Belarus will see the launch of a new cable-delivered sports channel specialising in ice hockey on September 1, 2010.
According to Lenta, the service will be named Arena-Media and a response to the current poor coverage of the Belarusian Extraliga ice hockey league on the state TV network.
Arena-Media will be 51% owned by the Belarus Ice Hockey Federation (FHRB), with Dynamo Minsk holding 29% of shares and unnamed individuals 20%.
Start-up costs have put at over $1.8 million (€1.2 million), and funding, derived chiefly from advertising, is expected to help it break even within three to four years.