Australia’s satellite operator, Foxtel, has notified RT on Saturday that it is suspending the channel’s broadcast distribution in Australia as part of its services “in view of concern about the situation in Ukraine.” The operator will then further “consider” its rights under the channel license agreement, it added, without elaborating on any potential additional measures.
Foxtel is a satellite operator covering all of Australia’s territory and has its own over-the-top (OTT) server allowing media services to be offered to the audience directly via the internet. It has around 3.8 million clients.
On Thursday, Poland removed RT, along with some other Russian broadcasters, from its cable and satellite networks as well as internet platforms.
YouTube is joining Meta in banning state-funded Russian media organizations from running ads or profiting on its platform.
The company suspended RT and several other Russian accounts on Saturday, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed to Insider. The removal comes in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin authorizing a full-scale attack on Ukraine on Thursday, involving launching airstrikes across the country and pushing forces into the country’s capital of Kyiv.
The spokesperson said the company is also in the process of removing thousands of videos that violate YouTube’s policies against deceptive practices.
The YouTube announcement follows Meta similarly restricting Russian state-owned media from monetizing content on Facebook. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of security policy, first announced the effort on Twitter on Friday, noting that the changes will continue rolling out throughout the weekend.
“We are taking extensive steps to fight the spread of misinformation on our services in the region and continuing to consult with outside experts,” a Meta spokesperson told Insider on Friday.
