CTC set for Canada launch

Russia’s CTC Media is launching an international version of its CTC channel in Canada in partnership with telecoms giant Bell Canada

From this month, CTC International will be broadcast on Bell’s fibre optic TV service Bell Fibe, opening up the channel to more than 500,00 households in Canada. By 2015, this could grow to more than five million homes under Bell’s plans to expand the service, according to CTC.

“The number of Russian-speaking residents in Canada exceeds half a million,” said Eugene Kirichuk, director of asset management at CTC outside the Russian Federation. “The need for quality TV content in Russian in this country is unusually large.”

Eugene Levin, CEO of Ethnic Channels Group, a partner of Bell TV channels, added: “The emergence of CTC International in one of the most rapidly developing television projects in Canada.

“Bell Fibe will undoubtedly increase the interest of the audience in the Russian package on this platform. We are pleased that our long-term cooperation with CTC for distribution in North America is becoming more effective for both sides.”

The move follows CTC’s announcement last week that it was launching in Thailand on two major networks: Banglamung Cable Net and Jomtien.