PRESS: Yandex in talks to launch production of original series

MOSCOW, Feb 6 (PRIME) -- Russian Internet company Yandex has been actively involved in talks with producers since the end of 2018 to order shooting from eight to 10 series in 2019, which could be released in early 2020, business daily Vedomosti reported on Wednesday, citing several sources in media companies.

Yandex will make a decision on whether to launch own production on a permanent basis upon results of the release of first projects, the sources said.

Olga Filipuk, director for media service development at Yandex, said, “Yandex.Studio is negotiating with various companies production of films, series, and shows in different genres, but we’re not ready to disclose details yet.”

The sources said Yandex orders series for its online cinema and mainly to raise the number of pay subscribers. The Internet company launched the online cinema on the basis of service KinoPoisk a year ago, and users can watch here films and series for free after advertisements or subscribe for content.

Vedomosti found six producers with whom Yandex have been or is currently in talks. Final agreements are achieved at least on two projects. One of them is a project of Alexander Tsekalo’s TV company Sreda, called The Ministry, on officials and corruption.

The other project is of Ruben Dishdishyan’s Mars Media, a detective series called A Whirlpool.

Yandex has a small experience in co-producing such 2018 films as A Rough Draft and The Perfect Ones with budgets of 280 million rubles and 75 million rubles, respectively.

(65.5691 rubles – U.S. $1)

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