From 15 April 2008, OJSC North West Telecom and its subsidiary OOO Novgorod Deitacom start commercial operation of the Avangard TV service in Veliky Novgorod. The Novgorod Region is the second region in the North-West Federal District** where OJSC North West Telecom has offered its IP TV service under the Avangard TV brand.

Avangard TV is a digital TV and video-on-demand (VOD) service provided on the basis of the IP technology in the broadband telecommunication networks of OJSC North West Telecom. Subscribers of Avangard TV will have access to the following services:

- a variety of TV channels viewed in the digital format;

- video-on-demand (VOD): the opportunity to select a film or programme from the video library for personal viewing (payment per order);

- "the networked VCR": the opportunity to record current and future programmes and view them in the time convenient for the subscriber;*

- "view from the start": the opportunity to start viewing a programme from the beginning, even if the broadcast has started a while ago;*

- "TV programme archive": viewing programmes which have already finished;*

Subscribers can choose from the following TV channel packages:

- "The Premiere": a package that includes the world's leading TV channels, such as CNN and Hallmark, as well as the new educational channels "Hunting and angling", "The Farmstead", "Mother and Child", and others (33 channels);

- "The Big Premiere": a package that also includes such famous channels as Discovery, Viasat Explorer, Viasat History, BBC, TV1000, as well as various music and entertainment channels (55 channels);

Besides, subscribers can opt for the thematic packages:

- "Adult Stories"

- "Football"

The video library ("video-on-demand") contains about a hundred popular feature films of various genres. The immediate plans involve expanding the library with educational, learning, and entertainment programmes.

To subscribe to the Avangard TV service, one has to call 786-786 in Novgorod or fill in the online form at www.avangard-tv.ru , after which the experts of the Novgorod Branch of OJSC North West Telecom will carry out the technical availability check. If the check is successful, the subscriber will then be provided with the equipment required to connect to the service.

Initially, the Avangard TV service is provided only in Veliky Novgorod. The next cities to use the service are going to be Borovichi and Staraya Russa.

More details about the Avangard TV service, the TV channel packages, contents of the video library, subscription rates, and installation procedure are provided on the www.avangard-tv.ru website.