Paramount Comedy rolling out in Russia

Viacom will launch its Paramount Comedy channel in Russia in April. The localized service will be programmed with Russian and international content and target the 18-34 demographic.

In conjunction with the launch announcement, Viacom said it has hired a new ad sales manager and channel boss for its Russian services. Mikhail Nepomnyaschy joins from Disney and will fill the ad sales role after being appointed commercial director. Andre Gromkovski, meanwhile, joins from Bazalevs Group and becomes head of channel, Paramount Comedy Russia.

The roster of international series on the new channel will include South Park and Last Man Standing while. Viacom said that local comedians will also play a key role in the channel’s programming with Dmitry Romanov and other local comics contributing.

Viacom would not disclose which platforms the channel will be carried on at launch, but told Informa Telecoms & Media that it would announce distribution partners in March.