Within this total, television recorded an uptick of 7% to 5bn rubles, partly thanks to the World Cup in South Africa, and including an expansion of 26% among cable and satellite stations.

Competition for TV inventory is expected to rapidly intensify, with Video International having sold approximately 85% of its annual commercial airtime by mid-June.

Gazprom Media stated in the same month that September and October already had a full slate of bookings, while CTC Media plans to boost its rates by between 15% and 20% in the last quarter.

Elsewhere, AKAP estimated that outdoor revenues climbed by 13% to 15bn rubles in H1, despite a significant reduction in poster and billboard space in several major cities.

Given the lack of available sites, discounts are thought to have fallen from around 50%, as was frequently the case in 2009, to no more than 20% in 2010.

Print, radio and cinema also saw demand improve according to AKAP, indicating the ad industry as a whole is beginning to recover after a particularly challenging period at the peak of the downturn.

However, it was the internet which delivered the fastest growth in the first half as sales jumped by 33% to 11bn rubles, with this momentum set to gather further pace going forward.

Procter & Gamble was the leading online display advertiser in Russia in H1 on 220m rubles, ahead of automotive group Renault-Nissan on 183m rubles, per MindShare.

(WARC)