The much-publicised deal under which Gazprom-Media gained a controlling stake in Russia’s leading DTH platform Tricolor TV a year ago has not been concluded.
In a surprise report, AKTR and ComNews say that one of the reasons for this happening is an inability for Tricolor’s owners to provide accurate subscriber figures. Although the most recent provided are 6.52 million, of whom 5.12 million receive packages, industry sources believe they could vary by between 20-25%, depending on the season.
The head of Tricolor TV has said that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoI) that exists between the two parties has not yet expired, thereby implying a deal could still be reached.
Gazprom-Media already operates the long-established DTH platform NTV-Plus, which is believed to have around 600,000-650,000 subscribers.
