Ukraine’s Volia revamps TV offering with thematic packages

Ukrainian cable operator Volia has introduced six new thematic packages that will initially be available to users of its Volia TV multiscreen platform.

The six thematic packages are Volia Live TV, Volia Sport, Volia Movies, Volia Kids and Volia World. The operator is also providing a separate premium package that includes content from all of the thematic packages.

The operator said that the initiative was designed to enable users to choose content that best meets their interests rather than choose between tiers purely based on the number of channels available.

Each of the new packages combines thematic content from international studios, a line-up of linear TV channels and associated on-demand libraries.

Volia Movies offers films from studios such as Marvel, Universal, Fox, ABC and Paramount as well as a range of channels featuring movies and series.

Volia Sport will include the UEFA Chanmpions League and Europa League competitions as well as channels offering action from the NBA and NHL, UFC and MMA mixed martial arts, Formula 1 motor-racing, grand slam tennis and winter and extreme sports.

Volia Kids includes SVOD content from Disney as well as channels including Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Da Vinci Learning and Duck TV.

Volia World includes factual channels such as Nat Geo and Animal Planet alongside online on-demand content from Discovery.

Volia Live TV provides a range of local and international channels including 1 + 1, STB, TRK Ukraine, CNN, CNBC, DW and France 24.

Users can choose packages independently. Subscriber who take two packages will get access to the premium package, which includes all of the different offerings together, for 90 days.

“We studied the tastes of our audience and found that in the families of users of traditional television, news and politics took the first place in terms of views. However, these categories are much less interesting for users of interactive television, who are more likely than others to buy packages with movies and series. Fans are ready to buy a package that combines only the best sports channels, which is not a surprise. 40% of households that watch TV have children, so the Volia Kids package, which includes a Volia Cine + Kids channel with several audio tracks, is ideal  for young viewers to learn foreign languages. We have developed this channel with the help of child psychologists, international video content specialists  and parents,”        – said Anton Dzyubenko, CEO of Volia.

“We want to change the situation where people pay 100% of the tariff and watch 10% of the content. We enable them to watch 100% of the content and pay only for what they watch. The TV users themselves, with their tastes and habits, helped us create these flexible thematic tariffs, and the price makes them as affordable as possible for everyone.”