VIMN signs first Russian affiliate co-production with MTS
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Joseph O'Halloran
| 19 December 2018

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) is partnering with leading Russian telco MTS to co-produce a K-pop entertainment series for its local MTV channel, its first ever co-production with an affiliate partner in the country.

Aimed at Russia’s ardent and growing K-pop fandom, K-pop MTCamp will be Europe’s first reality series dedicated to the music genre and the 29 x 30’ series will begin airing on MTV Russia in Spring 2019 and the series will culminate with a 90-minute documentary special following the show’s five winners as they embark on a trip of a lifetime to South Korea in celebration of a genre of music that has taken the world by storm.

The 25 contestants will be selected through an audition process overseen by judges including two-time Olympic figure skating silver medallist, Evgenia Medvedeva. Other judges include Molly, a Russian singer and songwriter also known as Olga Seryabkina (ex-Serebro); Yana Churikova, Head of MTV Russia; Keiko Lee, model, dancer and star of the show Dance (2015) and Dances (2016); and Tasya Zubareva, an organiser of K-pop events in Russia. The chosen contestants will live together and perform against each other for a coveted place on the prized trip.

The series will be executive produced by Yana Churikova and is being supported by Russian-based representatives from the Korean Cultural Centre, part of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. As part of its support, MTV Russia will also launch a weekly K-pop MTChart Show this December, hosted by Yuri Pak. The chart show will broadcast in the lead up to the reality series debut and run for its duration.

Also as part of Viacom’s exclusive partnership with the operator, VIMN’s Nicktoons will be debuting on MTS in December 2018 in Russia.

Nicktoons joins Viacom’s portfolio of channels launched on MTS in August 2018 such as Nickelodeon Russia, Nickelodeon HD, MTV Russia, Paramount Comedy and Spike. VIMN believes that the launch of Nicktoons will significantly bolster its kids content output in Russia, where subscribers of MTS’ VOD services also now have access to Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. content.

“We’re delighted to be taking our partnership with MTS to new heights with a ‘first of its kind’ co-production that is set to redefine how broadcasters and their affiliate partners collaborate in Russia,” commented Elena Balmont, senior vice president and general director of Viacom International Media Networks in Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, the Baltics and CIS. "K-pop music is hugely popular amongst MTV’s youth audience and K-pop MTCamp is a breakthrough project of a scale and scope rarely seen in our region. 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.”

Nataliya Glagoleva, director of marketing communications at MTS added: “We constantly track young people’s preferences and noted that Korean pop music and culture overall has recently been gaining popularity in Russia. We are pleased that we have the chance to create the first large-scale reality show in Russia dedicated to Korean culture together with MTV Russia.”