SPI expands in Russia with Beeline TV deal

VEON-owned Beeline TV has signed a distribution deal with SPI/FilmBox that will expand the latter’s reach into Russia.

The deal will give Beeline TV customers access to FilmBox Arthouse, DocuBox, Fast & FunBox, FashionBox and FightBox, along with the flagship FilmBox channel.

Murat Muratoglu, head of distribution at SPI, said: “We are delighted to announce that SPI/FilmBox will now be able to deliver hundreds of hours of quality programming to the homes of Beeline TV subscribers in Russia. This important collaboration was made possible through our partnership with Orion and we are excited to provide top-quality content to more viewers across Russia”.

Alexei Zhuraviev, director of development at Beeline TV, said: “Today’s users of video services are expecting a wide variety of high-quality content. We fulfil that expectation with our Beeline recommendation system, which is designed to make sure our viewers will have full access to all of SPI/FilmBox’s channels”. 

Irina Divnogortseva, global projects director of Orion Group of Companies, added: “Orion is proud to partner with SPI/FilmBox. We made sure that all technical and production aspects were ready on time for this launch and we are excited that all Beeline TV subscribers in Russia, will now have access to these fantastic SPI/FilmBox channels”.

Earlier this week, VEON also announced the appointment of Facebook’s global director of payments and commerce partnerships Sergi Herrero as COO, VEON Ventures. He will lead the new Ventures division and define the company’s growth plans beyond traditional connectivity, with a focus on adjacent, digital products.