Streaming giant Netflix has said that the company will not stream state-run Russian channels, as mandated by a new law. This came after reports hinted that Netflix may be forced to carry these channels on its platforms. The development was first reported by Variety, saying that Netflix was one of the services added to a register maintained by the Russian media regulator of content distributors that reached over 100,000 subscribers.
The new law, according to the report, requires large streamers to carry 20 Russian broadcast channels, including the state-run Channel One. However, a Netflix spokesperson was quoted by The Verge as saying that it does not plan to carry the channels. Channel One was one of the channels that the Associated Press (AP) cited as skewing the narrative to align with the Kremlin’s message around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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“Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service," the spokesperson was quoted in the report as saying.
Last week, a report had said that Netflix may be forced to stream the channels when the new law goes into effect. A report from The Moscow Times back in December had said that the mandate would extend to Netflix, and the company does not support livestream in any of its markets.
Now, it is not known as to when the new law will go into place. While the Variety report says that the law is yet to be fully implemented, Politico Europe says that the new rules would apply to Netflix as of March 1. However, given the company’s latest stand, Netflix will not carry the 20 Russian broadcast channels. It is unclear how the company plans to address the issue when the rules are enforced in Russia.
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Netflix is the latest tech giant to launch a pushback against Russia and Russian content on its platform. Microsoft most recently announced that it will remove all Russian state-owned media apps and advertisements from its platforms. Earlier, Facebook parent Meta restricted Russian Statem Media accounts, and Apple and Google have suspended their payment services for Russian Banks, in line with the US Sanctions against Russia.
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