The largest Russian sports channel Sport ceases to exist in 2010. On the basis of Sport All-Russian State Television and Radio Company
TV channel Sport ceases to exist
The largest Russian sports TV channel Sport ceases to exist in 2010. On the basis of Sport, the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company (VGTRK) will create a youth channel with the working title Rossiya-2.
Competition with Gazprom-Media for the rights to broadcast sports matches has led to an increase in their cost by more than four times and has become unbearable, the state-owned company admits.
For the past two years, there has been a fierce struggle for sports broadcasts, and inadequately large sums have been requested for the rights to broadcast, VGTRK explained. “Most often this fight was won by Gazprom-Media and NTV Plus, which did not skimp on costs. We could not compete with them,” the press service of the TV and radio company said. However, the project is considered a success.
From January 2010, the place of Sport in the network of Russia will be occupied by youth television. “We decided to follow the tried and tested path – on the basis of the Sport channel we will make a TV channel with the conditional name Rossiya-2. But at the same time, we maintain the volume of live sports and will not refuse to broadcast socially significant sports, such as football, hockey, volleyball, basketball, ”the company’s press service reports the words of VGTRK CEO Oleg Dobrodeev.
The All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company believes that the new youth-oriented format will become attractive to a wider range of advertisers. According to expectations, the new audience will be more active and premium. The head of the new TV channel will be Vladimir Troepolsky, former head of Petersburg-Channel Five, who has recently been appointed deputy director general of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company. Vasily Kiknadze will remain the chief editor of the holding's sports broadcasting.
“Reformatting the channel for a youth audience can be a political decision. The president and prime minister have repeatedly spoken about the need to work with young people,” one of the market participants believes. On the contrary, Oleg Manzha, General Director of the Sportima sports marketing agency, connects the reformatting with unjustified hopes in terms of financial and rating returns.
NTV Plus TV presenter, sports analyst Georgy Cherdantsev, believes that there is no direct connection between the promotion of sports, the preparation of the country for the Olympics in Sochi and the terribly expensive television broadcasts on the state channel. “The development of sports is, first of all, its propaganda at the level of kindergartens and schools, and not the display of commercial broadcasts on television. You haven’t seen children’s tournaments on the Sport channel in prime time, ”he notes.
2 thoughts on “Sport TV channel ceases to exist”
“From the statement of the General Director of the State Holding of the VGTRK, it follows that there are only four“ socially significant ”sports – football, hockey, volleyball and basketball. The rest are called not so interesting sporting events. One and a half hundred sports become dissidents at the Sport Goskanal – now it is undesirable to show them. Some socio-political programs focused on youth will be broadcast. Based on the name of the relevant ministry, it can be assumed that these will be programs not only “for young people”, but also about tourism. But this is a weak consolation.
Vladimir Putin, figuratively speaking, blessing the VGTRK to create the Sport TV channel, has repeatedly stated that sports are one of the social priorities. In the statements of the current president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, there is no hint of a change in views on the role of sports in modern society. We are so accustomed that the heads of the new Russia have personal addictions in sports that after tennis and judo, many have already expressed their readiness to participate in the development of rowing and canoeing when we learned about the youthful hobby of Dmitry Medvedev. But the competitions of tennis players, judokas and canyists are now declared not so interesting sporting events.
“I am aware of this situation,” said Vitaly Mutko. -Recently, I had a meeting with the general director of VGTRK Oleg Dobrodeev, at which we have already discussed some points. Detailed comments are not ready yet – simply because there is no concept of the new channel yet. As soon as she is in my arms, I can say something. Next week I have planned the next meeting with Dobrodeev and ideologists of the new project, after it it will clear up. But I want to reassure everyone in advance: in any case, sports on the new channel will be no less. This project was not created in 2002 – including with the participation of the first persons of the state. The interests of sports fans and ordinary fans will not be infringed. ”
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