TV Series in Russia and Ukraine

In Russia and Ukraine, the production of high quality TV series and mini-series is booming and the domestic productions are gaining a stronger foothold and ousting foreign competitors from TV channels.

As to the latest report from the European Audiovisual Observatory, "the budgets on television series have never been officially disclosed, but the cost of an episode rose from $50,000 in 1997 to $200,000 in 2005, rising to $650,000 (this is the cost announced for the production of one episode of Russian TV Series "Master and Margarita") in some special cases".

In Ukraine, long-series are some of the most popular products of the Ukrainian TV market, especially if they show what the viewer needs and desires: romance, adventures, and beautiful love stories, unobtrusive extremes and happy endings. TV Series "Love Cure" and "Devil from Orly. Angel from Orly " gained the love of millions of Ukrainian and Russian viewers. Melodrama long-series "Love Cure" produced by the production studio "Film UA" is the first significant TV project in the history of the Ukrainian television, with a budget of around 3 million dollars.

Today, combinations of original series and local clones of Western series (like the sitcoms "My Beautiful Nanny", "Born Ugly") are very popular. Russian and Ukrainian TV channels are buying scripted formats from the US and Latin America, and create successful local adaptations. More often, TV channels are increasing co-production with companies from the US, Mexico, Argentine, Brazil to co-produce long-running series. New developments in the formation of strong production units create new opportunities for co-productions with foreign partners, and successful adaptations of foreign TV Fictions in local cultural environments on the market.

RUSSIA : TOP SERIES (2006)

Source: TNS Gallup Media (January-June 2006)

UKRAINE : TOP SERIES (2006)

Source: GfK Ukraine (January-March 2006)