Netflix is the latest company to suspend services in Russia
India Today
This news comes just days after Netflix reported that it is suspending all its future projects and acquisitions in Russia on a temporary basis for the same reason.
After TikTok, Netflix is the latest company to suspend all its services in Russia over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. This news comes just days after Netflix reported that it is suspending all its future projects and acquisitions in Russia on a temporary basis for the same reason. It has now stopped its services too. The company was reportedly working on four Russian originals before putting them to halt.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge.
A Bloomberg report revealed that Netflix has around 1 million users in Russia. Just recently, Netflix also refused to comply with the Russian law that stated major streamers must host Russia’s 20 propaganda channels, including NTV and the state-backed Channel One.
Netflix is not the only company to pull out its services. TikTok also suspended all the video uploads and livestreams in Russia after the country announced a new “fake news” law. The country’s president recently signed a law that asserted that whoever spreads false information about the military and publically calls for sanctions against Russia will be in jail for 15 years or will face fines.
“In light of Russia's new ‘fake news’ law, we have no choice but to suspend livestreaming and new content to our video service while we review the safety implications of this law. Our in-app messaging service will not be affected,” TikTok said on Twitter.
The Moscow Times reported that the new law could be to punish those who are trying to “distort the purpose, role, and tasks of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other units during special military and other operations.”
“Literally, this law will force punishment and very tough punishment on those who lied and made statements which discredited our armed forces,” Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of Russia’s State Duma legislative body, said.
