Netflix is Suspending its Service in Russia
Netflix is joining the growing list of global companies that decided to leave the Russian market. Following the country’s invasion of Ukraine, several tech giants including Apple and Microsoft have already stopped offering their products and services in Russia.
“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a Netflix spokesperson said. The streaming service previously announced that it was pausing production of all new original shows in the country. Moreover, the company had also refused to make 20 Russian propaganda channels available on its platform, defying a local regulation that required Netflix to do so.
Netflix has been available in Russia since 2016 through a joint venture with National Media Group. According to Bloomberg, the service had under one million subscribers in Russia before it was suspended in the country. In addition to Netflix leaving Russia, several Hollywood studios also announced that they won’t be releasing new movies in the country.
With the situation in Ukraine showing no signs of de-escalation, it’s safe to expect more major companies to pull out of Russia in the coming days. Besides Netflix and Hollywood studios, several video game publishers such as Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, CD Projekt Red, and Epic Games have also paused game sales in the country.
Tagged with Netflix