NMG Studiо announces a First Look Deal agreement with Sergey Taramaev and Lyubov Lvova, under the terms of which they have joined the company's creative team as directors and scriptwriters. As part of the new partnership, the company will have the right to be the first to consider projects to be developed by Sergei and Lyubov. 
 
 Sergey Taramaev and Lyubov Lvova are among the most sought-after directors and screenwriters in the Russian film industry. Their projects include festival hits “Winter Road” and “Metamorphosis”, as well as such rating series as “Black Spring” and “Fisher”. At the moment, a new project of the creative duo - a crime drama about the controversial 90's “Children of Change” is being prepared for release. 
 &nbsp; 
 Dmitry Tabarchuk, CEO of NMG Studio: 
 
 “The tandem of Sergei and Lyubov is a unique duo for Russian cinema. We were fortunate enough to work with them twice on projects dear to our studio and to see firsthand that they are authors with a great future. Now there will be even more opportunities for cooperation, and we are looking forward to their new ideas”. 
 &nbsp; 
 Sergey Taramaev and Lyubov Lvova, directors, screenwriters, creative producers of NMG Studio: 
 
 “We started working with NMG Studio on the Fisher series, and we were very inspired by their courage and creative freedom. We were convinced of this again with the series Children of Change, and there are several more daring projects in the pipeline that we will realize together.” 
 &nbsp; 
 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of National Media Group: 
 
 “In 2023, NMG Studios became one of the recognized market leaders in original projects, doubling its content production. In just one year, the detective “Fisher”, the drama “Actresses”, the drama “Ballet”, the fantasy “The Librarian”, the undisputed hit “The Boy’s Word. Blood on the pavement” and other projects came out. We are very happy that NMG and NMG Studio are becoming a center of attraction for the most innovative and talented creators. I am sure that cooperation with Sergey and Lyubov will result in bright and successful projects”. 
 
 *** 
 NMG Studio was established by National Media Group in October 2018 to develop and enrich the Russian film market with world-class projects, as well as to improve processes in film production. Since 2022, NMG Studio has been the General Producer of the online cinema Wink, and is also engaged in content production for the external market. 
 Among the projects of NMG Studio are such hits as Fyodor Bondarchuk's series “Actresses”, Zhora Kryzhovnikov's project “The Boy's Word: Blood on the Asphalt”, detective “‘Fisher” and others. On account of the company there are several national movie awards “Golden Eagle” and “Big Digit”, the main prize of the festival “New Season”, victories in Association of film and television producers, the National Award in the field of web content and other important industry achievements. 
 
 NMG Studio currently has over 30 projects in development. They are also shooting 6 new projects and 12 more are in script production. 
 
 *** 
 National Media Group is Russia's largest private media holding. NMG manages a diversified portfolio of assets in the production, distribution and monetization of high-quality information and entertainment content in all consumption media. 
 
 The holding's key assets include the leaders of the Russian media market: terrestrial TV channels - REN TV, 5TV, CTC, Domashniy, CHE!, CTC Love, CTC Kids; multimedia information center Izvestia (comprising the IZ.RU portal, Izvestia newspaper, 
 Izvestia TV channel, news services of REN TV and 5TV); newspapers - 
 Sport Express, Delovoy Peterburg. The Group owns a stake in Channel One. 
 
 The holding is the owner of the NMG Studio company. In 2019, NMG launched the online service more.tv, and in June 2023 finalized a deal to merge the video services more.tv and Wink in a joint venture with PJSC Rostelecom. In November 2022, the holding announced the creation of a movie distribution company, NMG Kinoprokat. In January 2024, NMG launched NMG DOC, a unified platform for the production and distribution of works in the non-fiction genre.

NMG Studio concludes exclusive contract with Sergey Taramaev and Lyubov Lvova

National Media Group announces that Vladimir Babkov, who previously held the position of Executive Director, will head the EVEREST Sales House from September 1.


	 Karolina Sokolova, the previous head of the Sales House, decided to continue her career outside the National Media Group.




