NTV Plus planning OTT TV service

Russian pay TV operator NTV Plus plans to increase its reach by providing an over-the-top TV service and is in talks with device manufacturers, according to local reports.

NTV Plus marketing director Alexey Zhuravlev was reported by the Digit.ru website as saying that its entry into online TV would enable the broadcaster to expand its audience and launch new services. He did not disclose a launch date.

NTV Plus, which broadcasts via satellite, previously launched an IPTV version of its service on the Citycom network in Smolensk at the end of 2011, and also teamed up with Vick Telecom to offer a similar service in Murom in west-central Russia.

NTV Plus’s satellite TV rivals Tricolor TV and Orion Express are also reportedly looking to develop online offerings to complement their satellite services.