Tvigle.ru, a major Russian video entertainment portal on the Russian Internet, has purchased a number of popular TV shows from BBC Worldwide, including the award-winning programs Misfits, The Luther, Cranford, The Fade, The Deep, and others.
No less than 200 hours of BBC Worlwide content will be offered free of charge by Tvigle, whose business model relies on advertising revenues. This scope of this deal is unprecedented in the Russian VOD market, Tvigle claims.
The deal could amount to approximately $500,000, East-West Digital News learned from a source close to the deal.
“BBC content is smart, funny, and intellectual, which suits core Russian online viewers very well,” Tvigle CEO Egor Yakovlev told East-West Digital News.
Tvigle also has content licensing agreements in place with Fox and Disney ABC, and is holding talks with NBC Universal and Warner, Yakovlev added.
Tvigle has a total content base of over 20,000 long and short videos, all under license agreements, including Russian and international TV series, cartoons, shows and clips. Tvigle claims it is the only player on the Russian market to produce a portion of its video content.
In addition to its own portal Tvigle.ru, the company’s video syndication network comprises over 200 partners.
Founded in 2007, Tvigle raised around $5 million in its early stages from Allianz-Rosno Asset Management. Last September, it attracted another $8 million from PromSvyazCapital, the investment arm of PromSvyazBank, a leading Russian bank.
