Television is the most important media for Russia. Residents of the country are accustomed to the fact that broadcasting television programs is free, and with the advent of paid channels, they began to worry whether they would lose their usual content. The government protects the rights of the population and creates a list of federal channels, which in any case should be shown free of charge.
Television in Russia
Regular television broadcasting in the USSR began in 1939. At first it covered only the metropolitan region, but in 1951 the Central Television Studio was created, which provided the first program with a television product. After 5 years, the second channel appears, and in 1965 the studio for the creation of training programs began to work. Gradually, the number of editions is growing, new formats are appearing, not only of an informational nature, but also entertaining, for example, KVN, “Song of the Year”. Initially, television was available to all owners of television sets. Therefore, the idea of paid channels did not even arise among the inhabitants of the Soviet Union. Free federal TV channels spread all over the vast country, and only with the transition to a market economy does the situation begin to change. In 1988, the first commercial television company in Nizhny Novgorod went on the air. Gradually, this process swept the whole country.
Social features of television
Television is the most massive means of transmitting information, it is publicly available, has a high ability to influence the viewer. This leads to the fact that the TV has a large social burden. The main function of television is informational. The first federal channel has the largest coverage of the population in the country, therefore it has the ability to quickly convey information to almost every resident. It was television that has long been the most important source of information for people. Today, this championship disputes the Internet, but so far its penetration and coverage have not reached 100%, so the leadership of TV remains. Also, broadcasting performs such functions as cultural and educational, entertaining, ideological, integrative and educational. Such multifunctionality makes television highly popular and necessary for the state and society. Therefore, it cannot be paid, as this would cause great social tension. But some television content may be profitable. The need for self-sufficiency makes TV companies think about selling their product.
Pay and free tv
All over the world, television begins its story with free broadcasting. The state’s money is invested in its development, which understands its high social significance. Federal TV channels broadcast their broadcasts for free, and only in the 70s did the idea of pay television appear. The first commercial television company to appear in the United States in 1973. After 7 years, the same channels appear in Western Europe. In Russia, the first pay-TV broadcaster, Cosmos TV, appeared in 1991. The problem of pay and free television is growing with the development of cable and satellite networks in the late 90s.
The legislative framework
In 1997, Russia adopted a federal law on television broadcasting, which enshrines the universal accessibility of television channels. However, the law did not say anything about paying for television programs. Gradually, in the cable and satellite broadcasting companies, free federal channels were crowded with paid content. This led to the fact that some television companies began to charge for providing access to federal channels, which any TV owner could watch for free. So, the Tricolor company, whose federal channels were paid along with other channels, set a precedent and limited access to programs of federal television companies. A wide resonance forced the government to adopt amendments to the law that guaranteed human rights to free access to television. The Ministry of Communications made a decision to amend the Law on Mass Media and Television, in which a list of free channels was announced in order to ensure the rights of citizens.
Guaranteed list of free channels
On September 4, 2015, the Ministry of Communications approved a new list of federal channels. All operators are required to provide them for viewing for free. This list included 20 channels, and this was the second multiplex connected in Russia. The introduction of the third multiplex due to economic problems in the country has been postponed until 2018, there will be another 10 free channels. Today, the following channels can be watched for free on all Russian networks: Channel One, VGTRK package (Rossiya 1, 2 TV channels, Rossiya K, Rossiya 24, NTV channels), Public Television of Russia, children's channel Carousel, TV CENTER, Ren-TV, SPAS, STS, Domashny channel, TV-3, SPORT-PLUS, Zvezda, Mir, TNT and the MUZ-TV music channel. The channels included in the list belong to different owners and are distributed throughout the country.
Free channels of VGTRK
The All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company is the owner of the package, which also includes the federal channels of Russia: Match, Russia 1, Russia K and Russia 24. The media holding was established in 1990, the main founder was the government of the Russian Federation. Channel "Russia 1" covers more than 98% of the Russian population. Here are the socio-political, informational and entertainment programs of our own production, the brand name of the channel is the Vesti program, which has one of the highest ratings in the country. “Match” was created on the basis of the former channel “Russia-sport” and is fully devoted to coverage of sporting events. Channel "Culture" - the only channel about cultural events, absolutely free from advertising.
Free Gazprom Media Channels
The package of the media holding Gazprom-Media includes the federal channels NTV, TNT, TV-3, and Sport Plus. The audience reach of the holding’s channels is approximately 90 million people. NTV is positioned as a channel for thinking people with an active lifestyle. It runs programs covering significant events in the country and the world. NTV releases a large volume of various programs for a wide audience: “Housing issue”, “Evening television”, “Special reporter”. TNT channel is positioned as a fashionable and bold channel for positive and active young people. TV-3 is an entertainment channel, with an emphasis on mysticism and secrets. The channel’s special content is its own programs on the themes of esotericism, magic, mysticism. Sport Plus is a sports channel dedicated to sporting events, broadcasts, and reviews.
Free channels "STS-Media"
The content company STS-Media appeared in 1989, and it entered the television market in 1996. Today, the holding controls the federal channels STS, Domashny and Muz-TV. STS is positioned as an entertainment channel for family viewing, there is no politics and boring information, but only content for leisure. The main audience of STS is youth, the coverage of the channel is about 80% of the Russian audience. Channel "Home", as the name implies, is designed for a family audience, most of all for housewives. For them, special content is created - programs about fashion, cooking, children, social news. The first music television - as Muz-TV is positioning itself - is a channel for a young audience who watches TV in the background.
Free channels of the National Media Group
The national media group appeared on the Russian market in 2008, through numerous mergers and acquisitions, a serious holding was formed, which manages the federal channels: Channel One, Ren-TV, Channel Five. Channel One, the most popular in the country, has the highest coverage and highest ratings. The first positions itself as a “channel for all” and offers the most diverse program for people with differing interests. Ren-TV - a channel with blurry positioning, offers various programs of its own production, including TV shows. The fifth channel, which grew out of Leningrad television, serves itself as a quality channel for smart people. Here, special attention is paid to our own information and analytical policy and the creation of documentaries.
Self Free Channels
Also, several independent channels were included in the package of free federal channels. These are the federal channels “TV Center”, “Mir”, “Public Television of Russia”, “Spas”, “Star”, “Carousel”. With the exception of the "TV Center", all channels have a social orientation. "Carousel" is a state project for children and youth. "Spas" was established by the Russian Orthodox Church and covers its activities. Mir was set up to share news and events in the Commonwealth of Independent States. “Public Television of Russia” was created in 2013 to discuss acute social problems and to develop civil society. “Star” is a channel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, designed to assist in the patriotic education of young people and talk about news in the army sphere. “TV Center” is a channel of the Moscow government that talks about city news.