REN TV gains permission to buy Gazprom Media asset
MOSCOW. Dec 27 (Interfax) - The Federal Antimonpoly Service (FAS) has approved a request from Aktsept (REN TV television channel) and Media-Holding REN TV to acquire KemTV-3, FAS said in a press release.
The deal will give Aktsept 99% of the company and Media Holding REN TV 1%.
The SPARK database states that KemTV-3 belongs to Interfax-TV, which is owned by TNT-Teleset (the TNT television channel is part of Gazprom Media).
Earlier the antimonopoly service allowed REN TV to buy 49% of LLC NPP Spektr (REN Voronezh television channel) and increase its stake to 100%.
REN TV is one of the largest Russian national television broadcasters. The chain of television companies includes 1,114 broadcast and cable companies in Russia, the CIS and the Baltics. The REN TV signal is received in over 1,200 settlements in Russia, including all the million plus cities. In addition, there are 321 cities where REN TV broadcasts via 253 cable networks with an audience of around 1.9 million subscribers.
REN TV is part of the National Media Group (NMG). NMG was established in February 2008 via the merger of the media assets of Rossiya Bank, Alexei Mordashov, Surgutneftegas and the insurance group Sogaz. NMG as well as REN TV owns a blocking stake in Channel One, television and radio company Petersburg-Channel Five and the Izvestiya newspaper. Rossiya Bank structures also own major television advertising company Video International.
NMG became the sole owner of REN TV in June, obtaining 30% from European media concern RTL Group in exchange for 7.5% of its own shares.
Gazprom Media includes the television companies NTV, TNT, satellite company NTV Plus, radio stations Ekho Moskvy, Pervoe Polulyarnoe Radio, Citi-FM, Relax-FM, Detskoe Radio, publishing house Sem Dnei, film company NTV-Kino and internet portal RuTube. The holding also owns the Oktyabr and Kristall-Palas movie theatres as well as advertising company LLC Gazprom Media.