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The business program of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2021) started on June 3. Alexander Zharov, CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding, took part in the discussion panel “International business and global values: Risks and opportunities for creative industries in the next stage of development”.

The panelists discussed how the growing creative industries sector shapes human values, especially those of the younger generations. The session moderator Natalya Popova, first deputy general manager of Innopraktika, identified the main theme of the panel - bringing business and values together.

The CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding Alexander Zharov noted that Russian media companies should put more effort into promoting Russian content abroad.

“Russia is a globally competitive country in promoting universal human values through content and business. It is very significant for us that the global Netflix platform has ordered the production of the first Russian series from our company. I’m talking about the adaptation of the novel Anna Karenina. This story is well known to the global audience and our year of culture is based on it. If we talk about the matrix of human values in a global context, currently there is a rigid split there. Some countries set the boundaries and if you don’t fit in, you get rejected. We in Gazprom-Media Holding are tolerant of all opinions and stances, but of course, our content must reflect and carry the national code, and we have succeeded in achieving this. As for the international audience and promotion of Russian content abroad, it is platforms that are important here, especially in the digital environment. For example, we have re-launched our RUTUBE video platform and will release a short video platform in the fall.”

Alexander Zharov CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding

“Marketing of national content abroad should be supported at the state level, by specialised associations and companies. It is necessary to increase the promotion of national content on the international market. To do so, we must push aside internal competition and strengthen the external one. The time when Channel One competed with Russia-1 (channel) has passed. We are now in a global competition. If we don’t have the ambition to compete on the large, international arena, then we will simply lose. By winning on local online platforms, we must promote our values through content on a global level.”

Alexander Zharov CEO of Gazprom-Media Holding

As an example, he brought up the worldwide success of the series Epidemiya (To the Lake) on Netflix and the screening of Pereval Dyatlova (Dead Mountain: The Dyatlov Pass Incident) in Europe. 1-2-3 Production studio, which is part of Gazprom-Media Holding, made both series.

Alexander Zharov at SPIEF-2021: By winning on local online platforms, we must promote our values through content on a global level

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