MTG launches Viaplay online pay-TV service in Russia
Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.) (‘MTG’ or ‘the Group’), the international entertainment broadcasting group, today announced that it has expanded its Viaplay online pay-TV service to Russia. Viaplay has previously been made available to customers in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland, and the Group is now expanding its online pay-TV offering to customers outside the Nordic region for the first time. Viaplay provides Russians with an online on-demand subscription service, offering unlimited on-demand access to streamed TV series and documentaries, as well as international and local movies. The service is being made available via broadband internet across Russia.
The Russian version of Viaplay offers a broad range of Viasat content without advertisements, through personal computers with internet access. The subscription, priced at 99 RUB (approximately EUR 2.50) per month, 199 RUB (approximately EUR 5.10) for three months, and 295 RUB (approximately EUR 7.50) for six months, provides unlimited access to Viaplay content.
The streamed offering includes content from the Group’s thematic documentary channels Viasat History, Viasat Explorer and Viasat Nature, as well as content from the TV1000-branded movie channels. The broad offering includes international movie titles like Spider-Man 1-3, The Da Vinci Code, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Men in Black II and 50 First Dates, as well as Russian movies such as PiraMMMida, The Ghost and Terra Nova.
Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “The launch of Viaplay in Russia represents an important milestone both for our Emerging Markets operations and for MTG as a leading international broadcasting Group. More than 50 million Russians, or over 40% of the population, already use the internet, and TV content is one of the most important sources of both online and offline entertainment.
“MTG has a leading position as a European online on-demand pay-TV operator, and we are excited to bring our experience and technology to Russia, in order to provide Russian viewers with a great online experience. We are already present in the Russian pay-TV market through the Raduga satellite TV platform, and Viaplay will enable more Russians than ever to access our content when and where they want.”
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For further information, please visit www.mtg.se or contact:
Hans-Holger Albrecht, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +46 (0) 8 562 000 50
Matthew Hooper, Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: +44 (0) 7768 440 414
Email: investor.relations@mtg.se / press@mtg.se
Modern Times Group (MTG) is an international entertainment broadcasting group with operations that span four continents and include free-TV, pay-TV, radio and content production businesses. MTG’s Viasat Broadcasting operates free-TV and pay-TV channels, which are available on Viasat’s own satellite platforms and third party networks, and also distributes TV content over the internet. MTG is also the largest shareholder in CTC Media, which is Russia’s leading independent television broadcaster.
Modern Times Group is a growth company and generated record net sales of SEK 13.5 billion in 2011. 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 08.00 CET on 3 April 2012.