Today at MIPTV 2018, BBC Studios announced a number of content sales deals with the leading digital platforms in Russia.

OTT provider Okko will be adding over 800 hours from the BBC Studios catalogue to the service across the drama and factual genres. Titles that Okko users will soon be able to enjoy are natural history landmarks Life and Frozen Planet and dramas such as The Durrells (S1) and SS-GB amongst many others.

100 hours of premium drama has been licensed to OTT service ivi. Call the Midwife (S1& 2) and Top of the Lake (S1&2) from Oscar-winning writer and director Jane Campion, are just some of the shows that will be available on the platform to Russian audiences.

OTT/VOD service Megogo has picked up over 300 hours of drama and Top Gear content. Titles that will be added to the service include the critically acclaimed Wolf Hall, Father Brown and Dickensian along with a raft of classic Top Gear series and specials.

KinoPoisk (Yandex), the most popular Russian-language film and TV website, signed its first ever deal with BBC Studios for a mixed package deal of 300 hours. Their subscribers will be able to view Born to Kill, In the Dark, Ripper Street and Burton & Taylor to name a few.

Rostelecom, a TVOD & SVOD platform has licensed over 100 hours of drama, natural history and documentaries with titles such as Luther (S1-4) and Diana, 7 Days as part of the package.

Commenting on the deal, Salim Mukaddam, Vice President and General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe, BBC Studios said: “We have been watching the growth of the Russian VOD market closely and last year introduced a role dedicated to serving these clients. Our strategy is paying dividends now as BBC Studios leads the way in supplying premium content to Russian VOD consumers, having built significant partnerships with all the major players in the Russian market. We are delighted to be working with ivi, Okko, Megogo, Rostelecom and now KinoPoisk (Yandex), taking our catalogue to an ever-expanding audience in the region. BBC Studios will have ringside seats to watch the growth of this sector and we look forward to expanding our relationships with these key partners in the years to come."