Satellite TV firm DirecTV is dropping the Russian government-owned cable channel RT “effective immediately,” in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and RT’s programming which has been supportive of the effort.
“In line with our previous agreement with RT America, we are accelerating this year’s contract expiration timeline and will no longer offer their programming effective immediately,” a DirecTV spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.
The spokesperson said that the company was already reviewing its deal with RT, which was set to expire later this year, but sped up the process after the Ukraine invasion.
DirecTV is one of only two major U.S. firms to carry RT, with the other being Dish Network. Unlike most cable carriage deals, RT is believed to have paid for carriage on U.S. distributors. However, in recent years its distribution has waned as its rhetoric around Russia has become more overt.
RT has also faced scrutiny elsewhere. Canada’s cable TV giants pulled the channel earlier this week, while Europe has banned it outright. The U.K.’s Ofcom is investigating the Russian propaganda channel, while YouTube blocked it in the U.K. and Europe, and sharply reduced its reach in the U.S.
Axios first reported DirecTV’s decision.
