Mar 01, 2022 10:47:00

Netflix refuses to broadcast Russia's national broadcast channel because of invasion of Ukraine

by

inmediahk

On February 28, 2022, Netflix announced that it would refuse to distribute Russian programs, contrary to Russian legislation that 'Russian distributors must distribute domestic media programs'. did. Netflix blames the invasion of Ukraine for deciding not to follow the instructions of Russian communications regulators.

Netflix Won't Add Russian Broadcasters to Service, Defying New Regulation --WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-wont-add-russian-channels-to-service-defying-new-regulation-11646076964

Netflix Declines to Carry Russian Propaganda Channels --Variety
https://variety.com/2022/tv/global/netflix-russian-propaganda-channels-1235192082/

Netflix says it will not stream Russian propaganda channels --The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/2/28/22955398/netflix-russian-propaganda-channels-ukraine-invasion

In December 2021, Russian communications regulators designated Netflix as a government-regulated 'audiovisual service.' As a result, Netflix is obliged to distribute 20 state-owned channels produced for Russia from March 1, 2022.

Russia demands Netflix to provide state-run broadcasting-GIGAZINE

On February 28, the day before the broadcast deadline for programs directed by the Russian government, Netflix announced that it 'has no plans to add a Russian channel to the services it offers in Russia.'

A Netflix spokeswoman who refrained from publishing his name for safety reasons said in a statement to the media, 'Given the current situation, we have no plans to add a Russian channel to the service.' He explained that Russia's response was in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

In 2020, Russia enacted a law requiring Russian users to distribute 20 channels produced by the Russian state media to more than 100,000 video distribution services. However, since Netflix, which started service in Russia in 2020 at the time of writing the article, is the only service that meets the conditions, this system is intended to force Netflix to send information closer to Russia. It has been pointed out.

Variety, a news media dealing with entertainment information, said about the Russian program that was planned to be added to Netflix, '20 channels include channel 1, which is affiliated with Kremlin , NTV program of the country's broadcasting station, and Russia. It includes Spa, a channel run by the Orthodox Church, and we believe that Channel 1 in particular is likely to broadcast President Putin's publicity. ' Was delivered.

Russian communications regulators announced on February 26 that they would either remove media reports describing the attack on Ukraine as 'violence, aggression or declaration of war' or order a fine. Facebook is also partially blocked in Russia because its parent company, Meta, did not comply with the Russian government's order to stop fact checking.