian. This, she says, is partly to increase its international potential but is also to make it more relatable.

Animated series Cyberslav draws on Russian folklore

When KinoPoisk was in discussions with Kamsha, they agreed that any modern-day issues viewers would relate to would be much more effective if placed in a mystical setting.

After its staggered season one release, what’s next for the fantasy show? Filipuk sees potential in exploiting the IP as much as possible to build a franchise.

“After season one we’d like to move into spin-offs,” she says. “The universe is so varied and there are so many houses and families to cover. There are possibilities to take the story anywhere, depending on how people accept it. We’ve found a way to gauge audience reaction almost immediately, by having the author do Instagram Live sessions immediately after each episode. The author will get a chance to clarify their intentions to the audience, and the viewers feel like they’ve been heard.”

While Aeterna is styled as a story that could take place anywhere, Filipuk says Cyberslav is very Russian. The animation uses local folklore and, for KinoPoisk, this Russian flavour is as important to the show as universality is to Aeterna. Filipuk feels both shows are equally valid when it comes to bringing Russian TV to the global stage.

“Russia is about to join the international TV market,” she says. “There are more and more offerings from more and more cities all the time, with both global platforms and local streamers showing more interest in Russian content. The quality is improving too, and we’re open to foreign coproduction opportunities.

“Series like Aeterna are also creating acting opportunities in other countries for their cast members, so that’s a great sign too. Now that the ambition is high, we hope Russia will become the next Spain or South Korea.”