Gazprom Media turns to Tricolor TV unit for regional advertising

Gazprom Media’s advertising sales unit Alcazar Media has signed up with pay TV platform Tricolor’s ad sales arm A2 to provide regional opt-out advertising for Russian free-to-air channels NTV and TNT, according to local media.

According to Vedomosti, Alcazar Media sees the deal as a pilot project that will enable it to judge if selling regional advertising through Tricolor TV is more cost-effective than buying regional advertising blocks on a city-by-city basis. Most viewers in central Russia and Siberia view the channels via cable and satellite rather than terrestrial broadcasting and currently only view country-wide advertising rather than the local opt-outs. However, Tricolor TV uses its own audience measurement system rather than the Russian standard audience measurement system supplied by TNS.

Tricolor TV has been offering regional advertising to a number of niche channels but NTV and TNT are the first national channels to sign up for the service.