Government officials, members of President Putin’s administration, and major media companies are discussing the creation of a single state system that would track online content views and advertisement impressions, sources tell the newspaper Vedomosti. The new entity would reportedly compare to existing systems that measure television audiences and tickets sold at movie theaters.
It’s still unclear exactly what data the new system would collect, but sources say it would focus on the number of times Internet users view Russian television shows online. Russia’s Federal Tax Service is also reportedly interested in monitoring online advertising, and collecting data on the revenues earned by the companies that sell these ads.
Deputy Communications Minister Alexey Volin says any Russian website hosting ads or selling content should have to install the state’s new counter. He told Vedomosti that both advertisers and content producers need a transparent system for evaluating the sizes of their online audiences. Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov, meanwhile, warns that advertisers are currently presented with “unverified, not really audited data.”
According to Vedomosti, the government is developing another system to track online viewings of films. Lawmakers in the State Duma have also drafted legislation that would create a single state system for the online transmission of television stations.