The government is also probing the company for the dissemination of “gay propaganda.”
Starting this week, Russia was planning on forcing Netflix (NFLX) – Get Netflix, Inc. Report to start airing what Politco calls “Kremlin propaganda,” creating alarm that the country is manipulating the media to create confusion about its invasion of Ukraine.
But Netflix has now pushed back, with a spokesperson saying that, “Given the current situation, we have no plans to add these channels to our service.”
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Last year, Netflix was added to Russia’s register of “audiovisual services.”
That applies to streaming services available to the Russian market with at least 100,000 daily users and which are overseen by the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor.
This now requires Netflix to broadcast streams of 20 Russian federal television stations, including Channel One, NTV and a channel run by the Russian Orthodox Church, Spas.
The Netflix spokesperson did not say whether it had informed the Russian government that it wouldn’t be adding those channels.
NTV, along with several other state run channels, was recently banned from Estonian territory “on the grounds that they had been disseminating Kremlin propaganda.”
Russia’s Channel One also has close links to the Kremlin, and its board counts some of President Vladimir Putin’s closest political allies as members.
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The new broadcast requirements are applicable only to Netflix’s services in Russia.
The streaming giant has a made major inroads into the country over the years, and now has a subscriber base close to a million subscribers.
Analysts have previously point to the amount of money the company has spent to develop Russian content such as the drama series “Anna K” as evidence that the company is too invested in the area to cut ties over the new requirements.
But Netflix standing up to Russia is a welcome surprise to global onlookers who have been feverishly following the Ukraine invasion.
Before Netflix announced its plans to not add the Russian channels, the company had faces a harsh social media backlash Monday.
Could The Other Streaming Giants Be Next?
Other streaming giants that want to enter or remain in Russia are likely to face the same requirements to broadcast state TV.
Currently the situation varies by service: Disney+ (DIS) – Get Walt Disney Company Report is not available in Russia, and while Amazon Prime Video s (AMZN) – Get Amazon.com, Inc. Report currently available in Russia, it is considered unlikely to become big enough to be required to register as an audiovisual service with the Roskomnadzor.
Last year HBO Max (T) – Get AT&T Inc. Report entered a partnership with Russian streaming service Amediateka, which provides an exclusive platform for HBO productions, and Apple+ (AAPL) – Get Apple Inc. Report is available there as well.
If either meets the subscriber threshold, it will be subject to the same requirements as Netflix.
Russia To Examine Netflix’s “Gay Propaganda”
The Russian government isn’t just forcing Netflix to broadcasts its propaganda, it’s also currently probing the service for what has been termed “gay propaganda.”
Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, but discrimination and persecution against gay people remains common in the area.
Olga Baranets, the public commissioner for protecting families, is said the group is looking into the company’s dissemination of “non-traditional sexual relations.”
Netflix may face fines or a possible suspension of its service if it is found to be in violation of restrictive policies.
In 2013, Russia passed a law banning “gay propaganda,” which prohibits any property that equates straight and gay relationships and to distribute gay rights material.
Last year, the European Court of Human Rights deemed the banned discriminatory and a violation of the freedom of expression.
