Friday, August 12, 2005

Russia/Foreign Media Companies/News Corp.


RIA Novosti: Opinion: For Murdoch it is always money before politics

"Murdoch is no stranger to Russia's media market. News Corp is already a significant player in the street advertising sector, announcing last month that it would invest over $130 million in this very lucrative business. Two years ago News Corp was in negotiations to purchase a stake in NTV; eventually Gazprom took possession of the network."

"It is not surprising that News Corp remains keen to expand its presence in Russia. Russia's total advertising market grew 33% in 2004, to $3.85 billion. Television advertising increased 37% during the same period, to $1.7 billion. According to market experts, Russia's total advertising market is expected to expand, with television advertising growing faster than the entire sector and valued in the area of $18 billion over the next few years. Murdoch has a proven track record around the world when it comes to investing in media assets, and Russia is his next logical target."


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