Match TV


Match! TV is a Russian free-to-air federal sports television channel owned by Gazprom Media.
The channel began broadcasting on November 1, 2015, and had been created in accordance with the order of Russian president Vladimir Putin, with the assistance of the editorial office of Gazprom-Media Holding, technical assistance of ANO Sports Broadcasting and the frequency of Russia-2. The general producer of the channel was Tina Kandelaki until she was replaced in September 2021 by Alexander Tashchin.

History

Establishment

On 17 April 2015, the RBK media holding initially reported unconfirmed information that the TV channel Russia-2 might be transferred to the Gazprom-Media holding, with NTV-Plus planning to create a full-fledged sports channel on its basis. Three days later, according to TASS, Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko expressed concern during a press conference in Sochi about the lack of a publicly accessible sports channel in Russia. He stated that the issue of sports broadcasting would be discussed at the Presidential Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sports but declined to reveal details of the planned decisions. The Council meeting took place on 2 June 2015. During the meeting, Gazprom-Media CEO Dmitry Chernyshenko announced the creation of a new specialized, publicly accessible sports channel, to be formed on the production and technological base of NTV-Plus and the Sportivnoye Veshchaniye autonomous non-profit organization, as well as the distribution network of Russia-2. On 5 June 2015, the National Sports Channel limited liability company was established.
According to item 4 of the list of instructions following the Council meeting, signed by the Russian president on 25 June 2015, work on creating a nationwide mandatory public sports channel was to be completed by 1 August 2015. The new channel was named Match TV. As reported by the newspaper Vedomosti and confirmed by sports commentator Georgy Cherdantsev, all employees of Russia-2 were given the opportunity to transfer to Gazprom-Media.
On 15 July 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin amended the decree "On Nationwide Mandatory Public TV and Radio Channels," replacing Russia-2 with Match TV in item 3 of the list, corresponding to the channel's position in the first multiplex of digital terrestrial television. On 31 July, the first license for Match TV was issued, incorporating all existing frequencies of Russia-2. Temporarily, from 1 August to 31 October 2015, Russia-2 broadcast in place of Match TV across its entire distribution network, both in analog and digital television.
Match TV was led by prominent TV host, producer, and public figure Tina Kandelaki and former CEOs of the Domashny channel Natalia Bilan and Natalia Korotkova. Kandelaki's appointment was met with mixed reactions from viewers and staff of NTV-Plus sports channels, leading to a public dispute between Kandelaki and commentator Vasily Utkin, who announced on 11 August his refusal to work under the new director. However, he reversed his decision a month later.
In early October, employees of Sportivnoye Veshchaniye branches received notices of dismissal due to the "completion of the company's statutory activities." Equipment used during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi—including 12 mobile TV stations, 7 mobile satellite communication stations, 2 mobile special equipment stations, a mobile central control room, and more—was transferred to Match TV and regional broadcasters. However, only a portion of Panorama employees moved to the new channel. The equipment was valued at $150 million.

Promotion

The new channel's logo, designed in the style of Soviet constructivism by Shandesign studio, was unveiled in mid-September 2015. It immediately faced significant criticism from designers. The logo was displayed in the top-right corner of the screen, with its symbols alternating between red and white every 7 seconds during broadcasts. During commercials, the logo disappeared from the screen. Typically, the logo would vanish 0.5 seconds after a commercial break began and reappear 0.5 seconds after it ended. In rare cases, the logo disappeared 7 seconds before a commercial block and reappeared 7 seconds after it concluded. On 25 October, rappers Basta and Smoky Mo released a music video for the song Final Match, which became the channel's anthem. The video was directed by Rezo Gigineishvili.
Several promotional videos were produced featuring Match TV commentators and dozens of famous athletes. On 15 October 2015, unified metro passes for 60 rides went on sale in the Moscow Metro, alongside outdoor advertisements featuring Alena Zavarzina, Yelena Isinbayeva, Alexander Kerzhakov, Alina Kabaeva, Timofey Mozgov, and Tatyana Navka. The campaign coincided with the launch of Match TV.
On 18 November, RBK published an investigation revealing that Match TV had managed to organize an advertising campaign in the Moscow Metro virtually for free. The sole advertising operator in the metro had been barred from placing any ads since August 2015. Match TV secured support from the Moscow Metro State Unitary Enterprise, whose employees placed stickers. Other advertising agencies were denied similar requests, as commercial advertising was to be handled by a new contractor to be selected at auction. The Moscow Department of Transport stated that it did not consider the Match TV stickers commercial advertising, and the metro's revenue from the operation equaled its expenses. However, by law, socially significant advertising must feature the Moscow coat of arms and a note stating, "With the support of the Moscow government," which were absent from the stickers. If the advertising had been classified as socially significant, its cost would have been 20% of the standard rate.
On 29 October, an official presentation of the channel was held for the press and future viewers at the Radisson Royal Hotel in Moscow.

