Three-year deal kicks off in August.

Universal Pictures International Entertainment (UPIE) and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (Fox) have struck a deal for Fox to distribute UPIE’s home entertainment product in Russia.

The new three-year strategic partnership will kick off with titles released in August.

The deal covers all of Universal’s film and TV product (from Universal Pictures as well as other UPIE partners) on DVD and Blu-ray in Russia.

Fox will also be responsible for the operations, finance, sales and marketing functions for all UPIE product distributed in the territory. 

The announcement was made by Eddie Cunningham, President, Universal Pictures International Entertainment and Gary Ferguson, Senior Vice President of Emerging Markets, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

“We are delighted to partner with Universal in Russia where both companies remain committed to meeting the growing consumer appetite for accessible and quality home entertainment,” said Ferguson. “The business synergies created as a result of this deal will be significant given the greater economies of scale and improved efficiencies. By working together, we will strengthen our ability to drive the legitimate DVD industry forward and accelerate consumer adoption of the Blu-ray format.”

Eddie Cunningham [pictured] added, “Russia is a very important territory in which NBCUniversal’s film and TV businesses remain successfully proactive. Due to challenging conditions in the current home entertainment market, we are pleased to partner with Fox to create an effective distribution agreement that efficiently supports our customers, offers consumer choice and supports longer term growth in the DVD and Blu-ray market.”

Universal Pictures International Russia, NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and Universal Networks International aren’t affected by this deal and continue business as usual.

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