National Media Group announces personnel changes in the entertainment broadcasting segment. Alexander Akopov has been appointed the new Deputy CEO of NMG for Entertainment Broadcasting and CEO of the CTC TV channel. The appointment takes effect on November 23.
Now Alexander will be in charge of developing and increasing the operational efficiency of NMG's entertainment channel business, the online service more.tv, as well as the holding's own entertainment content production.
He will replace Vyacheslav Murugov, who has decided to leave the company.
"We are deeply grateful to Vyacheslav for his long-term contribution to the development of the entertainment business of NMG. Thanks to his brilliant industrial expertise and leadership, the holding's entertainment channels have held leading positions for many years in a row and received well-deserved attention from advertisers. Thus, the flagship channel of CTC over the past few years has been number one in terms of ratings in its target audience, and a leader of entertainment television," said Svetlana Balanova, CEO of NMG.
"We are also glad to welcome such an outstanding professional as Alexander Akopov to our team. He is one of the main media personalities of our country, who has many different successful projects in cinema and television and vast experience in managing television, digital and production companies in the media industry," added Svetlana Balanova.
"Joining the NMG team is a great honor, but also a challenge for me. The highly competitive Russian media market is facing large-scale tasks of content creation, distribution, and monetization under the new conditions. At the same time the entertainment segment of the holding has one of the strongest teams on the market, and I am glad to become part of it," said Alexander Akopov.
Alexander Zavenovich Akopov:
Graduated from the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering, completed post-graduate studies at the Department of Computer-Aided Design Systems, and worked in construction.
He began his creative career in the student theater and KVN. Since 1981, he began writing television scripts, participating in Central Television programs.
Since 1987, he was senior editor of the Main Editorial Board of Programs for Young People at the USSR Central Television, responsible for the organization and production of the KVN program.
In 1988, he and his partners founded "Igra — Technika" ("Video International" from 1991), one of the first non-state companies to produce TV shows and commercials.
From 1994 to 1996, he was Deputy Director of ANO TV-Novosti (now MIA Rossiya Segodnya). He organized and headed the information channel Business Russia on RTR.
In March 1996, Akopov became director of the production center of VGTRK, from 1997 to 2002, CEO of the television channel Russia-1 (RTR), Deputy Chairman of VGTRK.
From 2002 to 2015, he managed the production company Amedia and the studio complex Amedia Studio created by him with partners, since 2012 – the online service Amediateka, since 2015 – the production company Cosmos Studio.
As a producer, he has developed and released more than 100 television programs and series, the most famous of which are: Simple Truths, The Turetsky March, Brigade, Idiot, Poor Nastya, My Beautiful Nanny, Not Born Beautiful, Who Is the Boss in the House?, Tatiana's Day, Closed school, Ekaterina, Doctor Preobrazhensky, Elizabeth, etc.
Since 2009, he was a Co-Chairman of the Board of the Association of Movie and Television Producers (APKiT).
In 2013, he was elected President of the Academy of Russian Television Foundation (TEFI)
In 2021, he created and headed the Higher School of Economics Film Institute, which opened the training of actors, screenwriters, directors and producers in bachelor's and master's degree programs.
Winner of numerous TEFI awards (including four times as the best producer), Golden Ostap, EFFIE, Golden Eagle, APKiT, Golden Ray, Runet Award.
Candidate of Art History.
He was awarded the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II degree.