According to local reports, Russia is preparing a draft law on advertising that will bring the country into line with the European Convention on Transfrontier Television. If enacted, it will see a reduction in TV advertising and limit the interruption of movies by commercials. Russia passed what is already a far-reaching advertising law last year that limits TV commercials to 20% of airtime an hour and 15% a day. It also restricts ad blocks to a maximum of four minutes, bans beer advertising at certain times of day and places limits on the use of children’s images and advertising of pharmaceutical products. Separately, the Russian DTH platform NTV-Plus is reported to have withdrawn Fashion TV from its programme line-up. The French channel has been an almost ever-present on NTV-Plus since the platform, which has around 500,000 subscribers, made its debut in 1996. A dispute arose between the two parties over distribution fees, with NTV-Plus apparently asking Fashion TV for $600,000 (€464,418) a year after it had previously itself being paying the channel a monthly fee of around $15,000. (CD)
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