The Cyprus Mail reports that the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, along with the Cyprus Tourism Office and the Presidential palace are in negotiations to pay €8 million to host live broadcasts of the Star Factory show between September and November.

Cyprus in return expects to see a healthy return in terms of boosting the country as a vacation destination for Russians, based on estimates that the show draws 140 million viewers in Russia, and another 110 million Russians elsewhere.

Because of the already strained tourism budget, funding would have to come from a supplementary budget source.