OREANDA-NEWS. February 09, 2012. CTC Media, Inc. (“CTC Media” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: CTCM), Russia’s leading independent media company, has announced the conclusion of an exclusive long-term agreement with Central Asia Media Distribution, which envisages the promotion of the international version of CTC (“CTC-International”) on Kazakhstan’s cable and satellite networks, reported the press-centre of CTC Media.

Under the terms of the agreement, Central Asia Media Distribution is to promote CTC-International on Kazakhstan’s cable and satellite networks, as well as sell advertising inventory on the channel. Starting from February 1, 2012, the channel will be available to subscribers of the two largest players on the Kazakh cable TV market, namely Digital TV and Icon TV. Another operator – ID TV is expected to be added to this list shortly.

Boris Podolsky, CTC Media’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer: “The pay-TV market in Kazakhstan is developing rapidly, and the potential audience in the country comprises over 500,000 households, according to the latest official statistics. Entering this market will offer us many opportunities including monetizing our content and improving our business performance”.

Marat Devlet-Kildeyev, CTC Media’s Head of International Broadcasting: “The broadcasting of the international version of the CTC channel on cable and satellite networks will not only significantly expand, but more importantly, diversify our TV audience. CTC Media’s free-to-air Channel 31 in Kazakhstan mainly broadcasts Turkish TV series, the in-house produced Kazakh language content, the proportion of which in the programming grid is steadily increasing, as well as Hollywood blockbusters. CTC-International is a Russian-language channel and combines the best and most highly rated TV shows from the holding’s three Russian channels – CTC, Domashny and Peretz, which helps us avoid any audience overlap. I am confident that the launch of this new channel will be a significant event on the Kazakh television market”.

Timur Satybaldin, Chief Executive Officer of Central Asia Media Distribution: “We are very pleased that CTC Media, the Russian market leader in setting new standards of TV entertainment, chose our company as a partner to distribute the signal and sell advertising on the CTC-International channel in Kazakhstan. We hope that the channel will gain a strong position on the market and be in demand by audience”.