The biggest premieres of the year, leadership in digital, television and production of entertainment content is what TNT is preparing for 2019, said the channel’s director Roman Petrenko.
Undisputed leader on all screens of the country
The legendary Roman Petrenko, who many years ago created TNT as we know it now, has returned to the TV channel.
“Today I am returning to the same chair that I was in for 12 years, but not to the same place. I am returning to a new world, where the total penetration of the Internet dictates its rules to our business, presenting both a threat and new opportunities that were previously unthinkable. This is a world in which the TNT team has reached the highest level of professionalism, and our creators - the pinnacle of creative competence. Humour is our mission. In our world, humour is not only entertainment, it is a means of survival. We are the strongest team in television without news programming and we are shaping the new culture of Russia, working in the genre that is the most important for it. I am infinitely glad to be a part of it again!” said Roman Petrenko, TNT director and one of the three managing directors of Gazprom-Media Entertainment TV.
Roman spoke about the features that have always distinguished and will continue to distinguish TNT from the other 250 TV channels that exist in Russia, which are finding it harder and harder to focus the attention of the audience on their content; the secrets of the channel’s success over many years, and how important it is to stay committed to the originally chosen path and strategy.
Today TNT is the only 14-44 channel that has held on to the lead for all these years. At the same time, TNT is not only the leader in television viewership [1], but also on all the other screens in the country. It is equally well watched both on TV sets and online. The TV channel was the first to switch to the BIG TV measurement system, which showed how the TNT television audience got even bigger when taking into account the online audience. Thus, viewership on desktops averaged 10% on premiere content, and it was significantly higher for a number of other projects. For example, the third season of Politseysky s Rublyovki (The Policeman from Rublyovka) saw a boost of 22% to the TV ratings thanks to desktop viewership, while the second season of the series Olga saw ratings go up 18.4%, the show Zamuzh za Buzovu (Marrying Buzova) 16.4%, and the sixth season of the Bachelor 15.2% [2]. Mobile viewing of TNT content doubles the channel’s online audience [3].
Big national hits to stay on the air
TNT channel will continue to delight its viewers with popular shows in the new season: the series of the year Olga, which won the TEFI award; the continuation of Politseysky s Rublyovki featuring Alexander Petrov and Sergey Burunov; Fizruk (Gym Teacher) with Dmitriy Nagiev in the lead role; and the Adaptatsiya (Adaptation) series where an American spy Ashton Ivey will work not for the US, but for the Russian special services.
New seasons of entertainment shows will be shown on TNT in 2019. Among them, Gde Logika (Where is the Logic?), Studia SOYUZ, Comedy Woman, Improvizatsiya (Improvisation), Otkritii Mikrofon (Open Mike), Comedy Battle, Odnazhdy v Rossii (Once Upon a Time in Russia), Stand Up and the channel’s flagship project and TEFI winner Comedy Club. The new season of Bitva Ekstrasensov (Psychic Challenge) is already on the air of TNT, the reality show Dom-2 continues to run and in May 2019 will celebrate its 15th anniversary, and, of course, the future is bright for the main dance project of the country Tantsy (Dances). The second season of the large-scale musical show Pesny (Songs) will launch soon with prominent pop culture figures Timati and Basta acting as its star producers.
Super premieres of the year
In addition to its top hits, TNT will offer viewers in 2019 nine unique projects with unpredictable plot twists, modern themes and the most stellar acting casts. In the new year, women will finally achieve equality, men will be tasked with raising children, and officials will be sent to remote outposts.
God Kultury (Year of Culture) is the most anticipated series of 2019 featuring Fyodor Bondarchuk in the lead role. It is filmed and ready to air. After a direct line with the president, a negligent Moscow official from the Ministry of Education is sent to a provincial college as punishment. He must make the school one of the country's 100 best universities or his career will come to an end. The characters played by Olga Medynich, Alexandra Oblasova, Igor Ugolnikov and Maria Akhmetzyanova will transport the viewers to a small town of Vernkhneyamsk, where the series’ plot will unfold.
Samki Bogomola (Female Mantis) is a truthful story about four girlfriends who carry on a group chat in messenger for 10 years, sharing the most intimate details of their lives. Where else can a woman be truly frank if not in a secret chat with those who will always understand her? The winner of the Bachelor, Daria Klyukina, plays one of the lead roles.
Patriot is a comedy series about a special services man who returns to his hometown after serving the country and plans to restore order there. Sanya Kuchin returns to his native provincial town after contract service and temporarily gets a job as a security guard at the Mechta convenience store. Sanya is honest, patriotic, energetic, with belief in the greatness of Russia. He is trying to integrate into peaceful civilian life. He categorically dislikes philistinism, sloppiness, drunkenness, corruption and the indifference of local residents. What will happen to this ideal hero in a completely non-ideal world?
Polyarny 17 is a comedy series featuring Mikhail Porechenkov, Ivan Okhlobystin, Vladimir Epifantsev and Ekaterina Shpitsa. The series has been fully filmed this year. A former gangster, previously known by the nickname Vitya-Myasnik (Butcher), played by Mikhail Porechenkov, forgets the password for the account in which the common loot is stored, and runs away. Fate brings him to the northern town of Polyarny 17, where time appears to have stopped and his familiar, bold 90s still reign.
Zhuki (Beetles) is a comedy series about three young Moscow programmers who are one step away from signing a contract with a large investor. The main goal that Nikita, Artemy and Denis have is to pay up to avoid alternative service at any cost and leave the village for Moscow. At first it seems to them that it will only take a few days, which should be enough to finish and sell the application. But after all their computers and personal belongings are burned, their situation becomes much more complicated. To what lengths will the heroes go to continue their work?
Zhenskii Stand Up (Women’s Stand Up) is a new biting, relevant, honest and funny show. Women could very rarely speak so frankly about things that they care about, and to joke about these things - this is only possible on TNT!
Triada (The Triad) is a comedy series about an unusual misfortune taking place in the life of an ordinary man. Tolik had a wife, a regular lover and a casual relationship. The normal gentleman's set, which he was even proud of, but not for long. This is a difficult story about choice, when a person becomes a hostage to his own sense of decency.
Bolshoy Chelovek (Mr. Big) is a comedy series about the love of food. And women. The main character, played by Evgeny Kulik, is stuck in a hard and uncompromising struggle with himself.
Gusar (Hussar) is a fantasy comedy series with Garik Kharlamov in the lead role. It is the beginning of the 19th century. As a result of an experiment by an enthusiastic scientist a lieutenant from a hussar regiment, Grigory Rylsky, is transported from 1812 to modern times. The lieutenant falls into the newly formed family of a scientist who is on the verge of divorce. The time machine breaks down when the scientist attempts to send the hussar back into the past and it is here that the real adventures of Grigory in the 21st century begin.
