Russia’s Channel One has decided to take a proactive approach in its fight with piracy.
Kommersant reports that the country’s most popular station has prepared letters to Apple and Google, along with the smart TV manufacturers Samsung and LG, requiring them to remove applications that illegally distribute its signal.
It is now asking OTT services to only distribute Channel One on legal platforms developed with the participation of members of the NSK (National Advertising Alliance, NRA) and SPB TV.
The latter, along with Channel One, have developed a technological solution and OTT services have to apply through the Channel One website by February 10 in order to continue distributing the service.
Significantly, several other broadcasters have also signed up to the same solution operated by Channel One.
They include Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 24 (VGTRK) and Pyatnitsa.
The solution is already being used by OTT services such as Megogo and Videomore, along with the pay-TV operators Rostelecom, MTS, MegaFon, VimpelCom, Tricolor TV and NTV-Plus.
