Arcom gives Eutelsat formal notice to cease broadcasting three Russian channels

Arcom today issued a formal notice to Eutelsat to cease broadcasting three Russian channels - Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV - whose programs devoted to the conflict in Ukraine contain repeated incitements to hatred and violence, as well as numerous breaches of honest reporting.

This decision follows a ruling by the Conseil d'Etat's interim relief judge on December 9, 2022, who demanded that the Authority re-examine the situation of these three channels in the light of additional elements that emerged during the course of the investigation. It emerged that these channels were shown not only in Russia, but also in the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia.

Since, unlike Russia, Ukraine has signed and ratified the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, as has France, Arcom has a legal basis for requiring Eutelsat to cease broadcasting these channels.