	 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of NMG:


	 “We thank Karolina for her contribution to the significant growth of NMG's product line and advertising revenue across all content distribution mediums and wish her the best of luck in further developing her career. I welcome Vladimir in his new role, who has been with NMG for over 7 years, has worked his way through a variety of sales positions and has extensive experience in sales organization in both TV and digital markets.




	 Under Vladimir's leadership, EVEREST will continue to work with advertising marketers to maximize opportunities to support and grow our advertisers' businesses through the many products offered by NMG in TV and digital, including transmedia projects.”


	 ***


	Biography of Vladimir Babkov


	 Vladimir Babkov joined EVEREST in 2017 as Director of Sales Development in the regions and outside Russia. In 2022, he was appointed Executive Director.


	 Prior to joining EVEREST, Vladimir worked in classic advertising sales on the seller side for over 10 years, starting with Video International TREND.


	 Vladimir graduated from Tver State University with a degree in law.

Vladimir Babkov to head EVEREST Sales House of National Media Group

The Center for Social Research “Platform” with the support of the National Media Group presented the next annual rating of films with high social effect, consisting of films released in 2023.




 Russian movies are watched more frequently.


	 The Russian film industry has made a leap forward over the past few years, gaining the respect and attention of its audience. 94% of Russians in 2024 positively assess the quality of Russian film content (high+medium). Over the past year, this indicator has grown by 6 pp. The indicator of those who rate the quality of Russian cinema very highly has grown by 26 p.p. over the past three years.




	 Domestic film production has become more frequently favored. This has been influenced by the availability of Russian film content thanks to online cinemas, as well as the consistency of the values conveyed with the viewer's perception of the world and the diversity of themes: from light family comedies to historical films with patriotic values.




 Leading films in the social impact rating.


	 The analysis of the 33 films of 2023 with the highest social impact identified a number of trends in themes, among which teenage topics, domestic violence, search for the self and the common man heroism.




	 It is these trends that formed the basis of the stories of the rating leaders. Among them are “The Doctor”, “Russkiy Krest”, “The Boy’s Word. Blood on the Asphalt”, “Vyzov” and ‘Troubled teens-5’. The top 5 are united by a significant social impact and a wide audience of viewers.




	 The rating also highlighted three leaders in terms of social impact on a narrow audience: “The Edge of the Broken Moon”, “Hello, Mom” and “Sama Vynovata?”.




	 Also included in the rating are: “Healthy Man,” ‘Yura the Wiper,’ ‘Snowbird,’ ‘To You and Me,’ ‘Centaur,’ ‘Cicadas,’ ‘Lord of the Wind,’ ‘The White List,’ ”In the Sun Along the Rows of Corn.” “Lunatics”, ‘Nuremberg’, ‘Can't Wait’, ‘Air’, ‘Kretsul’, ‘Volunteer Playlist’, ‘Rabies’, ‘Contact 2’, ‘Cool Change’, ‘Cyber Village’, ”Peace! Friendship! Chewing gum!-3”, ‘Breathing’, ‘Passion for Matvey’, Plaksa, ‘Mediator-3’, ‘1993’.




 Viewers want to see not only discussion of social problems, but also examples of their solution.


	 67% of respondents believe that cinema should purposefully change people and society, develop positive values, and provide role models of behavior. More than half of the respondents believe that cinema with a social impact has a favorable effect on changes in society.




	 The audience has expressed a request to find a “hero among us,” as stories about an ordinary person who shows heroism due to circumstances resonate with them. Films with such a plot allow the viewer to feel like a hero and give faith in the best in people.




	 It is noted that every year there is a growing interest in three themes in cinema: to value family, parents, children, friends (49%); to be patriotic, to love and be proud of one's homeland (37%); to give up bad habits that affect the quality of life and health (26%).




	 The older generation responds more to a positive agenda in movies with social impact. 51% expect such projects to give them a mental uplift. The same number of respondents prefer the feeling of sympathy and compassion from watching a movie.




