Netflix might be obliged to broadcast the Russian state channels in Russia, according to a law that would go into effect from March. However, the streaming giant has expressly refused to do so. Let’s find out all the details together.
Netflix and Russia: the giant refuses to broadcast Russian state channels
One spokesman Netflix said: “Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service.”
In December, the country’s communications regulator added Netflix to its “audiovisual services” sector, requesting Netflix’s Russian service to comply with regulations that apply to issuers and there channels with more than 100,000 daily users.
Among them we find the main Russian channels such as lo statale Channel Oneand the cable networksamong which Spasa channel managed by Russian Orthodox Church. Under a new law, which will come into effect on March 1, all these “audiovisual services” will be required to broadcast 20 major Russian federal television channels. As you can imagine, many of these federal channels broadcast pro-Putin propaganda.
Netflix would then be forcedAccording to the law, to broadcast these channels. However, given the current situation, the streaming giant refused to broadcast such Russian channels. At the moment we don’t know how Netflix is going to defy the law and what impact will have on his Russian service.
Netflix has big plans for Russia: it recently kicked off its first Russian original series, Anna K. It is a modern reinterpretation of the classic novel by Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. The streaming giant refused to comment when asked by THR if the war in Ukraine would have an impact on its expansion plans in Russia.
Netflix’s challenge in Moscow comes as others tech giants like YouTube, Twitter and Meta are considering what to do with their operations in Russia in order to mitigate disinformation and propaganda. Meta paused the monetization of ads for the Russian state media and announced that it had eliminated dozens of fake accounts who spread disinformation about Ukraine through its platforms. Twitter stands tagging all content from Russian government-owned media sites and previously banned ads from state-owned media.
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Source
Hollywood Reporter