MOSCOW, Dec. 27, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CTC Media, Inc. ("CTC Media" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:CTCM), Russia's leading independent media company, has reached an agreement for the future partnership between Videomore (www.videomore.ru) and Viaplay online pay TV service (www.viaplay.ru). Modern Times Group (MTG) launched the online video on demand service Viaplay earlier this year in Russia.
Starting from the end of December 2012, Viaplay's content catalog, which includes recent box-office hits from Warner Bros, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and NBCUniversal International Television Distribution that are exclusively available for viewing on subscription basis on Viaplay and will be promoted on Videomore as part of the cooperation agreement.
Videomore users will be able to access the Viaplay service at a discounted rate. The cost of subscription for the first month will be 50 rubles, which is one of the best offers on the market. The normal cost of a monthly Viaplay subscription is 395 rubles.
Having subscribed, users will receive unlimited access for one month to the latest movies and blockbusters from Hollywood and Russian studios, as well as TV shows and series. Viaplay subscribers can currently watch over 2,000 movies, series and shows, including over 1,000 feature films.
Viaplay content can also be watched on the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Android mobile devices.
Viacheslav Sinadski, CTC Media's Chief Strategy Officer: "Given the rapid growth of new media, we are continuing our strategy to consolidate key players in order to gain top market positions. The partnership with Viaplay will help us increase the amount of quality premier content, which in turn will attract a new audience."
Ksenia Timchenko, Viaplay Country Manager in Russia: "We are very pleased with our joint project with Videomore, which is one of the leading online video services in Russia. We are confident that the portal's viewers will appreciate the opportunity to watch the latest Hollywood movie releases on Viaplay at their convenience - in high quality and on any device."
About CTC Media
CTC Media is a leading independent media company in Russia, with operations throughout Russia and in a number of other CIS markets. It operates three free-to-air television networks in Russia – CTC, Domashny and Peretz – as well as Channel 31 in Kazakhstan and a TV company in Moldova, with a combined potential audience of over 150 million people. The international pay-TV version of the CTC channel is available in North America, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Central and South East Asia. CTC Media also has its own TV content production capabilities through its Story First Production subsidiary. The Company's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "CTCM". For more information about CTC Media, please visit www.ctcmedia.ru
The CTC Media, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=9587
About Modern Times Group and Viaplay
Modern Times Group (MTG, www.mtg.se) is a leading international media group with operations that span four continents and include free-to-air TV, pay TV, radio and content production businesses.
Viasat Broadcasting, part of MTG, is a free-to-air TV and premium pay TV operator. The paid TV channels are distributed via the company's own DTH platforms, as well as cable and satellite operator networks. Viasat's portfolio in Russia includes the following channels: TV1000 Premium HD, TV1000 Megahit HD, TV1000 Comedy HD, Viasat History HD, Viasat Nature HD, Viasat Explorer, Viasat History, Viasat Nature, Viasat Sport, TV1000 Action, as well as TV1000 and TV1000 Russian cinema, which are the most popular pay movie channels in Russia. MTG is also the largest minority shareholder in Russia's leading independent media company CTC Media.
Viaplay was first launched by MTG in Scandinavia as Viasat OnDemand in 2007 and is already available in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. For more information on Viaplay in Russia please visit www.viaplay.ru