	 10% mention injustice, 9% surprise and 8% shame. For the most part, it is young people who expect such emotions from movies with social impact. However, the deep drama in movies with social impact tends to have less impact.




	 However, both generations are brought together by the demand for real stories and ease of storytelling. It is important not just to highlight a problem, but also to demonstrate a solution. These factors increase the emotional permeability of the story, and this, in turn, increases the social impact of the movie.




	 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of National Media Group:


	 “NMG conducts an annual study of socially transformative cinema to better understand the demand of its audience. We see that there is a very clear request for it. We try to convey such important themes as family values, friendship, love and respect for our country in clear and emotional language through talented stories. It is very important for us not only to respond to the current demand of our viewers, but also to anticipate the topics that will concern them tomorrow, which will allow us to continue to develop socially transformative content on the Russian market”.




	 The research was conducted in February-April 2024. The survey involved 1,400 respondents over the age of 18 and 50 experts in film production. The survey included 10 in-depth interviews with experts and 2 focus groups with viewers to rank the top 33 Russian films with a socially transformative effect. Each respondent assessed the impact of the film on the viewer - from emotional involvement to an incentive to change behavior. Ranking was formed based on the respondents' answers, consisting of the average rating of the work on online platforms, which means wide reach, and the film's impact index.

NMG and Platform release third study of socially transformative content

National Media Group announces the creation on the basis of STS Media of a new creative association “WHAT TO DO”, a studio for producing animation projects for family and adult audiences, as well as producing cross-media special projects. It was headed by media manager Denis Vsesvyatsky.


	 In his new role, Denis will be responsible for the production and implementation of animation projects aimed at family audiences, with a particular focus on content for adults. He will also oversee the production of special projects.


	 Alexander Akopov, Deputy General Director for Entertainment Broadcasting, NMG:


	 “We expect that Denis's expertise will contribute to the growth of the STS animation sector, and that his creative ideas will be in demand across all viewing environments, providing a new impetus to the digital development of STS animation projects. We are confident that his extensive expertise and creative potential will be a valuable asset to NMG, and that he will be able to contribute to our projects in a variety of ways”.


	 &nbsp;


	 Denis Vsesvyatsky, Director of Creative association ‘WHAT TO DO’


	 “Animation today is a platform for communication for people of all ages. Something that can unite adults and children, create a common context and culture. The creative association “WHAT TO DO” will focus on the fact that new animation projects speak the same - modern - language with the audience and set the bar high for imagination. WHAT TO DO is open to collaborate and new ideas with all talented and promising players in the media market and beyond”.


	 Earlier NMG created “ECA”, a laboratory for debutants and students to develop projects for the entertainment and information segments of the holding company's broadcasting, online platforms, as well as feature films for cinema distribution.

Denis Vsesvyatsky has assumed the role of CEO at “WHAT TO DO”

National Media Group (NMG) and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) have agreed to invest in the creation of a joint Commercial Fund for the development of film and animation.


	 The Fund's primary objective is to provide systematic financing for the production of feature films for commercial distribution. The planned investment in the Fund is up to 8 billion rubles, with NMG contributing more than half of the funds.


	 NMG will provide preliminary guidance for the selection of projects, while the final decision on the Fund's financing will be made by the Fund's content committee, which will include representatives of NMG and RDIF. The Fund's content committee will be headed by Fyodor Bondarchuk, General Producer of NMG Studios, Director and Producer.


	 Thanks to the efforts of the Fund's team, the time to find investors will be significantly reduced, and the film market will be enriched with new spectacular films that will be of interest not only to Russian audiences, but also abroad, with the potential for distribution in friendly countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. Furthermore, attracting investment from the Fund will enable film producers to undertake more technologically sophisticated projects, tailored to the most prevalent formats. To achieve this, the Fund is prepared to explore potential partnerships with other market players in Russia.


