#2 
From: laurabelin@excite.com (Laura Belin) 
Subject: what happened to NTV-International 
Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2001

I think I know the answer (or at least part of the answer) to Kitty Dolan's question about what happened to NTV and TV-6 satellite broadcasts outside Russia. Kommersant on 28 September carried a short item reporting that NTV cut off business dealings with InterTV, a Gusinskii-controlled entity that broadcasts in foreign countries under the trademark "NTV-International." NTV has refused InterTV the rights to broadcast the network's programs.

The official reason given was that InterTV failed to meet unspecified financial obligations to NTV. Furthermore, Kommersant quoted NTV's statement as saying, "the NTV television network is not satisfied with the principles by which the InterTV company is governed in forming its programming policy." Kommersant read that phrase as alluding to InterTV's practice of broadcasting TV-6 evening news programs--such as the Sunday evening "Itogi," which Dolan missed last week--instead of NTV's own programming.

Kommersant also reported that NTV is forming its own subsidiary, NTV-Mir, which will take responsibility for satellite broadcasts of NTV programs to Canada, the U.S., European countries, and Israel.

Finally, Kommersant quoted InterTV representatives as denying allegations that the company owed debts to NTV and vowing to resume broadcasts (presumably not of NTV programs) soon. According to InterTV executives, NTV programs have lately comprised only around 10 percent of Inter-TV's broadcasts.

If any JRL readers know more about this situation, I hope they will post additional details to the list. Will people accustomed to watching NTV-International now receive only NTV-Mir? Or will they also be able to watch whatever programming InterTV can continue to broadcast?