MTS, a leading Russian mobile operator, launched a new online video platform for mobile devices and smart TVs, made available in the Google Play and Apple App stores, reports East-West Digital News (EWDN).

Dubbed ‘Kion,’ this video streaming platform “features thousands of films and hundreds of TV channels”. It will also be “the exclusive home for a slate of original MTS and partner content.” These exclusive titles, ‘KION Originals,’ include movies and documentaries as well as comedy and drama series.

Among the content partners is Channel One Russia, the country’s leading TV network.

The platform also features a novelty called ‘kinostories.’ “Viewers can choose to watch a kinostory either in a single session or, alternatively, as a series of specially edited 10-15 minute segments. Kinostories put users in control of the viewing experience, enabling them to consume content when, where and how they want – from a relaxed weekend evening at home to a few free minutes during the weekday commute,” MTS explains.

The company says it is “leveraging [its] big data and AI capabilities” to provide customers with “a unique, personalised content offering at an attractive price point.”

As reported by Kommersant, the Kion platform is managed by MTS Media, which is also responsible for the production of original content.

As of late 2020, MTS’s existing video service accounted only for a 1% market share – lagging far behind such leaders as ivi.ru and Okko, notes the business daily. The company hopes Kion will enter the top three by 2023.

Other players such as MegaFon.  

This article first appeared in East-West Digital News (EWDN), a bne IntelliNews partner publication.