STS (TV channel)

In 1994, Channel Six Petersburg (owned by then-current CTC Media StoryFirst Communications) began expanded outside St. Petersburg. Some local stations began rebroadcast that station: Telesphere (Krasnoyarsk), AMTV (Moscow), Zenit (Oryol), TSM Channel 10 (Novobirisk, have been rebroadcast since the launch in 1991 but disaffiliated in 1995).

In December 1996, AMTV went into financial crisis, most of founders had left. It later joins StoryFirst Communications (at that time owned some regional TV in Russia). AMTV later joins those stations, leading to created STS.

STS was launched on 1 December 1996.

In 2002, Alexander Rodnyansky became General Director of the STS. During the period of his leadership the ratings of the channel showed a quick and significant increase. 2006 - the best year in the history of STS. Then the average share of the channel's audience reached the highest level - 10.4% (audience "Russia, all viewers over four years").[3]

In 2007 STS switched to round-the-clock broadcasting.

In 2008 Vyacheslav Murugov became the General Director of STS (he also holds this position today). Murugov created many successful original Russian TV projects.

December 21, 2009 - start broadcasting international version of the channel - "STS International".[4]

December 14, 2012 - STS entered the second multiplex of digital television of Russia.

February 1, 2019 - STS switched to a 16:9 broadcast format.[5]

November 2019 - the HD version of the TV channel started broadcasting.[6]

Today STS is a leading entertainment network in Russia. Focusing on entertainment, STS broadcasts a mix between Russian productions and international programming of interest to its target audience, viewers aged 10–45,[7] especially younger audiences.

Approximately 100 million people are within STS’s signal reach. In 2019, STS achieved an average audience share in its target demographic of 9.45%. It ranks as the sixth most watched nationwide broadcaster in Russia overall.[8] STS network reaches approximately 96% of urban households.[9]

The STS Network currently has about 350 affiliates, including 19 owned-and-operated stations.

STS Media works with the leading Russian TV content production companies. In autumn 2003, the channel launched a line of domestic television series. Since then, many successful TV series came out on the channel.

STS airs both licensed series and sitcoms, such as My Fair Nanny ("Моя прекрасная няня", based on The Nanny), Who rules in this house? ("Кто в доме хозяин?", which is the Russian remake of Who's the Boss?), Not Born Beautiful ("Не родись красивой", based on the popular Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, known in English as Ugly Betty), Voronin's Family ("Воронины", which is the Russian remake of Everybody Loves Raymond), Margosha ("Маргоша", based on the Argentine telenovela Lalola), Private school ("Закрытая школа", based on the Spanish drama-thriller El Internado).

Among original Russian series and sitcoms: Poor Nastya ("Бедная Настя"), Cadets ("Кадетство"), Daddy's Daughters ("Папины дочки"), Ranetki ("Ранетки", dramedy about the same musical group - Ranetki Girls), Kitchen ("Кухня"), Eighties ("Восьмидесятые"), The Junior Team ("Молодёжка"), Two Fathers, Two Sons ("Два отца и два сына"), Londongrad ("Лондонград"), Ivanov-Ivanov ("Ивановы-Ивановы"), 90's. Fun and loud ("90-е. Весело и громко").

In the 2010s, the number of licensed series decreased. The management of the channel relies on original Russian projects.[10]

STS Media maintains close working relationships with all the major Hollywood studios. It shows European and Hollywood films.

STS Media participated in the shooting and promotion of many Russian films:[11][12] The 9th Company ("9 рота"), Piter FM ("Питер FM"), Heat ("Жара"), Dark Planet ("Обитаемый остров"), Hooked on the Game ("На игре"), All Inclusive ("All inclusive, или Всё включено"), Have Fun, Vasya! ("Гуляй, Вася!"), Ice ("Лёд"), Yolki 7 ("Ёлки последние"), Invasion ("Вторжение") and others.

Among the most successful shows:

• comedy show - Good jokes ("Хорошие шутки"), Thank God You're Here ("Слава Богу, ты пришел!"), Ural dumplings ("Уральские пельмени")
• sketch show - 6 frames ("6 кадров"), You go, teens! ("Даёшь молодёжь!")
• infotainment - Galileo ("Галилео"), Movies in details ("Кино в деталях"), Stories in Details ("Истории в деталях"), Infomania ("Инфомания")
• children's quiz show - The Cleverest ("Самый умный")
• style - What Not to Wear ("Снимите это немедленно"), Rogov. Studio 24 ("Рогов. Студия 24")
• cooking - Just the kitchen ("ПроСТО кухня")

Cartoons from the collections of the Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., ViacomCBS, and others, make up an important part of CTC's daily programming. Every day a time slot from 06:00-09:00 (until 2012 - 14:00-16:00) is exclusively given to animated series such as Timon and Pumbaa, The Woody Woodpecker Show, TaleSpin, Tom and Jerry, Speed Racer, Aladdin, The Real Ghostbusters, Winx Club, Monster Allergy, Scooby-Doo, DuckTales, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, and others.

Also STS shows Soviet cartoons (production Soyuzmultfilm, Kievnauchfilm) and Russian animated series such as Kikoriki ("Смешарики"), Novators ("Новаторы"), Alisa Knows What to Do! ("Алиса знает, что делать!"), Kid-E-Cats ("Три кота"), Floogals.

In the 1990s and 2000s STS’s programming mix included a wide variety of popular foreign series like Charles in Charge, Quantum Leap, Sliders, Kommissar Rex, Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place, Charmed, Smallville, Heroes, The O.C., Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Nip/Tuck, Lizzie McGuire, Hannah Montana, Time Trax and Doctor Who.

Series by Hollywood producers were an important part of STS’s brand. Those shows enjoyed outstanding audience appreciation. While Russian audiences in general prefer Russian-made series, through creative marketing STS has achieved higher ratings for Hollywood-made series than other free-to-air broadcasters.

STS director of comedy in 2009, Kostya Naumochkian, appears in the documentary Exporting Raymond, about the efforts of Everybody Loves Raymond series creator Phil Rosenthal to adapt that show into a Russian version called Voronini for Russian TV.

• How I Became Russian (series)

• Official website (in Russian)
• STS Russia's channel on YouTube (in Russian)