Russia’s State Duma has passed a bill that will far-reaching effects on how TV advertising is sold in the country.
Moscow Times reports that from now on federal TV channels will be forbidden from signing agreements with ad houses whose market share exceeds 35%. Current agreements will be in place for one more year, and in future channels will have to choose a contactor through auctions or competitive tenders.
The bill will have a devastating effect on Video International (VI), which currently claims a market share of around 60% and lists the leading broadcasters Channel One, Rossiya, CTC and Prof-Media among its clients.
Its only real competitors are Gazprom-Media and its partner Alkasar, which include NTV and TNT among their clients.
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