Vlad Riashyn

October 24, 2011 World Screen

Russia is already the fifth-largest television advertising market in Europe. TV ad spending rose to about €3.1 billion last year, according to Aegis Media, up 15 percent from 2009, and the upward trend continues. There is indeed plenty more room for growth. TV ad spend per capita in Russia in 2010 was only about €21 compared with €134 in the U.S. (and €6 in Ukraine). Bullish executives in Moscow are predicting that Russia will be Europe’s biggest TV ad market within the next couple of years.

One of the production companies tapping into the boom as a program supplier is Star Media, which is home to a library of more than 2,300 hours of programming. On the current slate are the crime dramas Demons and Fury for NTV; the series Island of the Unwanted; and, for Channel One Russia, Once Upon a Time in Odessa and Trouble in Store.
 
Vladislav Riashyn, who launched the company five years ago, was formerly the chairman of Inter TV, one of the top-rated networks in Ukraine. TV Europe asked him about the changes in Russia and the implications for the international program market.
 
TV EUROPE: What has been the biggest change in the Rus­sian TV landscape recently? 
RIASHYN: The Russian television advertising market has bounced back very quickly from the economic crisis, and next year’s figures could exceed 2008’s. Competition has intensified between television channels, not only the first tier, but second and third tier too. Channels understand their audiences better and have become more clearly focused on niches. The amount of content produced in 2011 is the highest in the last three years.
 
TV EUROPE: Has your company seen a difference in demand for product?
RIASHYN: Definitely. In terms of turnover and the number of productions we expect to exceed the figures for 2008. Star Media is present in Ukraine and Kazakhstan and these markets show the same upward trend and stable growth. In Ukraine, together with our partner Quarter 95, we have already done two seasons of a major proprietary format called Go Dance! and next year it will probably appear in local versions in Russia and Kazakhstan, and possibly in other countries.
 
TV EUROPE: Is demand for imported programming growing?
RIASHYN: The Russian market remains very interested in the world’s big television hits and the popular formats of various TV shows and series. However, we not only buy but also produce our own formats for export. This year, Star Media has sold U.S. remake rights to a thriller called The Weather Station.
 
TV EUROPE: Are there opportunities to set up to co-produce with Russia? 
RIASHYN: There is a lot of potential for combining prime-time audiences in Russia and various other countries through international co-production. At MIPCOM, Star Media will present a new joint project with HISTORY, an English-language docu­drama called Soviet Storm, inspired by our original docudrama The Great Patriotic War. We’re also introducing a new large-scale docudrama project for co-production, World War 2 Reloaded, in which we plan to enlist several of the participating countries of the Second World War. And we have another big docudrama for co-production, on the Napoleonic wars. In addition, we have a number of drama series that are potentially interesting for co-production, such as Anna German: Mystery of the White Angel, about the fate of a famous European singer.
 
TV EUROPE: What are the big investment opportunities in Russian television at present?
RIASHYN: The Russian TV market is still undervalued. So, it’s a good time right now to get involved. Many large international companies, such as Sony Pictures Television, Zodiak Media Group and Endemol, have opened offices in Russia and have expanded their presence by buying assets in the form of local production companies. Local production is an attractive opportunity. The price-performance ratio of production in Russia is better than in many other countries. Already the quality of production in Russia is very high. And in three to five years I think we will have some of the best production in Europe, with demand from around the world. Globalization and more access to information are giving people a better understanding of the overall global context of production. This will enable us to develop themes that are understandable to audiences in different countries. So I see potential for Russian local product to become more universal.