Russia’s leading pay-TV operator Tricolor has stopped broadcasting channels from VGTRK and National Media Group (NMG) on its online platform.
However, reports Kommersant, it continues to offer them to subscribers to its DTH service.
Quoting Pavel Steshin from Tricolor, it adds that the channels in question – Rossiya 1 and Rossiya 1 HD from VGTRK and CTC, Domashny, Ren TV, Channel Five, Che, CTC Love and CTC from NMG – have been switched off at the request of the copyright holders. Steshin also said that Tricolor was sure the real reason was its refusal to integrate Vitrina (“Showcase’) TV into all its OTT services.
NMG, on the other hand, have said that Tricolor was distributing unlicensed versions of its channels. It was only possible to show them through Vitrina TV.
Vitrina TV was created by NMG in 2017 to broadcast the national (federal) channels on the internet.
Channel One, VGTRK and CTC Media became joint owners of the platform last year after acquiring a 25% stake from NMG.
