MTG Launches Viasat Ukraine Satellite Pay-TV Platform

Modern Times Group MTG AB (publ.) (MTG´ or the Group´), the international entertainment broadcasting group, today announced that the Viasat Ukraine DTH satellite platform will be launched on Monday 21 April. Viasat Ukraine is the first licensed digital premium satellite operator in Ukraine, and the initial offering will consist of three pay-TV packages – Viasat Family´, Viasat Popular´ and Viasat Prestige´- offering up to 60 Ukrainian, Russian and international channels and ranging in price from UAH 48 (approximately SEK 60) to UAH 135 (approximately SEK 160) per month.

The Viasat Ukraine service is being launched by Vision TV,LCC following the joint venture partnership established between MTG and Strong Media Group in September 2007. Vision TV is the first and only company to have been awarded a “Provider of Programme Services” license by Ukraine´s National Council for TV and Radio.

Viasat Ukraine´s channel line-up includes Viasat´s own TV1000, TV1000 Russian Kino, Viasat History and Viasat Explorer channels, as well as popular 3rd party international channels such as the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, Zone Reality, Zone Club, Extreme Sports Channel, Ohota I Rybalka´ (Hunting and Fishing) and Drive. Additional thematic channels to be included on the platform comprise children´s entertainment channels Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and Kids Co; movie channels TV XXI, TCM, MGM and Hallmark; music channels MTV Ukraine and VH1; and news channels CNN, BBC World, Euronews, Deutsche Welle and France 24. The service will also introduce FoxCrime, FoxLife and science fiction channel AXN Sci Fi to the Ukrainian market, and subscribers will be able to access leading national Ukrainian TV channels STB, ICTV, Novy Kanal, TRK Ukraina and 1+1.

The Viasat Service will use MPEG-4 compression technology and the DVB-S2 standard, and be received on a Viasat-branded satellite receiver. The service is encrypted with the NDS VideoGuard® conditional access system and is delivered via the Sirius 4 satellite.

Hans-Holger Albrecht, President and CEO of MTG, commented: “We are delighted to announce the launch of our satellite pay-TV platform in Ukraine and look forward to offering Viasat branded pay-TV services in the second largest country in Eastern Europe. We have the ideal partner, in Strong Media, to roll out our services, and we will be the first to market with a tiered package offering of high quality content, which combines the best in well established local channels and well known international channel brands.”

“Our focus is on pushing the penetration of pay-TV services in one of the region´s fastest growing and most vibrant economies. Our Viasat channels are already well known in the market and provide a solid base for the development of the platform. This is an important step in the further development of our broadcasting footprint and highlights the attractiveness of satellite as a means of rapid and efficient deployment of pay-TV services.”