Moscow, September 2, 20032003 - OAO RBC Information Systems (RTS: RBCI; MICEX: RU14RBCI4001) launches the first Russian television for business people, RBC TV. The new television channel will focus on business news and will broadcast for a business audience.

RBC TV is the first and the only business television in Russia. During its daily broadcasting RBC TV will spotlight the situation on the Russian and international financial markets. The channel will feature economic, financial and political news from Russia and other countries, analytical reviews, expert forecasts and commentaries, interviews with top politicians and businessmen, business press reviews and special programs on topical problems of businesses in Russia.

The creation of a business television is especially important for this country now. Russia sees economic growth along with consumer-led recovery and developing business activities. Detailed and up-to-date financial and economic data has become crucially important for representatives of large and medium-sized businesses. Nowadays, RBC is the only company capable of creating a business TV channel in Russia equal to leading western news and analytical TV channels and adapted for the Russian audience.

"A unique feature of RBC TV is a combination of two concepts, i.e. news and analytical broadcasting," RBC TV General Director Artyom Inutin said. "Information policies of our TV channel correspond to editorial policies of mass media sources within the RBC group. Our goal is to provide independent and objective coverage of events. We provide prompt information and try to present all viewpoints to our audience giving the floor to all interested parties. When we were preparing to launch RBC TV, we turned to experience of the largest western TV channels. We are actively working with our partners, CNBC and CNN, the world leaders in news broadcasting and economic information distribution on the western market. Unlike other Russian television channels, RBC TV is a specialized business television broadcasting for people interested in economic news in the first place."

RBC TV also collaborates with the largest foreign news agencies and companies, including Reuters, APTN, NTV, Deutsche Welle and others.

The total volume of investments in the television project reached about $23m, 75 percent of investments came from RBC's own funds and 25 percent were attracted from other sources. RBC-TV is expected to break even by the end of the second year of broadcasting with the payback period of three and a half years.

About RBC TV

The RBC TV team consists of 500 professionals who came from federal TV channels or other mass media sources. The television staffs more than 40 analysts who came to work at RBC TV from banks and financial companies. RBC TV has the most up-to-date studios and equipment with unique technical capabilities.

RBC TV will broadcast via satellite channels (NTV +, Kosmos-TV), cable networks (Comcor-TV, Divo-TV), terrestrial and regional networks as well as via the Internet. RBC TV broadcasts 24 hours a day: live broadcasting from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. and replay of information programs and analytical blocks starting at 1 a.m. to 7 a.m.

The new TV channel will extensively use continuously updated graphical and textual video materials, such as crawlers and multiscreens allowing for visual and prompt coverage of daily events' dynamics without affecting the general programming structure. The TV channel will have morning broadcasting (a block of morning programs), daytime broadcasting (with focus on analytical programs) and evening broadcasting consisting of news and highlights of the results of the day.

According to Comcon media researcher, RBC TV's potential audience will exceed 12 million people. RBC TV expects its viewership to reach 7 to 8 million people by the end of 2003, rising to 12 million by the end of 2004. The Russian State Statistics Committee posted data that 10 percent of the Russian population earns one third of the entire income. These will be the people who will form the core audience of RBC-TV. According to social research, RBC TV will be watched by 25-55-year-olds who have a higher education and whose income is above average. People interested in business and financial information are, primarily, top and middle managers, employees of banks and investment companies, foundations and exchanges, auditing and consulting companies, journalists and representatives of federal and regional governing agencies along with Russian entrepreneurs and foreign top managers, experts and businessmen together with students of economics and private investors.

RBC TV offers unprecedented advertising opportunities. Russia is one of the fastest-growing advertising markets in the world. Over the past several years, expenditures for advertising increased by more than 50 percent annually. For the first time in Russia, RBC TV gives a chance to companies focusing on B2B and luxury goods to use a unique ground for promoting their goods and services.

From now on, advertisers will be able to address their clients directly, within the same advertising campaign, without overpaying for non-target audience.

RBC Press Contact: Natalia Samoylova
Tel.: +7 (095)363-1111, fax: +7 (095)363-11-25,
E-mail: nsamoylova@rbc.ru

Investor contact: Natalia Makeeva
Tel: +7 (095) 363-1111 (ext. 1369), e-mail: ir@rbc.ru, Web: www.rbcinfosystems.ru.