	 The applications may be submitted to the Fund via the following link: <a href="https://xn--d1ahfnafa1c.xn--p1ai/">https://кинофонд.рф</a> .


	 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of NMG:


	 “National Media Group initiated the creation of the Fund thinking about the future of our media industry, which is currently undergoing significant transformation. The key challenge for the industry is the rapid growth in the production of high-quality media content in all viewing environments in a short period of time. We are confident that our Fund will provide a new source of inspiration for the production of quality media products in Russia, thereby enhancing the industry's competitiveness. We are delighted that our idea to create the Fund was supported by RDIF, which has the highest expertise in investing in leading and promising companies. It is anticipated that the Fund will generate substantial returns for investors, including through the portfolio investment principle.”


	 Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF):


	 “Russian film and animation productions are highly popular with audiences and demonstrate high box office receipts. The film production market is growing in Russia, and the demand for quality content in various formats. This presents additional opportunities for talented Russian screenwriters, directors, and producers. The joint Fund with NMG, one of the leading media holdings, will select and assist in the realization of projects with the highest potential, which will increase the share of Russian film productions in the domestic market and, in the long term, in friendly countries in Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, including the BRICS countries.”

NMG and RDIF create the Commercial Fund for the development of film and animation in Russia

National Media Group announces the launch of the Experimental Creative Association (ECA). It is a laboratory for the development of debut projects for entertainment and information segments of the holding company's broadcasting, online platforms, as well as feature films for cinema distribution.


	 The lab will develop experimental projects created by debutants and students. Participants are given the opportunity to work with their ideas with the support of the holding company. In case of a successful defense of the project, a decision will be made on launching a full season or a feature-length film into production.


	 The creation of ECA is the result of the holding's accumulated expertise in working with talented debutants. Some of the projects already in development within the laboratory were created by participants of the program “NMG Debut” and “Creators”, the case championship of creative ideas for students from non-media specialties, launched with the support of NMG in 2023.


	 The Experimental Creative Association was headed by Kim Belov, Director of Strategic Communications at STS Media. The participants' projects will be evaluated by a special content committee, including Alexander Akopov, NMG's Deputy General Director for Entertainment Broadcasting, Dmitry Tabarchuk, General Director of NMG Studios, and other producers and top managers of NMG.


	 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of National Media Group:


	 “NMG is committed to becoming a leading destination for the most talented creative and media professionals in the country. At present, we collaborate with both established industry figures and aspiring authors, thereby investing in the future of both NMG and the media industry as a whole. In 2023, as part of our creative platform “Creators”, we launched “NMG Debut”, a program designed to collaborate with talented creative students, and the Creators Case Championship, where students from non-media specialties presented their ideas about the future of media and entertainment. The launch of ECA represents a further avenue for the identification and nurturing of emerging professionals, working under the guidance of established industry leaders. We are looking forward to seeing new names in the media industry!”


	 Kim Belov, Head of the Experimental Creative Association of NMG:


	 “In light of the industry's most challenging situation, we have been tasked with an intriguing objective: to identify new creative talent and assess their capabilities in a production-like environment. We are open to working with students and debutants, we are interested in both ideas and people, and we are ready to use all the Holding Company's capabilities to realise projects.”

NMG launches Experimental Creative Association

National Media Group announces the creation of NMG DOC, a cluster specialising in the production of documentary content for TV, online services and platforms. The successful experience accumulated by NMG in creating highly rated game content makes it possible to scale this expertise to the documentary film production market as well.


	 The new structural unit will be headed by Yulia Zasko, a winner of the Russian Government Media Award. Vladimir Tyulin, Deputy General Director of the National Media Group, will supervise the work of NMG DOC, while TV producers Mikhail Tukmachev and Ekaterina Avaliani will be responsible for the production part and selection of ideas. The content creation will be assisted by an expert council consisting of prominent historians, scientists and documentary filmmakers.


	 The NMG DOC team has unique experience and high-level expertise in creating documentary content interesting to the viewer even from the most ordinary stories. The concept of each of NMG DOC's projects is based on a unique approach to the topic, deep historical and expert research, and, finally, where appropriate, the integration of fiction and documentary cinema.


