Sky TV drops Russian news channel

Russian security forces detain demonstrators as they stage an anti-war demonstration in St Petersburg. Photo / Getty Images

Sky TV says it has dropped Russia Today (RT), a Russian government-funded 24 hour news channel.

The move followed a number of viewer complaints, Sky corporate affairs chief Chris Major said.

"As a responsible broadcaster, we take great care to ensure we comply with the Code of Broadcasting Standards," Major said.

"We have had ongoing dialogue with the BSA [Broadcasting Standards Authority] over the past few days, and have received complaints from a number of customers.

"The BSA has also warned all broadcasters of the need for particular care when reporting on crises.

"As we have no editorial control over RT, we have taken the step of suspending the broadcast of RT while we continue to assess the news content against the New Zealand broadcasting standards."

Asked about speculation that Sky had received a fee from RT to run its channel, Major said: "The commercial details of our contracts are confidential."

Australian pay-TV provider Foxtel abruptly pulled RT off air on Saturday evening, citing concerns over its content.

A second Australian broadcaster, SBS, had already removed RT from its lineup.

Google has left RT on YouTube, says it is now state-backed Russian media outlets from advertising and earning money on the platform - leading commentator Dylan Reeve to sniff, "I'm not sure that RT's primary interest in YouTube is ad revenue. They aren't a 20-something gamer. It seems more like spreading disinformation might be the main purpose."

By blocking the ads, Google has only added to RT's YouTube appeal.

In the UK, there have been calls for RT to have its broadcasting licence revoked after the channel, which refers to the invasion by Russian leader Vladimir Putin's favoured terms of a "special military operation".

I'm not sure that RT's primary interest in YouTube is ad revenue. They aren't a 20-something gamer. It seems more like spreading disinformation might be the main purpose. https://t.co/HfBH3aEEfo

— Dylan Reeve (@DylanReeve) February 27, 2022

Instead of seizing territory from another nation, viewers were told that troops were trying to "liberate" land from Ukraine on behalf of two Russian-backed breakaway states.

But Kevin Bakhurst, content head at industry regulator Ofcom, said although RT was state-funded, there was no "substantial evidence" its news coverage was directed by the Kremlin.