A new Russian TV channel dedicated to vegetarianism will begin test broadcasts on May 25 and make its debut a month later.
According to AKTR and Satsis, First Vegetarian will be operated by the company NSK Studio and initially carried in Orion Express’s basic package.
However, by the end of the year it is also likely to be offered by most leading cable operators in the country.
Half of the channel’s output will be produced in-house, with the remainder either acquired under licence (30%, mostly films about nature, animals and ecology) or provided by partners (20%).
First Vegetarian will be funded by a mix of sponsorship and advertising and is expected to broadcast 250 hours of prime time programming in its first year.
NSK Studio is already active in the TV industry, producing no fewer than five thematic channels.
Around 6% of Russia’s population is estimated to be vegetarian, while some 10-15% follows a healthy lifestyle.
As a result, First Vegetarian’s potential audience will be over 25.5 million people.
