Most-Watched Gagarin Cup Series Ever in "Kinopoisk" Sports Section's History
The 17th season of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) attracted a record audience of 3.5 million users, with 2.2 million Yandex Plus subscribers tuning in to watch the action. The KHL season, which ran from September 3 to May 21, broadcast all 869 regular season and playoff matches on KinoPoisk, an online cinema partner of the KHL.
The peak in viewership was in April, during the Gagarin Cup playoffs, with over 1.1 million subscribers on KinoPoisk who watch sports tuning in to watch the opening games. Moscow, St. Petersburg, and several other regions were the areas with the highest engagement, with an average of nine playoff matches watched per subscriber.
Three games from the 2024/25 KHL season made it into the top 10 most popular broadcasts in the history of the sports section on KinoPoisk. The final match between Lokomotiv and Traktor in Yaroslavl on May 21 attracted the largest audience of 355 thousand Yandex Plus subscribers. The top 10 also included the final series match between Lokomotiv and Traktor on May 15 and the series match between Lokomotiv and Avangard in Yaroslavl on April 23, surpassing popular sports events such as "El-Clasico" matches and Euro 2024 playoff matches featuring England and France.
The league reported a 1.5-fold increase in ticket sales for KHL matches and Yandex Afisha partners. Yandex's ticket service worked with 17 out of 23 league clubs last season and sold over 1.1 million tickets for club matches and the Fonbet Week of Stars Hockey. The 17th season of the KHL not only offered numerous thrilling moments in dramatic seven-game series but also set a new benchmark for the audience watching league, club, and player content.
This season saw the launch of several entertainment shows, including "Good Goal: Coach," "Hockey Science," "Kurch goes into the season," and Leonid Kanevsky's special report. The KHL section on KinoPoisk now enables the purchase of hockey tickets directly, and the product has been improved with the integration of the "Insights" viewing mode and useful statistics in the KinoPoisk player.
The KHL looks forward to immersing new audiences deeper into the specifics of hockey and making KinoPoisk even more comfortable for hardcore hockey fans in the upcoming season. Artem Potapov, head of Sports at "Fantech," and Sergei Dobrokhlov, KHL Vice-President, expressed gratitude to the fans, players, and partners for their support and shared excitement for the future of hockey in Russia. Yandex and KHL became partners for the 2023/2024 season, with all regular season and playoff matches available on KinoPoisk with a Yandex Plus subscription, making it the basic subscription for hockey fans in Russia.
Sports enthusiasts in Europe might be intrigued to know that the upcoming season of the premier league, not referring to football, but the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), is anticipated to captivate audiences with its engaging entertainment shows, such as "Good Goal: Coach," "Hockey Science," and "Leonid Kanevsky's special report." With the KHL partnership with Yandex for the 2023/2024 season, fans can now enjoy all regular season and playoff matches on KinoPoisk with a Yandex Plus subscription.
