NTV-Plus, Russia’s DTH satellite pay-TV system, has begun transmitting from Eutelsat’s W4 satellite at 36 degrees East. A total of 19 transponders on W4 are switched into a high-power fixed beam over Russia. Sixteen of these transponders, corresponding to the frequencies held by the Russian Federation (the RST-1/RITM network), are leased by the Russian media group Media-Most for the NTV-Plus DTH digital television package.

A company statement says the new satellite will enable considerable expansion of NTV-Plus pay-TV services in Russia. Launched in 1996 NTV-Plus currently broadcasts about 40 television channels and FM radio to a subscriber base of 110,000 homes. Services in the platform include Russian TV channels and an international line-up comprising BBC World, Muzzik, E! Entertainment, Discovery Travel & Adventure, Euronews, Eurosport, Hallmark, Fox Kids, Nickelodeon, VH-1, Romantica, Discovery, Animal Planet, Fashion TV, MTV Russia, CNN International, Discovery Civilisation, Discovery Sci-Trek, TCM, Cartoon Network and TV5. The platform also includes free-to-air Russian broadcast networks such as NTV, RTR, THT and Kultura (Culture) and NTV-Internet that provides high-speed access to the Web.

Media Most is run by Vladimir Gusinsky, who has been under some considerable pressure from the new Russian government led by Vladimir Putin, which included a spell of imprisonment in mid-June on alleged fraud charges. Subsequently it has emerged that Gazprom, one of Russia’s largest conglomerates states it now owns more than 50 per cent of Media Most, following debt repayments it has made on Media Most’s behalf to investment bankers Credit Suisse First Boston. Media Most, according to local report, deny this is the case but admit they owe some $211 million to Gazprom.

There are also extensive reports from some of NTV’s customers in nearby countries that since the switch to W4 they can no longer receive signals. NTV originally used Bonum 1 from 36 degrees East (co-located with W4 and Sesat). One unconfirmed report speaks of some 15,000 Russian-speaking Israeli subscribers losing signals.