Netflix refuses to air Russian state TV channels
India Today
By not airing Russian-state channels, which are mainly propaganda-driven, Netflix has refused to comply with Russian laws.
Netflix has said that it will not air any Russian channels in Russia. By not airing Russian-state channels, which are mainly propaganda-driven, Netflix has refused to comply with Russian laws. As per the Russian Laws, the streaming giant is required to carry several state-run broadcasters in the country, Politico reports.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” a Netflix spokesman said in a statement. Netflix took a decision to suspend the Russian channels a week after a military assault was carried out on Ukraine by Russia. The Netflix spokesman refused to divulge whether the streaming company had informed the Russian authorities about its decision not to air the state-run channels. Netflix is still very new in Russia and does not have any offices in the country.
As per the new Russian law, Netflix is required to carry 20 Russian broadcast channels, including the state-run Channel One. The report by Variety states that the new law has not gone into effect completely. Apart from Netflix, the streaming giants with 100,000 subscribers are required to distribute 20 free-to-air news, sports, and entertainment channels.Channel One, NTV, Spa, which are associated with the Russian Orthodox Church are also part of the 20 Channels that Netflix was required to air.
Other than Netflix, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, too have blocked Russia’s state-owned outlets from spreading fake news regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. YouTube had said in a statement that it is “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetize on YouTube, including several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions.”
Facebook’s heard of security policy too announced that it is prohibiting Russian state media from running ads or monetizing on its platform. “We also continue to apply labels to additional Russian state media. These changes have already begun rolling out and will continue into the weekend. We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and will keep sharing steps we’re taking to protect people on our platform,” he posted in a series of tweets.
Facebook has also established a Special Operations Center to respond in real-time. It is staffed by experts (including native speakers) so that the Facebook team can closely monitor the situation and act as fast as possible.
