The Walt Disney Co. and Media-One Holdings Ltd. announced on Tuesday that they would launch a countrywide, free-to-air Disney-branded family oriented television channel in Russia next year.

Disney will hold a 49 percent stake in the joint venture and will support the channel with funds and programming, as well as expertise in content purchase and advertising, which will mainly focus on kids and families, the companies explained in a statement.

Nevertheless, Disney did not offer further information with regard to the size of its investment in the joint venture or the duration of the agreement.

Media-One will be the majority shareholder and will bring into play 30 owned and operated television stations across Russia and proficiency in dealing with the Russian market and regulatory tasks.

Russia’s regulatory environment for television is often compared to that of western European countries and, thus, the agreement has yet to be approved. Foreign investors must have local partners in order to receive regulatory authorization.

Disney also runs local retail, theatrical distribution, licensing, Internet and mobile businesses in Russia.

According to Reuters, Andy Bird, chairman of Walt Disney International, explained on Tuesday that the Disney Channel scheduled to be launched in Russia would approach approximately 75 percent of a population who was already acquainted with the company’s products. He added that Disney decided on a free-to-air tactic in Russia so as to obtain the most extensive reach there is, since paid cable and satellite television subscription was “very limited.”

Disney manages 30 Disney Channels across the world, primarily on cable and paid TV, and aims to promote its popular products, including its theme parks and big-screen and little-screen productions.