MTG Takes Stake in Russian DTH Platform

COPENHAGEN: Modern Times Group has acquired a 50-percent interest in the Russian DTH platform Raduga TV, which offers more than 50 channels to its 70,000 subscribers.

MTG has acquired the interest in Raduga Holdings from Continental Media for an undisclosed consideration in cash. Raduga TV has been in operation since February 2009. Its channel offerings include Discovery Channel Russia, Eurosport Russia and National Geographic, as well as Viasat Broadcasting’s Viasat History, Viasat Explorer, TV1000 Russian Kino, TV1000 East and TV1000 Action East channels. The deal means that Viasat is now providing DTH services in a total of nine countries: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia, reaching more than one million subscribers. 

Hans-Holger Albrecht, the president and CEO of MTG, commented: “We are delighted to have forged this strong partnership to develop a competitive pay-TV distribution platform in Europe’s largest market by number of TV households. Our Viasat channels are already well known by subscribers across Russia. We are an integrated TV broadcaster, operating free and pay-TV businesses across multiple markets, and Russia is one of the most attractive pay-TV markets in the world.”