StoryFirst weathers winter
Ratings rise bumps CTC net to No. 2
Despite a falloff in ad revenue across the territory, ratings at its CTC network have been rising, while a partnership deal signed earlier this year has brought in cash for further investment.
According to Peter Gerwe, CEO of StoryFirst, CTC's ratings this spring have risen from 4.2% to 6.2 %, overtaking rival TV-6 for the first time, and making it Russia's No. 2 commercial channel after NTV.
"While others are weakening, we're maintaining our position. We plan to keep on investing aggressively," Gerwe said.
CTC programming, which is dominated by U.S. material, airs on 274 partner channels around the country, as well as on the eight major city channels that are owned by StoryFirst. The total audience is around the 75-million mark.
CTC is looking to increase its number of fully owned channels, perhaps as early as this summer, Gerwe said.
Projected investments will be funded by local banking consortium Alfa-Group, which acquired 25% of CTC, plus one share, for an undisclosed sum earlier this year. This move followed a project involving Alfa and the Premier advertising consortium that was shelved after financial troubles hit the latter in August. Alfa emerged from Russia's crisis among the strongest of local banks.
StoryFirst also has juggled its holdings in neighboring Ukraine, where its Kiev-based station, ICTV, recently took on national energy giant Neftegaz as an equal partner.
