Gazprom Media has acquired a 49% stake in the cable-delivered music channel A-One from Aleksandr Karmonov, the owner of the Eurasian Pipeline Consortium.
Kommersant reports that Karmanov, whose share will in A-One will now be reduced to 51%, has a long-standing partnership with Gazprom Media, holding a stake in Comedy Club Production, which produces programming for the Gazprom Media-backed channel TNT.
It adds that A-One, which was established in 2005 and initially broadcast rock and alternative music before switching to hip hop and pop, will now be transformed into a new channel named TNT Music.
Kommersant notes that there are already over two dozen music channels operating in Russia, with the most popular being Muz TV.