Ukrainian telecoms operator Volia has agreed a distribution agreement with Media Group Ukraine for the new FC Shakhtar Donetsk club channel, Shakhtar TV.
Shakhtar TV will now be available to Volia’s 600,000 digital and over-the-top streaming subscribers.
The channel broadcasts archive footage of club matches in domestic competitions and the Uefa Champions League and Europa League. From next season the channel will start to produce its own content.
The channel is produced and distributed by Media Group Ukraine, the holding company that is owned by FC Shakhtar Donetsk owner, Rinat Akhmetov.
Shakhtar TV is the country’s first club channel. It was granted a broadcasting license by the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting on February 14.
Oleksandr Remezovskyi, director for distribution of pay-TV channels and media platforms at Media Group Ukraine said: “Media Group Ukraine will be engaged in the distribution of Shakhtar TV.
“The channel is already available to subscribers to the OLL.TV platform, in the Volia network and, in May it will be included in packages of the Xtra TV satellite provider and other cable providers. We will try to ensure maximum coverage and wide access of viewers to the Shakhtar TV channel.”
OLL.TV is an OTT platform owned by Media Group Ukraine.
Volia and Media Group Ukraine jointly negotiated a three-season agreement in 2018 for rights to the Champions League and Europa League, from 2018-19 to 2020-21. This Uefa club rights deal was Volia’s first sports-rights acquisition.