Netflix has announced that it would not be distributing material from 20 Russian free-to-air TV networks.
When Netflix surpassed the 100,000-subscriber milestone in Russia, it said it would not be adding the 20 free-to-air channels that Russian legislation could force it to.
According to Variety, due to Netflix’s rapid expansion in Russia, the company is now compelled by law to broadcast free-to-air channels that include sports, news, and entertainment. As recently as December of last year, Netflix was added to the list of companies that must transmit the material, but it wasn’t until today — March 1 — that the regulation officially took effect.
Given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Netflix informs Variety that it will not be doing so. The Russian government is suspected of funding several of the TV networks that Netflix would have to transmit.
These include Channel One, NTV, and Spa, a Russian Orthodox Church-owned channel. Variety believes that Channel One is a Kremlin-aligned channel that will air pro-Putin propaganda.
According to a Netflix spokeswoman, “given the current scenario, we have no intentions to add these channels to our service.”
Russia has not said what it would do if Russia mandated that the channels be made available as part of local legislation on March 1, as it has claimed.
Even while Apple TV+ doesn’t reveal its subscription figures, it is possible that the streamer might also find itself in a situation like this – albeit ideally in a different context. Source