CTC Media owns both CTC and Domashny television networks and went public in June 2006 (NASDAQ listing under CTCM). Since this first appearance, investors have witnessed a stock appreciation of approximately 80 percent. Jenna Focarino, a spokesperson for the broadcaster, attributed much of the success to CEO Alexander Rodnyansky, whom she called "a visionary and pioneer in the Russian entertainment industry." In 2004, Rodnyansky won an award for "best media manager" in Russia from the Russian Union of Jour­nalists. His vision, to focus predominantly on younger audiences, has given the company a unique position in the market.

Although CTC’s growth in U.S. advertisement markets has been rather slow, Rodnyansky reported rapid development in Central and Eastern Europe, as the firm joins many Western media companies rushing to acquire properties in the region.

On Wednesday, he told The Moscow News that they "are also entering Uzbekistan TV advertising market together where we have set up a TV company with our Uzbek partner Terra Group. We have already started broadcasting in test mode and expect to commence commer-

cial broadcasting later this year." Although the country offers a relatively small market in terms of volume, Rodnyansky stated that it "has a great growth potential," with a population of 27 million.

In response to further future expansion plans, Rodnyansky mentioned that they "will continue looking at other CIS countries with dynamically developing advertising markets and a high proportion of Russian-speaking population, such as Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Moldova, etc..."

As CTC Media extends its reach into Kazakhstan, it will gain access to Channel 31’s 7.1 percent of market share in the country. The broadcaster expects the large youth market in Kazakhstan to advance its success there. In the press release announcing the purchase, CTC highlighted that audiences under 35 years of age comprise over half of all viewers.