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July 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 18
Advertisers in Russia spent $12.6mn last year on smart TV ads
Advertisers in Russia spent RUB750mn-800mn ($11.8mn-$12.6mn) last year on smart TV ads, according to IAB Russia Advertising Association, as the ad spend budget quadrupled year-on-year.
The largest sellers of smart TV ads were the companies IMHO and online movie site subsidiary Ivi Smart House, a division of the online cinema company with the same name.
The analysis from the association includes
Smart TV, set-top boxes, media players and game consoles. Last year, the coverage for advertising on such technologies was 17.3mn Russians, or 12% of the population. In Russia, most of the advertising was placed on Smart TV.
IAB predicts that advertising budgets for smart TV ads will continue to grow rapidly and reach $1bn by 2020.
Russia's Mail.ru teams up with Modern Pick for e-sports development
Russia's internet major Mail.ru has agreed to transfer a 51% stake in its cybersports subsidiary Esforce to Moder Pick, a company producing racing video games, Vedomosti daily reported
on July 16 citing the representatives of Mail.ru.
Previously Mai.ru was said to be preparing to sell Esforce. Now, reportedly, in a non-cash deal Mail.ru will get a share in Modern Pick itself, raising its
stake from 3% to 19%. The whole e-sports business of Mail.ru is valued at $110mn; the value of Esforce that will be transferred is $56mn. The joint company of Modern Pick and Esforce is valued at $350mn.
Esforce is one of the largest cybersports holdings in the world, which was acquired by Mail.ru
in 2018 for $100mn. The holding includes a cybersports team Virtus.pro and over 11 web platforms with an audience of 114mn people.
Bulgaria’s largest telco Vivacom offered for sale
Vivacom, Bulgaria’s largest telecoms operator, has been put up for sale with Lazard being appointed to sell it, the Financial Times (FT) reported on July 12.
Vivacom is the brand name under which operates the Bulgarian telecoms operator BTC. Its privatisation was marred by controversy and an ownership dispute is still not closed.
According to FT, meetings with potential strategic and private equity buyers have already been held and Spas Roussev, a Bulgarian businessman who heads the consortium behind Vivacom, has confirmed the telco is for sale.
Roussev holds 46% of Vivacom, while VTB Capital, the UK arm of sanctions-hit Russian VTB Bank, holds around 20%. Delta Capital International, which is the investment vehicle of Bulgaria’s former finance minister Milen Veltchev and his brother George, holds a 20% stake.
The sales procedure for BTC was launched by VTB Capital in 2015, after InterV, which owns 100% of BTC through two subsidiaries, failed to repay a €150mn bridge loan. The financing was secured via a share pledge over 100% of the shares of InterV.
US music streaming service Spotify plans to launch on the Russian market this summer
US music streaming service Spotify plans to launch on the Russian market this summer where it intends to undercut rival Apple Music, Russian website Akket.com reports.
The music streaming service was supposed to launch in the country in 2015, before abruptly cancelling those plans.
Now Spotify will likely launch later this year at
a monthly RUB150 ($2.35), which is priced lower than Apple Music. Apple’s platform starts at