77% of Russians read news from smartphones
Rambler & Co media holding analysts summed up the results of media consumption for the first half of 2025. The study showed that most Russians continue to receive news from mobile devices – the share of reading from smartphones was 77%. At the same time, the desktop still occupies a noticeable share-about 30%, but is mainly used during working hours.
Patterns of the time in which users turn to the news remain stable. The most active time on mobile devices is the early morning (8: 00-9: 00) and evening hours (17: 00-19: 00), and the desktop is more often used by day – with a peak of visits from 12:00 to 13:00. Earlier from 5:00 to 8:00, the smartphone is used for thoughtful reading, and from 17:00 to 19:00 – for quick viewing of the news.
At the same time, the study recorded a change in the duration of interaction with the media. The duration of reading on the desktop increased to 5.5 minutes on average, and on mobile devices – up to 3 minutes. In addition, Wednesday was the most “reading” day, while last year it was a leader in Monday. The least users read the news on Saturdays.
There is a gradual increase in interest in the topics “Science and Technique”, “Auto”, “Health” and “Travel”. The political agenda remains significant, but the attention of the audience is gradually shifting towards practical and educational materials.
Separately, analysts studied media consumption in Telegram. The survey has shown that young users (16-34 years old) are less likely to open the news, but spend more time reading (on average 2.1 hours a day). The senior audience (45–64 years) comes in more often, but reads less in time. At the same time, most users of the messenger prefer a limited number of news channels – up to three to avoid information overload.
Andrei Tsyper, the Executive Director of the Media Rambler & Co, noted that the key preferences of the audience remain stable. The news agenda is gradually changing not in content, but in the form of feed: users seek to receive the same information cuts, but through more convenient and personalized channels, including interaction with AI-agents.
