BBC Studios has signed a number of content sales agreements with leading digital platforms in Russia.
The deals, announced at MIPTV 2018, will see the OTT platform Okko add over 800 hours from the BBC Studios catalogue across drama and factual genres. Meanwhile, the OTT platform ivi will add 100 hours of premium drama and OTT/VOD service Megogo over 300 hours of drama and Top Gear content. KinoPoisk (Yandex), the most popular Russian-language film and TV website, signed its first ever deal with BBC Studios for a mixed package deal of 300 hours, and Rostelecom’s TVOD and SVOD platform licensed over 100 hours of drama, natural history and documentaries.
Commenting on the deal, Salim Mukaddam, VP and general manager for Central and Eastern Europe, BBC Studios, said: “We have been watching the growth of the Russian VOD market closely and last year introduced a role dedicated to serving these clients. Our strategy is paying dividends now as BBC Studios leads the way in supplying premium content to Russian VOD consumers, having built significant partnerships with all the major players in the Russian market. We are delighted to be working with ivi, Okko, Megogo, Rostelecom and now KinoPoisk (Yandex), taking our catalogue to an ever-expanding audience in the region. BBC Studios will have ringside seats to watch the growth of this sector and we look forward to expanding our relationships with these key partners in the years to come.”
