NTV-Plus to launch new low-cost service

Russian pay-TV provider NTV-Plus is to launch a new low-cost service at the beginning of September.

Dubbed ‘Light’, the new package will provide 34 channels covering a range of different genres for RUB99 (€2.20) a month. In addition to Russia’s national channels, the package will include some of NTV’s own channels, including a new sports channel, Sport Plus. International channels in the pack include Eurosport, Universal Channel, Euronews, Discovery, MTV, Jetix, Zone Reality and Fashion TV.

The package will be broadcast using a mix of MPEG-4 compression (for 25 channels) and MPEG-2 (nine channels), requiring the purchase of a Humax set-top for approximately RUB5,050. Subscribers will be able to upgrade to NTV’s basic and extended basic packages or to take its premium thematic packages in addition to Light.

Separately, NTV has reduced the price of its Family pack to RUB90 a month and has added four new channels – Nostalgiya (Nostalgia), Kto Est’ Kto (Who’s Who), MTV and Kuzhnya TV (Kitchen TV).