Columbus Nova, which is part of Viktor Vekselberg’s holding Renova, is looking into the possibility of buying a stake in Viacom’s channels in Russia.
Quoted by Vedomosti, Viacom refused to comment in negotiations between the parties but made clear that it is considering various options to bring its company in line with Russian legislation, changes to which that limit levels of foreign ownership come into effect in January 2016.
Viacom International Media Networks broadcasts in Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Currently the company distributes 12 channels, namely Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon HD, Nick Jr, MTV, MTV Dance, MTV Hits, MTV Rocks, MTV Live HD TV, and VH1 European, VH1 Classic, Paramount Comedy and Paramount Channel.
Columbus Nova was founded in 2000. It manages assets worth more than $15 billion and has its headquarters in New York.
