Zodiak Expands to Belarus

STOCKHOLM/MOSCOW, May 19: Zodiak
Television, through its Russian subsidiary, TeleAlliance, has launched a new branch
in Belarus, its 13th market, which will focus on production and licensing
opportunities in the country.

The branch will be run by Zodiak Vostok in Moscow,
which is the managing and business development company for the group’s
investments in the CIS region. The first project rolling out in Belarus is a
34-episode prime-time entertainment show commissioned and financed by
SportPari, a Belarussian lottery company. Premiering this fall, the show builds
on a new format developed by TeleAlliance, which is also producing the show.

“The expansion into Belarus is a perfect example of
our strategy in the CIS region,” said Patrick Svensk, the CEO of
Zodiak Television. “We are building a strong rights catalogue which we can
capitalize on through production, co-production and licensing in these
fast-growing markets.”

Patrick Nebout, the VP of business development at
Zodiak Vostok, added: “In 2007 we introduced Zodiak’s prime-time format Stars
on Stage to Belarus leading broadcaster ONT, where it
instantly became a hit. But this new commissioned project by SportPari marks a
breakthrough for our production activities in Belarus and allows us to take the
pole position in the market. We’re already in discussion with several
broadcasters to produce formats out of our international and Russian
catalogue.”

—By Irene Lew