Rostelecom strikes deal with Disney, eyes expansion

Russian service provider Rostelecom has struck a deal with Disney to make Disney content available on-demand in standard and high-definition.

Rostelecom’s IPTV subscribers will be able to access Disney movies including The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Pirates of the Caribbean. The operator provides IPTV services under a number of brands to about 500,000 subscribers across all of Russia’s federal districts. The company plans to unify its offerings under a single brand later this year.

Separately, Rostelecom, which also acquired cable operator NTK last year, is planning to strengthen its position in the Moscow market based on its ownership of Moscow operator Center Telecom, according to local reports. A new unit, likely to be headed by former Akado CEO Denis Lubanov, will be charged with developing broadband and pay TV services in the capital, according to RBC Daily.