Russia sets conditions. Streaming offer to be in line with 'traditional values'

The offer of streaming portals is to be consistent with traditional Russian values, the Kommersant daily reported on Thursday. Services that do not adapt to the authorities' requirements will lose their chances of obtaining state subsidies.

As “Kommersant” reported, citing its informants from the film distribution market, the Russian authorities have started developing criteria that streaming services operating in the country will have to meet. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Digital Development, Communication and Media want the offer of film platforms to be consistent with Russian “traditional values”. Their list is to be identical to that included in the decree of Russian leader Vladimir Putin of November 2022.

The document titled “On Approval of the Foundations of State Policy on Preserving and Strengthening Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values” mentions, among others: patriotism, civic attitudes, service to the homeland, high moral ideals, strong family, collectivism, historical memory and continuity of generations and unity of the peoples of Russia.

The new rules will primarily affect Russian streaming services. When applying for government subsidies, they will have to submit a declaration regarding the compliance of their offer with the authorities' requirements. The evaluation of the offer itself is to be based on user opinions and quantitative indicators, such as the viewership of individual content. This data is to be provided both by website operators and by suppliers dependent on the authorities.

In 2024, the amount of state support for entities from this sector amounted to 16.2 billion rubles (PLN 730 million).

Tomasz Dawid Jędruchów (PAP)

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