THE CYPRIOT spokesman for a group of Russian stakeholders who want to bring Russia’s Star Factory talent show to Cyprus said criticism during the week over the €8 million proposal was unwarranted and unnecessary.
According to lawyer Yiannos Georgiades the proposal was entirely above board and transparent and said it would be far worse for Cyprus if the show decided to move to Malta or Turkey.
It is very strange that at this critical moment they are suddenly criticising the proposal. I cannot imagine what the reason could be as there was complete transparency from the beginning, and that all stakeholders including the Union of Local Governments, the Ministries, the CTO and the Hoteliers Association have applauded the proposal,” Georgiades said.
“Unless a decision is taken soon so that it is possible to make arrangements to have the show here in September, it is possible that they will look for another country. The idea and the infrastructure is there so they can now approach a country like Malta or Turkey, as it is an idea that will sell very easily,” he added.
The popular talent show’s hosting on the island is being promoted by Russian-owned SB Exclusive One Cyprus Ltd. According to SB Exclusive, the company’s members are not secret and the whole process was conducted in complete transparency, in the knowledge of all relevant government stakeholders.
“Everything has been done with complete transparency and there is absolutely no conflict of interest. There is not one person in this company that has any relation to the state or the government administration. It is sad because in Cyprus we are used to people getting bought in order to get things done, but no such thing happened in this case. Perhaps that is why it is so difficult for people to believe,” said Georgiades.
According to Georgiades, the people behind SB Exclusive are not the behind the scenes shadow men, but a group of well-established Russian businessmen living in Cyprus. Among them is Russian millionaire Sergei Andron, as well as three other Russian companies joined together to create a company specifically for this project.
“These agents were authorised in writing by Channel One to have the exclusive rights in promoting the proposal in Cyprus. These individuals were already involved in business activity on the island through other companies and love Cyprus. They also have the contacts with the entertainment business in Russia and came up with this idea, both as a business venture, but also a way of supporting Cyprus’ tourism,” Georgiades said
According to Georgiades, the proposal was presented to the CTO many months ago, but Channel One was at the time preoccupied with organising the Eurovision Song Contest. When Eurovision finished, the channel compiled a comprehensive proposal to the CTO.
“Contacts were made at the Russian Travel Market with the Minister of Commerce Antonis Paschalides and the CTO’s Panos Englezoss.
Presentations also took place individually for the CTO, the Ministry of Commerce, the Hoteliers’ Association and other stakeholders. Then, another presentation took place at a wide gathering of all stakeholders at the Presidential Palace,” Georgiades added.
The presentation that took place 11 May was widely discussed because it was held at the Presidential Palace, a fact some viewed as ‘peculiar’.
“No. President Christofias was not present at the meeting. I cannot understand why this made an impression. The meeting was held at a section of the Presidential Palace that accepts the commercial representations of embassies to discuss large projects that directly concern the state. It is not the first time that the government has taken this coordinating role for a major project,” Georgiades said.
“The proposal does have political bearing as it would strengthen our ties with a country from which we ask assistance for our political problem. Channel One is also a semi-governmental organisation, as the government of Russia holds 51 per cent of its shares. In addition, this is a proposal that the Russian Embassy in Cyprus supports,” he added.
Georgiades said the move would be a unique opportunity for Cyprus and would offers unprecedented exposure in Russia.
“They will air spots about Cyprus every day for three months at peak hours before and after the news. Although people have said that it is a lot of money, it is actually a cheap deal compared to the air time that we are getting. Channel One also told us that this amount of air time is not normally sold to any individual person or company, but that if it were it would cost at least $126 million,” said Georgiades.
If Cyprus finally agrees to host the show, Channel One will host the programme in a studio or hotel in Cyprus and a lot of additional activities will take place showcasing Cyprus.
“This show will immediately attract the relatives of the 35 contestants to come to Cyprus while the show will be taking place. Each weekend gala concerts will be organised that will be open to the public. Tour operators can then take advantage of this and advertise packages for ‘three days in Cyprus to watch the Star Factory’. Therefore, Cyprus will benefit from people coming specifically for the programme, in addition to the promotion.”
