Amedia will remain the home of HBO content in Russia after the pair struck a new deal. Amedia is one of Russia’s largest producers and channels operators and first inked an output deal with HBO in 2013.
The agreement means that all HBO content, spanning series, documentaries and specials, will appear exclusively on Amedia channels in Russia, including “Westworld”; Julia Roberts’ first TV show, “Today Will Be Different”; and the upcoming final season of “Game of Thrones.”
Denis Gorshkov, CEO of Amedia TV Russia, told Variety that the new agreement with HBO differs from the previous pact in that it means Amedia services will carry HBO branding. “Previously we had an exclusive output deal which had several limitations and we did not hold the Home of HBO brand,” he said. “This new deal is fully exclusive across Russia under the Home of HBO umbrella.”
Amedia also has deals with CBS for Showtime content and programming deals with Fox, Starz, Sony Pictures, ABC Studios, and BBC Worldwide. The content runs on the premium Amedia HD channels package and the Amediataka SVOD service, which has about 600,000 subscribers.
Charles Schreger, president of programming sales for HBO, said: “Recognizing the aggregated value of HBO programming, Amedia TV is creating an unprecedented proposition for its customers.”
Amedia is backed by Russian-born American mogul Len Blavatnik, who has international media interests in TV, film and music. It was founded in 2002 by producer Alexander Akopov.
