MOSCOW (Press release) – Russian broadcaster CTC Media will launch the international version of its main channel in Kazakhstan after striking a deal with Central Asia Media Distribution.

CTC International will initially launch on pay TV platforms Digital TV and Icon TV and will then roll out to ID TV; the Kazakhstani distributor is also in negotiations with other platforms.

Boris Podolsky, acting director-general, CTC Media, and deputy director-general of finance and operations at the channel, said: “The pay TV market in Kazakhstan is growing rapidly, and according to the latest official data, has a potential audience of more than 500,000 households. Entering this market gives us a great opportunity to monetise part of our content and to increase business efficiency.”

CTC Media is a leading media company in Russia. It owns and operates two national free-to-air TV networks in Russia (CTC, Domashniy and Peretz). CTC Media has recently entered other CIS markets outside Russia: it acquired a majority economic interest in Channel 31 Group in Kazakhstan and registered a new broadcasting company in Uzbekistan — reaching potential audience of over 40 million. CTC Media continues to view the countries of the former Soviet Union as attractive strategic opportunities. It plans to continue to execute on its expansion strategy by extending the reach of its brands to other markets in the CIS.

Channel 31 is based in Almaty and has been broadcasting since 1992. The channel is currently the fourth largest in Kazakhstan in terms of audience share, which averaged 7.1% in the second half of 2007, and targets primarily young audiences aged 6-54.

Kazakhstan has significant potential for further growth in the television advertising market and is the third largest among the countries of the former Soviet Union behind Russia and Ukraine. Television viewership is remarkably high among young audiences, with viewers younger than 35 years old comprising nearly half of the total television audience in the country. Thus, CTC’s focus on younger demographics provides it with an opportunity to gain audience share.