2015–2020: Launch of Broadcasting

On 1 November 2015 at 6:30 Moscow time, Match TV began broadcasting. Due to a national day of mourning for the victims of the EgyptAir crash, the schedule was adjusted, and commercial advertising was suspended. The first live broadcast on Match TV was a VTB United League basketball game between CSKA Moscow and Kalev, aired at 13:00 Moscow time. The first hockey broadcast was a match between Moscow teams Dynamo and Spartak, which started four hours later. The KHL rescheduled two of Spartak's away games in the regular season to accommodate this broadcast, and the subsequent Russian Premier League match between Spartak and Ural was delayed by 10 minutes to show a shootout. The qualifying session for the 17th round of the Formula 1 World Championship was broadcast on Russia-2 on 31 October, while the Mexican Grand Prix aired on Match TV on 1 November.
Starting in 2016, during routine maintenance on Match TV, which occurred every three months from Tuesday to Wednesday night, broadcasts were temporarily switched to the old channels 2x2 and Zvezda. Maintenance periods initially ran from 2:00 to 10:00 Moscow time. These measures were introduced on 20 January 2016, following the practices of TV-6, TVS, and Sport/Russia-2, and coincided with similar schedules on NTV and Kultura.
In January 2016, about half of the channel's commentators were laid off, and several prominent sports journalists ended their collaboration with Match TV. Layoffs continued in 2017, despite denials from the channel's press service. Many managers involved in the channel's founding also left. Later, Maria Komandnaya, Ekaterina Kirillcheva, Valery Karpin, and Roman Gutzeit also ceased working with the channel.
In September 2016, Match TV refused to broadcast the Paralympics, from which Russian athletes were banned. Kandelaki stated that the decision was justified by "a sense of dignity and respect for the country".
Ratings in the channel's early months were lower than those of Russia-2. According to Colta.ru, by the end of 2015, Match TV ranked 19th in popularity among federal channels. By the end of 2016, it still lagged behind Russia-2, with a 3.2% share among men aged 25–59.
In May 2017, Match TV filed lawsuits against Sports.ru, accusing the site of illegally broadcasting clips from the Football National League. In response, Sports.ru accused the channel of plagiarizing content and threatened a countersuit. According to Vasily Utkin, to cut costs or due to potential restrictions on Russian participation, Match TV did not book studios or commentary positions for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, sending only correspondents to South Korea. All other commentators worked from Moscow. Around the same time, the Russian government allocated 1 billion rubles to Match TV for coverage of the 2019 Universiade.
From October 2017, Match TV became part of the GPM Razvlekatelnoye TV holding, alongside thematic channels of the Match! sub-holding and the website Sportbox.ru, managed by Arthur Janibekyan. Former Match! sub-holding director Dmitry Granov became the executive director of Match TV. The management model for the sports channel was revised to "optimize key business processes, reduce management costs, and improve operational efficiency."
From November 2017, mass layoffs began at Match TV, with several departments and services being abolished, their functions transferred to GPM Razvlekatelnoye TV.
From January to March 2018, Match TV's average daily share among its target audience was 3.4% nationwide, according to Mediascope.
Starting in 2019, Match TV lost broadcasting rights to several major football tournaments. In April 2019, it was reported that Rambler Group had acquired the rights to broadcast English Premier League matches for three years. From August 2019 to March 2022, the tournament was shown on the Okko streaming service, which hired many former Match TV employees, including Vladimir Stognienko, Alexander Elagin, and Roman Gutzeit. However, from the 2022/2023 season, EPL rights returned to Match TV. Later, rights to La Liga, the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Nations League, and qualifiers for Euro 2024, Euro 2028, and the 2026 World Cup also moved from Match TV to Okko.
On 1 November 2019, Match TV changed its logo, graphics, and slogan to "Match! TV – The Empire of Sport". The logo also stopped disappearing during commercials. From that day, during ads, the logo became white and semi-transparent, without a black rectangle background.