	 NMG DOC plans to produce 100 original documentaries by the end of the year. NMG DOC's first projects include:


	 - Alexander III: Russia's most underrated emperor. Who erased his name from the list of our country's greatest rulers?


	 - Secret aspirations and the reverse side of scientific activity of the greatest Russian scientist Dmitry Mendeleev, whose dozens of discoveries in various fields many people do not even suspect.


	 - Non-fictional story of one of the most violent maniacs in the history of the USSR and Russia, Sergei Golovkin, nicknamed “Fisher”. He was the subject of the the acclaimed TV series of the same name. The film includes a unique archive video, shot at the crime scenes and in a gruesome torture room, which the killer equipped in his garage near the government residence in Gorki.


	 - Secrets of the life and death of the world-famous explorer Christopher Columbus. The film will address the question of whether Columbus existed in reality or whether he was in fact another person using a pseudonym.


	 - The Russian version of the world TV hit “How the Universe Works?”, in which the viewer together with Russian scientists will try to reach the most distant galaxies.


	 By creating its own documentary projects, NMG DOC also aims at popularising science and history among Russian viewers. For this purpose, NMG DOC has attracted famous people from the world of cinema to create documentary projects: director, actor and producer Fyodor Bondarchuk, actors Vadim Demchog, Alexei Nilov, Mikhail Gorevoi and others.


	 Svetlana Balanova, CEO of National Media Group:


	 “The formation of NMG DOC is a direct response to the business opportunities that have arisen and is in line with the company's mission to convey an up-to-date picture of the world with respect for the past, responsibility to the present and concern for the future. Documentary films are becoming more and more in demand among the audience, sometimes competing with serials, shows and news. On TV, documentary content now accounts for about 8% of viewing, and global trends show the potential for watching documentary content online to grow several times over. Documentary content provides deeper immersion in the topic and high engagement compared to other genres, encourages people to think and dream, expand their education and outlook. We are confident that NMG DOC will open a new window of opportunity for the country's most talented TV and film documentarians and will become a leading center of concentration for high-quality non-fiction works, a leading customer and distributor of documentary products on the Russian market.”


	 NMG DOC products will be distributed both within the perimeter of NMG channels and platforms and will be available to the entire Russian market.

 NMG DOC also invites creative teams and documentary filmmakers with bright and unusual ideas to co-operate (<a href="https://nmgdoc.ru/">https://nmgdoc.ru/</a>).&nbsp;&nbsp;

NMG creates a documentary production cluster

The 24th annual rating "Top 1000 Russian Managers" - a joint project of the Managers Association and Kommersant Publishing House - has been published.


	 NMG top managers became winners in several nominations at once.


	 Svetlana Balanova, General Director of NMG, is the first in the top 250 top managers (Media Business category). Among the leaders in the same nomination is Karolina Sokolova, General Director of Everest Sales House.


	 The second place in the top 100 CFOs (in the Media Business category) went to Maria Demchenko, Financial Director of NMG.


	 Anna Aibasheva, Communications Director of NMG, took the first place in the top 100 public and corporate relations directors (Media Business category).


	 Olga Kartashkova, Marketing Director of Novy Channel (Domashniy TV channel), took second place in the top 100 Marketing Directors (Media Business category).


	 Maxim Rybakov, Deputy General Director for Production at STS Media, ranked fourth in the top 50 Development Directors (Media Business category).


	 Maria Zalunina, Head of CSR at NMG, took the first place among the top 25 directors for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility (Media Business category).


	 The Top 1000 Russian Managers rating is a project of the Russian Managers Association, which is published annually on the pages of the Kommersant newspaper. It is a tool for objective evaluation of professional standing of leading Russian top managers. The rating summarizes the annual results and identifies the best managers in the most functional areas, according to the representatives of the professional community themselves.

