Lagatar24 Desk
Moscow, March 1: Netflix has stated that no Russian channels will be aired in Russia. The company has refused to comply with Russian legislation by not displaying Russian-state channels, which are primarily propaganda-driven. The streaming giant is compelled by Russian law to carry many state-run stations in the country.
“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service,” said a Netflix spokesman in a statement.
A week after Russia launched a military invasion on Ukraine, Netflix made the choice to ban Russian channels. Netflix’s representative declined to say whether the streaming service had informed Russian authorities about its choice not to broadcast state-run networks.
Notably, Netflix is still a relatively new company in Russia, with no offices. 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.
