Russia Will Soon Require Netflix To Stream 20 Major State-Owned Channels

In an interesting development, Russia will soon require Netflix to stream 20 of its major state-owned networks after the service was instated as one of its permitted “audio-visual services” last week.

The register that it was added to, referred to as Roskomnadzor’s, had been created in late 2020. It requires streaming services with more than 100,000 daily users to comply with the country’s regulations and set up a local company. 

According to the Moscow Times, from March 2022, Netflix will have to offer broadcasts from Russia’s flagship Channel One, entertainment channel NTV, and the Russian Orthodox Church’s in-house channel, Spas (meaning “saved”), to users who use its services within the nation. 

As per a report by Engadget, it appears that the Russian platform of Netflix will be operated by Entertainment Online Service, a subsidiary of the National Media Group, which is a stakeholder of the country’s Channel One.

In addition to providing content from the 20 channels, the site will have to regulate its content in accordance with laws banning content promoting “extremism,” which has been a topic of controversy as advocates allege the Kremlin use it as a means to silence opposition. 

If Netflix is planning to cement itself as a viable option in the country, it’s likely they’ll take extra care not to contravene any of the regulations, seeing as Google and Meta were just fined a total of US$125 million for failing to delete content as instructed. 

[via The Moscow Times and Engadget, cover image via sitthiphong / Shutterstock.com]