Disney has become the first Western company to crack the potentially lucrative Russian TV market, the Wall Street Journal reports. The company and a Russian broadcaster are finalizing plans to introduce Disney programming on 30 stations nationwide. Disney will have a 49% ownership stake in the deal with Russia's Media-One Holdings. The channel will likely debut next year, pending regulatory approval.
“Russia is an extremely important market for Disney,” said chief Robert Iger. "We are incredibly excited about bringing great Disney family entertainment and locally produced content into the homes of millions of Russians." (More Disney stories.)