Roku To Remove Russian Network RT From Channel Store In Europe

Ted Johnson
·1 min read

Roku is removing RT, Russia’s state-controlled television network, from its channel stores in Europe, according to a Roku spokesperson.

On Sunday, the European Union announced additional sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, including a ban on RT and another Russian outlet, Sputnik. Facebook is restricting access to the outlets in the European countries.

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The ministry of culture and information policy in Ukraine has called on international TV providers to turn off Russian news channels. Roku, DirecTV and Dish carry RT America, but they have not removed the channel from U.S. platforms.

A Dish spokesperson said on Sunday, Our thoughts are with all the people of Ukraine, and particularly with our team members in the country. We are closely monitoring the situation.

Earlier on Monday, The Walt Disney Co. announced that it was temporarily pulling its releases from Russia in response to the invasion.

“Given the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the tragic humanitarian crisis, we are pausing the release of theatrical films in Russia, including the upcoming Turning Red from Pixar,” the company said. “We will make future business decisions based on the evolving situation. In the meantime, given the scale of the emerging refugee crisis, we are working with our NGO partners to provide urgent aid and other humanitarian assistance to refugees.”

Other major studios have not yet said what their plans are, but the Motion Picture Association said in a statement that they will “continue to monitor the situation, working closely with our members and partners throughout the global creative sector.”

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