The Russian international channel RTVi is to implement a major change in its programming strategy.
Quoting its owner Ruslan Sokolov, Kommersant reports that this will involve a move away from news, which has until now accounted for 45% of airtime, to entertainment and local content.
The amount allocated for news will be reduced to 25%, with movies also accounting for the same amount of airtime and TV shows, cartoons and the broadcaster’s own productions the remaining 50%.
Sokolov added that the change has been forced on RTVi for financial reasons, with news being the most expensive and least monetised format.
He also said that advertising accounts for 30% of the channel’s revenues, which amounted to $5.5 million in 2018, with the remainder coming from distribution fees, mainly from cable operators in Israel and the US.
RTVi in addition receives subsidies from an unnamed investor equivalent to 70% of its revenues. They contribute an additional $1.5 million a year and will help towards the opening of new offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
