By Jaroslaw Adamowski
May 25 – Russian broadcaster NTV Plus has reportedly agreed the terms for extending its current broadcasting deal with Russia’s Premier League (RPL). The new contract is for a three-year period, and it is estimated to be worth at least RUB 5.6 billion (€101 million).
While no official confirmation has been released yet, sources close to the deal say that the deal will not represent a significant increase compared with the previous contract, according to local business daily Kommersant.
While the TV rights fee might not be increasing, NTV’s paid subscription base has been steadily rising, up from 266,000 in 2013 to more than 450,000 this year.
The RPL’s financial base took a separate hit with the decision by local insurance company SOGAZ to withdraw as the league’s main sponsor. It is estimated that the firm’s departure will reduce the Russian Premier League’s revenues by about RUB 700 million (€12.6 million).
Rumours are that one of the companies controlled by Russia’s oil and gas giant Gazprom could replace SOGAZ as the league’s main sponsor, with estimates putting a new contract at least RUB 1.1 billion (€19.8 million).
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