The multiplex will justify advance payments. Speakers asked to bring a payment for "figure" in advance

Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiyskaya televizionnaya i radioveshchatelnaya set reconsidered the cost of participation in the second multiplex of digital TV for TV channels

Because of that that start of the second multiplex of digital TV is all over the country tightened, Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiyskaya televizionnaya i radioveshchatelnaya set (RTRS) was necessary to reconsider the cost of participation in it for TV channels. As a result in 2014 it should pay for a digital broadcasting almost four times less, than it was expected, – about 130 million rubles. But from them will start taking in the advance payment a payment for 2019-2020 – this year it 38 million rubles a month, since July.

At the end of May of RTRS dispatched to TV channels of addition to the contract for rendering services with new quotations on distribution in the second multiplex, top managers of several channels told "Kommersant". In total ten speakers enter the second multiplex (a package of the digital TV channels broadcasting at one frequency). It is REN-TV, STS, "House", "Sports plus", "Star", "World", TNT, "Muz TV", the "Saviour" and TV-3 which won competitions of the Federal contest committee in 2012-2013. As much channels ("First", NTV, four channels of VGTRK, "Roundabout", "The fifth channel", "Public television of Russia" and "TV Center") are included by decrees of the president and in the first multiplex, but participation in it it is free.

It was talked that each channel of the second multiplex will pay about 500 million rubles this year earlier, and from next year when it was supposed to finish start of transmitters, the sum of annual payment can grow to 1 billion rubles of "STS of Media", according to the reporting, was going to pay in 2014 25 mln. dollars (about 892 million rubles for date of the publication of the last quarterly report) for both channels in a multiplex – STS and "House". But this spring officials decided to shift the term of start of a multiplex all over the country with 2015 for 2018.

The actual cost of a broadcasting decreases at once several times, told "Kommersant" the head of one of TV channels with reference to documents RTRS and representatives of two more speakers confirmed. According to their information, it will make only about 130 million rubles for the channel this year and about 150 million rubles in the following. But such decrease in RTRS compensates to that will start collecting advance payments with TV channels.

Payments will begin in July and will drag on till December, 2018. According to the schedule of transfer (the copy is at "Kommersant"), in 2014 from channels will demand in the advance payment 38,3 million rubles a month. Next year monthly payment will make 31,7 million rubles, in 2016 – 13,3 million rubles, and will decrease then much: since 2017 – 3,3 million rubles, since 2018 – 2,5 million rubles. In total till December, 2018 each channel will transfer 840,2 million rubles which approximately will equally be reckoned for 2019 and 2020. It turns out that, for example, this year taking into account advance payment channels have to pay approximately 360 million rubles (10,5 mln. dollars at the Central Bank rate on June 3).

The head of the press service of RTRS Igor Stepanov refused to make comments on calculations of "Kommersant", but confirmed that the federal state unitary enterprise "develops options of optimization of expenses of speakers of the second multiplex for construction of a network". These expenses are very sensitive for speakers. So, follows from the reporting of "STS of Media" that at such cost of distribution profitability of holding following the results of 2014 could make only 28-30% against 32,5% in 2013. The deputy head of "STS of Media" Sergey Petrov confirmed that the holding received the letter with addition to the contract and "checks calculations of RTRS". Received the letter and "Saviour" which general director Boris Kostenko reported "Kommersant" that the TV channel "is compelled to refrain temporarily" from signing of the contract due to the lack of means. Representatives of TV-3 and "Muz TV" refused comments, on TNT, to REN-TV and "Star" did not respond to the requests. The general director of MTRK "World" Radik Batyrshin reported that yet did not receive from RTRS new conditions.

Anna Afanasyeva, Pavel Belavin

Businessman

No. 95 of 04.06.14