new Viasat Russian operation emerges

National Media Group (NMG) has finalised the acquisition of an 80% stake in Viasat’s Russian pay-TV business.

RNS reports that the joint venture between the two companies will control all Viasat’s Russian channels, which include TV1000, TV1000 Action, TV1000 Russian Cinema and the Viasat Premium HD package.

It adds that the new joint venture will be headed by Alexei Krol.

The majority stake in Viasat’s Russian pay-TV channels were initially acquired by Anatoly Karyakin, the owner of the ad company Gallery, in October 2015.

The sale was undertaken ahead of new rules limiting the foreign ownership of media companies in Russia that came into effect at the beginning of this year.

NMG now finds itself one of the leading players in Russia’s pay-TV industry.

Gazprom Media buys NMG stake

Gazprom Media has acquired an additional 7.5% stake in National Media Group (NMG), Russia’s largest media holding.

Kommersant reports that the vendor was Gennady Timchenko and the deal worth R11.12 billion (€144.9 million), with NMG’s total value estimated at R148.26 billion.

The latter figure is three times the holding’s R48.53 billion valuation in 2013, when Timchenko, one of the owners of the Rossiya bank, acquired the 7.5% stake from RTL Group as part of a deal involving Ren TV.

Gazprom Media is owned by Gazprombank, which lists Gazprom as one of its shareholders.

Meanwhile, NMG was formed in 2008 by the combined media assets of Rossiya, Severstal, Surgutneftegaz and Sogaz.