The Russian DTH platform NTV-Plus will stop broadcasting its 3D channel NTV-Plus 3D on January 1.
In a statement, it says it will also stop offering its subscribers five other channels: Fight Club on December 25 and Kinosoyuz, HD Kino 2, Kinoreys 1 and Kinoreys 2 on January 1.
Commenting on the possible reasons for the move, Telecom Daily suggests that in the case of NTV-Plus 3D the company did not see any prospects for developing the channel.
It adds that for Fight Club, Gazprom Media, NTV-Plus’ owner, recently acquired RTR assets, which include the channels Sport, Sport 1 and Sport 1 HD. It also has its own martial arts channel, named Fighter, and it was decided to merge what were two similar services.
This summer the head of Gazprom Media said that the company had decided to reduce the number of sports channels in its portfolio from 20 to 12. It would then use all possible synergies through a unified purchase system and the use of TV rights.
Broadband TV News notes that NTV-Plus played a pioneering role in the introduction of 3D, and indeed HD, into the Russian market.