7 heads of NMG included in the list of the best Russian managers

National Media Group presents the results of the first case championship of creative ideas "Creators", which brought together 1,200 students from 81 regions of Russia, united in 250 teams.


	 Applications were submitted by students of various specialties from social sciences to engineers from more than 75 universities, including HSE, Financial University, Moscow State University, St. Petersburg State University, RANEPA, PRUE. Plekhanov, Gubkin Russian State University, RUDN, SFU and SPbPU. The leading fields are "Economics", "Information Technology", "Law" and "Chemistry and Biotechnology".


	 The championship lasted from August 13 to September 8 in the online format and gave students and specialists of non-creative specialties an opportunity to contribute to the development of the media industry. The project had several stages. The first qualifying stage was passed by 65 teams, which had an opportunity to realize their ideas with the support of media industry experts. As a result, 12 teams whose ideas met the criteria of the second qualifying stage made it to the final of the case championship.


	 The defense of creative projects was held on September 8 in the online format. The teams presented their projects to the top management of NMG in the sections "Content of Tomorrow" and "Big Idea". The participants proposed unique plots for series and shows, as well as innovative ideas for content in the media and entertainment industry. It was not only creativity that hey had to show, but also analytical skills - to justify why their idea is worthy of realization. At the end of the day the jury determined the winners, finalists and special prizes of the first championship of creative ideas:


	 - First place - LAVA Project team;


	 - Second place - Media Fruit team;


	 - Dream Team and Killer Queen shared the third place;


	 - Special prize from Channel 5 - Omichi team;


	 - Special prize from CTC Channel - the team "Mean Girls".


	 The winners of the championship received online certificates of 100 thousand rubles each, and the finalists - 35 thousand and 20 thousand rubles, respectively, for further development of their creative potential. And the winners of special prizes - a tour to the studio of "Channel 5" and a trip to the set of the series "The Heirs" or "Daddy's Daughters".


	 The Creators Case Championship is the first project of NMG where representatives of non-media professions became the authors of creative ideas and projects for the development of the media and entertainment industry in Russia. The championship was held within the framework of the new unified creative platform "Creators". The platform unites all strategic initiatives of the holding company and its assets in terms of immersion in the world of media, search and selection of creative talents and projects.


	 CEO of NMG Svetlana Balanova said:


	 "Each new season of NMG offers viewers something new in media and entertainment industry, in content - in movies, shows, series, animation. We also pay special attention to education and development of creative industries, investing resources in finding and nurturing new young talents.


	 The Creators Case Championship gave young people across the country the opportunity to unlock their creative potential, learn how to work with hypotheses and media formats, experiment and give the right form to their brightest ideas with the support of the best NMG experts. It was important for us to see a personal, non-standard view of what content should be, which will be interesting for today's youth. I am sure that all these ideas will find their realization in the future".

The first NMG Creative Ideas Championship united students from 81 regions of Russia

National Media Group announces the signing of a priority offer agreement with INEY Productions (co-founders Andrei Zolotarev and Alyona Akimova). Within the framework of the partnership, CTC TV channel and NMG Studio, which are parts of NMG, get the right to be the first to make a production proposal for all projects developed by INEY Productions. Andrey Zolotarev will also become a creative producer of NMG Studios


	 Andrey Zolotarev is one of the most successful and demanded screenwriters on the Russian market. His projects include both film distribution hits ("Ice", "Ice 2", "Invasion", "Attraction", "Sputnik") and rating series ("13 Clinical", "Trigger").


	 CEO of NMG Svetlana Balanova said:


	 "We are very pleased that one of Russia's most talented creators of colorful and high-quality content has joined the NMG team. His movies and TV series are a whole universe of genres, characters and fascinating plots. We are looking forward to new movies and series from Andrey!".


	 Andrey Zolotarev, screenwriter, producer:


	 "We have a long and successful history of cooperation with NMG. I think that in the new format our relations will have even more interesting prospects. Together we will be able to create large-scale and exciting stories for the audience".

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