1+1 Media takes the FAST route to international success
To offset a decline in content consumption and advertising revenue due to the war in Ukraine, 1+1 Media has turned to FAST to seek new revenues abroad, says its head of international distribution Oleksandr Remezovsky.
Oleksandr Remezovsky
Given the growing popularity of FAST channels in Ukraine, it was probably only a matter of time before a local provider made some available to an international audience. And so it proved in September 2024, when the multimedia company 1+1 Media announced the launch of the world’s first Ukrainian app – 1+1 Worldwide – giving 24-hour access to the FAST channels 1+1 News and 1+1 Travel.
The thinking behind 1+1 Media’s decision seems quite logical. As the largest Ukrainian media group, says its head of international distribution, Oleksandr Remezovsky, “our content library boasts tens of thousands of hours, with thousands of additional hours of new content produced every year. Considering that Ukraine has been enduring the third year of war, normal life no longer exists, and people are forced to prioritise their safety. Many processes, both production-related and basic, like content consumption, have been disrupted.
“As a result, the advertising market has significantly declined, content consumption has dropped, and our media group started looking for ways to generate revenue in other markets. One of the options was launching FAST channels in international markets.”
Remezovsky adds that 1+1 Media started researching the FAST market in 2023 and realised that launching such channels required adapting them to languages other than Ukrainian when targeting international viewers. “These two channels [1+1 News and 1+1 Travel] became our initial focus because a portion of the content was already adapted, requiring less additional work and allowing us to launch the project faster than starting from scratch. Moreover, this content had already performed well on other platforms, such as YouTube.”
Looking more closely at the two channels, both of which show only Ukrainian programmes, Remezovsky says: “1+1 News is more than just a news channel. It’s a platform for truth, culture, and history – dedicated to ensuring that the world sees and understands the Ukraine that truly exists. It is scheduled as a classic linear channel and has few line-ups.”
Travel show The World Inside Out
One of the cornerstones of 1+1 News’s schedule is the News Digest, which is produced by the digital international media platform UATV English. It is broadcast six times daily and its goal is to deliver “objective, relevant, and international information,” says Remezovsky.
However, the “headline show” of both the 1+1 News channel and in-app VoD is a documentary series named The Real History. Initiated by award-winning journalist Akim Galimov, it uncovers, according to Remezovsky, “the truth about historical events distorted by Russia, including pivotal agreements, territorial annexations and cultural oppression.”
1+1 News also features interviews with Ukrainian and international leaders, under the brand Moseichuk+, plus journalistic investigations, documentary projects, feature films and historical dramas.
1+1 Travel, on the other hand, is a niche channel built around 15 seasons of the show The World Inside Out. Dubbed into Spanish, making it suitable for Latin American audiences, its programming has been aired successfully for more than 10 years, with early seasons receiving recognition from National Geographic.
“The main feature of this show is that the host and his cameraman don’t just observe; they become part of the communities, even if they are far removed from civilisation,” says Remezovsky. “This is not a typical tourist show; this is real life, told by the people who live it. That is why it got such a huge recognition among the audience.”
1+1 Media has been able to launch the two FAST channels thanks to its partnership with OTTera, a Los Angeles-based company that provides customised OTT application and FAST channel development, global distribution and comprehensive monetising solutions to clients worldwide.
The Real History tells “the truth about historical events”
According to Remezovsky: “OTTera has become an important partner for us in this project. We received everything from one source: technical solutions, marketing and monetisation. If we had to search for partners in each area individually, it would have taken much more time. On top of that, there were various technical integrations across many processes. Therefore, at this stage, we are satisfied with our collaboration with OTTera and plan to continue developing it.”
It is currently possible to access the channels in three ways. The first is through the web versions, the second via the 1+1 Worldwide app on Roku devices, for which OTTera has helped develop applications, and third through other platforms and operators offering the channels as part of their FAST channel packages.
Remezovsky says that 1+1 Media is currently in talks with four major platforms in Europe and is hoping to sign agreements with them soon, while OTTera has managed to secure agreements on its behalf in Latin America and Africa that are currently at the signing stage.
All this is taking place against the backdrop of what is already a surprisingly large FAST channel market in Ukraine itself. “Currently, there are over 200 local FAST channels on the market,” says Remezovsky, who notes that this is despite the war having a negative impact on “processes and opportunities,” adding that “Ukrainians adapt quickly to new circumstances.”
Indeed, Remezovsky predicts that the number of FAST channels will continue to grow in Ukraine “for at least the next two years. After that, an evolutionary selection will begin – some will survive and some will not.”
While the largest number of FAST channels are found on the biggest OTT platforms such as Kyivstar TV, 1+1 Media already offers its viewers over 20. This is perhaps not surprising, given that “the launch of FAST channels in Ukraine is much simpler because we already have our own technical solutions, and most importantly, we don’t need to localise the content as it is already produced in Ukrainian,” says the exec.
He adds that “it’s worth emphasising 1+1 Media became the first Ukrainian media company to not only focus on traditional channels and content distribution abroad but also explore new monetisation opportunities like FAST channels.” In the case of 1+1 News and 1+1 Travel, its main goal is monetisation, or content advertising, and second monetisation on different platforms.
Remezovsky says that 1+1 Media plans to launch more FAST channels, both locally and internationally, in 2025. This will allow us to “diversify our revenue from traditional channels and content distribution.” In addition, the group is considering collaborating with content producers. This, he says, will allow it to “create FAST channels and monetise them, working on an agency model.”
