Executive management appointments

Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.) (‘MTG’ or ‘the Group’), the international entertainment broadcasting group, today announced that Anders Nilsson, Chief Operating Officer of MTG, will assume responsibility for the Group’s pay-TV operations in the Baltic region. In addition, Irina Gofman, CEO MTG Russia & CIS will assume responsibility for the Group’s mini-pay channel business in CEE and other emerging markets and for the Group’s satellite pay-TV platform in Ukraine. These changes come into effect on 31 May 2011.

Anders Nilsson has worked at MTG for 19 years and served as MTG’s Chief Operating Officer since 2008, and between 2000 and 2003. He is also currently Head of the Group’s free-TV operations in the Baltics and Slovenia, and Head of MTG’s Bulgarian TV operations. Anders previously served as Head of MTG Sweden between 2003 and 2007, and as CEO of MTG’s Online business area between 2008 and 2010. Anders became President of the Group’s radio operations in 1997 and was appointed President of MTG’s publishing business area in 2000.

Irina has served as CEO MTG Russia & CIS since 2008, and previously worked for the Group between 2002 and 2004 as Chief Operating Officer of the DTV Russian national TV network. Irina was also instrumental in the launch and establishment of MTG’s mini-pay channel business in Russia. She is also a non-executive member of the Board of Directors of CTC Media, Inc., in which MTG owns a 38.2% stake.  

Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “Ulrik Bengtsson has decided to leave the company for family reasons and I would like to thank him for his dedication and contribution to the Group’s success over the past seven years. Ulrik first joined as CEO of Viasat Sweden in August 2004 and has been CEO of Pay-TV Emerging Markets since January 2008 and we wish him well for the future. These changes mark a natural progression of the MTG Media House Strategy, combining both our free- and pay-TV activities under one roof, as well as consolidating our pay-TV operations”.

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For further information, please visit www.mtg.se or contact:

Hans-Holger Albrecht, President & CEO
Tel:+46 (0) 8 562 000 50 

Investor & Analyst Enquiries:
Jacob Waern / Matthew Hooper
Tel:  +46 (0) 736 992 991 / +44 (0) 7768 440 414
Email: investor.relations@mtg.se 

Media Enquiries:
Jacob Waern
Tel: +46 (0) 736 992 991
Email: press@mtg.se  

Modern Times Group is an international entertainment broadcasting group with the largest geographical broadcast footprint in Europe. MTG's Viasat Broadcasting operates 28 free-TV channels in 11 countries and 38 pay-tv channels in 32 countries. The pay-tv channels are distributed on Viasat’s own satellite platforms in 9 countries, as well as on third party broadcast networks (including cable, satellite and IPTV) and over the open internet. These free-TV and pay-TV channels and pay-TV platforms attract a total of 125 million viewers in 33 countries. MTG is also the largest shareholder in Russia’s leading independent television broadcaster (CTC Media – Nasdaq: CTCM).

Modern Times Group is a growth company and generated SEK 13.1 billion of sales and SEK 2.4 billion of operating income in 2010. MTG’s Class A and B shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm’s Large Cap index under the symbols ‘MTGA’ and ‘MTGB’.

The information in this announcement is that which Modern Times Group MTG AB is required to disclose under the Securities Market Act and/or the Financial Instruments Trading Act. It was released for publication at 16.00 CET on 20 May 2011.