The first business television in Russia,
RBC TV, will go on the air on September 2, 2003. In addition to its own programs, the new television will broadcast CNN and CNBC news programs.
RBC invested $20m in this project and these investments are expected to pay back in four years.
According to Vedomosti, RBC TV was established in 2002 by the holding RBC Information Systems (RBC). The company invested $20m in creating the television channel, including $6m in attracted credits. The share capital of RBC TV is $10m and it staffs about 500 people.
RBC General Director Yury Rovensky sees the middle class as a potential audience for the new television channel, and he estimates the share of this class at up to 10 percent of the Russian population. RBC TV expects to attract up to 2 million people as initial audience and this figure is forecasted to increase to 7 million over the following two years. According to Rovensky, at the first stage of this project, RBC TV will broadcast via the satellite systems of NTV-plus, Kosmos-TV, Divo-TV and Comcor-TV. In addition, negotiations with the Moscow owner of the home antennas network Mostelecom are close to their completion.
RBC TV will broadcast 24 hours a day seven days a week, offering live information broadcasting starting at 7 a.m. until 1 a.m. and replays of programs during early morning hours. Business news programs will open each hour and will be presented in the middle of each hour. The RBC TV programming also includes economic analytical programs and documentaries.
The management of the new television channel comes from RBC, i.e. Mikhail Yermolayev was appointed the Editor in Chief and Artyom Inutin became the General Director.
In addition to its own programs, RBC TV will broadcast programs of the round-the-clock news television channel CNN and the pan-European business television CNBC Europe.
