Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP has advised Russia’s United TV (UTH) media company on the agreement of a joint venture with The Walt Disney Co to create a Disney-branded Russian television channel early next year, subject to the satisfaction of contractual conditions, including certain regulatory filings.

UTH will be the majority shareholder in the joint venture company, with a 51 percent stake, and Disney will control the remainder through a subsidiary company. Once launched, the new channel is expected to reach more than 75% of the measured audience in Russia and will air on broadcast stations in 54 large urban markets, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as hundreds of rural and remote cities and towns nationwide through other distribution agreements. It will broadcast Disney family programming as well as original Russian content, with Disney providing programming and marketing expertise, as well as content acquisition support. Disney’s existing Russian cable channel will be re-branded and operated by the joint venture. 

London-based Local Partner Amy Comer commented: “Linking up with a globally recognized brand like Disney is a great result for UTH, and the joint venture will see them create high quality family programming in the Russian market. We have advised a number of international media companies on their business operations in Russia and are delighted to add this deal to our media and entertainment experience.” 

UTH is one of Russia’s fastest growing media businesses, and broadcasts lifestyle and youth-targeted shows to almost all areas in the Russian Federation. 

Amy Comer and Moscow Managing Partner Brian Zimbler supervised this matter, assisted by Associates Graham Brough, Tim Baumgartner and Andrew Tingle in London and Angelina Suvorova, Sergei Orlov, Dmitry Ivanov and Ekaterina Tsvetkova in Moscow.