Mail launches free live TV on its homepage

Mail’s webmail service has integrated a live TV player right on its homepage, streaming up to 10 popular channels for free. During the first month of testing, users’ time spent on the site jumped by 31%.

Here’s the breakdown:

• Daily audience for Mail’s TV player exceeds 4 million users aged 25 to 44.
• Time spent on Mail’s homepage rose by 1.3 times during the month-long test.
• The player streams up to 10 TV channels for free and doesn’t require a separate app.

How Mail’s TV player works

The new format is designed for background viewing. Users can stream live TV channels alongside their daily tasks – checking email, browsing news, or working on documents. The broadcast plays directly in the browser, with no redirects or subscription needed.

Over 4 million people interact with the TV player every day, mainly users aged between 25 and 44. This demographic tends to watch live TV simultaneously with other tasks, turning television into a familiar background experience.

What Mail says about monetizing the TV player

Mail’s head of monetization, Margarita Volkova, outlined the strategy behind the launch: “The rollout of the TV player is another step toward building a convenient content ecosystem where users can access news and entertainment all in one spot. We aim to offer users diverse content formats, and this new video player also opens up opportunities for advertisers to deliver personalized, targeted campaigns. As a result, users see content tailored to their interests, while brands gain a more effective communication channel.”

In short, the player solves two key challenges simultaneously. For users, it provides free access to live TV channels without unnecessary clicks. For advertisers, it creates new inventory with targeted ad placements inside the video stream on one of the most visited pages in Runet.