VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS BUILDS SCALE in RUSSIA with LAUNCH of FULLY OWNED & OPERATED MTV CHANNEL on 1St OCTOBER
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS BUILDS SCALE IN RUSSIA WITH LAUNCH OF FULLY OWNED & OPERATED MTV CHANNEL ON 1st OCTOBER Nickelodeon Hits Number One Pay-TV Spot Paramount Comedy Reaches 7.5m Households in Eighteen Months LONDON / MOSCOW, 1st October 2013 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a division of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), today launches its newest fully owned and operated service in Russia with the re-launch of youth entertainment channel, MTV. The news was announced by David Lynn, Executive Vice President and Managing Director, VIMN UK and marks a major milestone in VIMN’s 15-year history in the market. Debuting in high definition on cable & satellite through key local distribution partnerships with Rostelecom, NTV Plus and Megafon, MTV will be available via basic tier packages to more than 2.3m households across the country. Offering Russian youth the full MTV brand experience for the first time ever, the channel will feature a mix of local content – including locally commissioned and produced flagship music show, MTV Top 20 – alongside the best of the brand’s global programming dubbed in Russian, such as hit reality and documentary series Catfish, Awkward and I Used to Be Fat, plus classic shows Jersey Shore, Pimp My Ride and Beavis & Butt-head. Showcasing both local and international music, and reflecting Russia’s thirst for live music, franchises such as MTV World Stage, together with music videos, will account for 35% of the overall schedule. Previously operated under license, the new-look MTV brings VIMN’s portfolio of owned and operated channels in the market to 11 and builds on the success of VIMN’s existing business in Russia. Multi-media kids and family entertainment brand, Nickelodeon, which celebrates its 15th Russian anniversary in November, is now the number one pay-TV* channel in Russia based on share amongst individuals 4+ (Source: TNS TV Index Plus data for the last quarter**), having increased its distribution by +500% since 2009, to 8.5m households. Based on the newly released TNS data, the channel’s share of viewing among kids 4-17 is up +64% year-on-year and Nickelodeon is the number four most popular TV channel across all television channels in Russia, including free-to-air channels, for kids 4-17**. Bolstering VIMN’s success in Russia is Paramount Comedy. Launched in April 2012 as an extension of VIMN’s Comedy Central brand, Paramount Comedy, a 24-hour, fully-localised and ad-supported premium comedy channel, has built a loyal audience amongst its core target and is already the number nine highest channel (among TNS TV Index Plus measured channels) ranked on average time spent viewing among 18-34 year old viewers in Russia during the last quarter, after only 18 months on-air, with distribution of 7.5m households across the country. “Russia is a high growth market and key investment priority for VIMN, and the launch of our first-ever owned and operated MTV main channel, together with the success of Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy, not only demonstrates our commitment to the market, but is also testament to our Moscow and London-based team’s vision and dedication,” commented Lynn. “It’s fitting that as we celebrate 15 years in the market, Russian audiences are able to enjoy our three powerhouse global brands – MTV, Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy – as truly authentic, globally aligned channels.” - ENDS - Editor’s notes: Ratings detail * Some thematic channels in Russia are free of charge. ** Calculations are made on the basis of average daily reach and average time spent viewing (among viewers; for June-August 2013). Artwork High-resolution artwork is available to download from the ftp below: Host: ftp://ftp.vimn.com/ Username: vimnrussia Password: dX4NWxY9IP Executive interviews David Lynn is available for interview. ABOUT VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS: Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3s: MTV, Música y Más. Viacom brands are seen globally in more than 726 million households in approximately 169 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com, blog.viacom.com and the Viacom Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. Press Contacts Kelly Todd Tessa Tennyson VIMN Communications/London VIMN Communications/London Tel: +44 (0)203 580 2104 Tel: +44 (0) 203 580 2942 [email protected] [email protected] .