Director General of the National Television Company of Ukraine (NTCU) Egor Benkendorf has become head of the Inter television channel, the Telekritika online newspaper has reported, citing a source.
According to the newspaper, Hanna Bezliudna joined the channel’s supervisory board, while Russian TV host Yevgeny Kiselev, who previously led the Big Politics political talk show on the channel, became the head of the channel’s national information systems.
As reported, referring to the press service of Inter on Feb. 1, 2013, K.H. Media Limited, owned by former First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, has sold its 100% stake in Inter Media Group Limited for $2.5 billion to GDF Media Limited company, owned by Ukrainian billionaire Dmytro Firtash.
It was expected that GDF Media Limited would gain control over the media group after it receives approval from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine.
On Feb. 7, 2012, it was reported that the new shareholders of Inter Media Group Limited, uniting Inter TV Channel and up to ten other channels, will be companies owned by businessman Dmytro Firtash and Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Serhiy Liovochkin.
Inter Media Group includes the TV channels of Inter, Inter+, NTN, K1, K2, Enter, Enter-Film, Mega, MTV Ukraine, and other production and marketing companies.
Inter TV Channel is the most popular channel (with a share of 14-16% over the recent months.) Its net income in 2011 grew by 30.9%, to Hr 744.77 million, almost returning to the level of the pre-crisis year of 2008. Its net loss last year fell by 29.5%, to Hr 137.63 million.
In the first half of 2012, the TV channel saw net income of Hr 446.840 million and a net loss of Hr 95.34 million.
