MTV Russia, MTS team up for K-pop

Viacom’s international arm is partnering with Russian telco MTS to produce a new K-pop-inspired series, marking the media giant’s first local coproduction with an affiliate partner in the country.

Elena Balmont

K-pop MTCamp will be a reality entertainment series for Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) channel MTV Russia and MTS exclusively.

The show is aimed at Russia’s growing K-pop fanbase and will see 25 contestants, selected through auditions, living together and performing against each other to win a place on a trip to South Korea.

The 29×30’ series will begin airing on MTV Russia in early 2019, culminating in a feature-length documentary special focusing on the show’s five winners as they travel to K-pop’s homeland to celebrate the genre.

K-Pop MTCamp will be executive produced by Yana Churikova, head of MTV Russia, and is being supported by Russian-based representatives from the Korean Cultural Center, part of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Additionally, VIMN and MTS’s new partnership will see children’s brand Nicktoons launching exclusively on MTS this month, adding to Viacom’s portfolio of channels already available on the service including Nickelodeon Russia, MTV Russia, Paramount Comedy and Spike.

“K-pop music is hugely popular among MTV’s youth audience, and K-pop MTCamp is a breakthrough project of a scale and scope rarely seen in our region,” said Elena Balmont, senior VP and general director of VIMN in Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, the Baltics and CIS.

“Our exclusive launch of Nicktoons will bring a raft of quality content to MTS subscribers and will be a unique go-to-market offering. This is an exciting moment in the evolution of Viacom’s business in Russia.”