The Russian broadcaster NTV has entered into an exclusive partnership with Ivi, one of the country’s leading OTT players.
As a result, reports Kommersant, Ivi will show its subscribers NTV series in catch-up right after they have been aired, as well as in catch-forward up to a week before they have been broadcast.
The content available to viewers in Russia, Georgia and the CIS will include several dozens premieres, several thousand NTV series from the broadcaster’s archives. It will be offered on a paid basis or funded by advertising, with the first series being made available on August 28.
NTV’s CEO Alexei Zemsky said earlier this summer that the broadcaster plans to double its revenues from digital rights management by the end of the year. This will be the first time it has systematically distributed video on a VOD site.
NTV is aiming to attract a younger audience by developing a digital segment.
Its site is currently accessed by over 14 million people, while 10 million use its mobile app. Furthermore, NTV’s serials on the official YouTube channel were watched over 300 million times in the first six months.
NTV has an audience share of 9.3% among viewers aged 4+ in 2016, while it revenues amounted to R16 billion (€230 million), or 2% less than a year earlier.
