Rambler&Co media giant to create its own news agency

Rambler&Co, one of Russia’s largest media holdings, has announced plans to create its own news agency to focus on business news, a spokesperson from the media group, Sofia Ivanova, announced today. Petr Kanayev, deputy editor-in-chief of news agency TASS’s business and finance department, has been named editor-in-chief of the new agency.

Aiming to be “the primary source of business news on the Russian internet”, the purpose of the resource is aimed at “filling an obvious shortage of quality and operational business information in Russia’s internet”, Ivanova said.

According to a source, the agency is hoping to compete with news agencies Interfax and TASS, and will be recruiting around 50 employees for the office, including former employees of TASS. An exact date for the launch has not yet been given, however work on the development of the site has already begun, according to Ivanova.

The news agency will earn money through advertising various projects, including organising its own events at their media centre and selling their own content.

Rambler&Co formed in 2013 after oligarchs Vladimir Potanin and Alexander Mamut merged their media assets. The holding now comprises some of Russia’s leading media outlets, including news websites Lenta and Gazeta and sports news portal Championat.