NTV-PLUS and Eutelsat strengthen relationship across Russia’s key video neighbourhoods

NTV-PLUS achieves full coverage of Russian Federation with multi-year, multi-transponder contracts covering 140° East over Far East Russia and incremental capacity at 56° East over Siberia

Moscow, Paris, 3 April 2017 – NTV-PLUS, Russia’s original premium pay-TV platform, has consolidated its coverage across Siberia and extended broadcasting into the country’s Far East following the conclusion of contracts on two satellites with longstanding partner, Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext: ETL).

With the launch of new services on 1 April, NTV-PLUS is achieving its objective of full coverage of the Russian Federation, enabling viewers across the country to benefit from the diversity and quality of digital TV. This new wave of expansion follows approvals earlier this year from Russia’s Federal Tender Commission for NTV-PLUS to extend its broadcasting footprint as far as the Pacific Coast.

NTV-PLUS has signed a multi-year, multi-transponder contract with Eutelsat covering the Express-AT2 satellite at 140 degrees East to reach homes in Far East Russia and incremental capacity on the Express-AT1 satellite at 56 degrees East to consolidate its coverage of Siberia. Launched with Eutelsat over 20 years ago, NTV-PLUS today offers subscribers more than 240 special-interest channels including a growing stable of High Definition content. Its offer includes 42 channels produced by Gazprom Media with a strong focus on exclusive premium sport across 11 channels.

Mikhail Demin, CEO of NTV-PLUS, said: “Our mutual goal is to establish highest standards of modern satellite TV. Today NTV Plus covers 100% of the Russian territory with more than 145 million population. For us this expansion is not only business ambition but also is a great social mission which we are honored to implement with our partner Eutelsat”.

Rodolphe Belmer, Eutelsat CEO, added: “We are delighted to pursue more than two decades of collaboration with NTV-PLUS and to see the unique value of satellites for delivering nationwide coverage of the Russian Federation in order to offer digital TV to all homes irrespective of their location.”