How Russia's invasion of Ukraine is reverberating across media: RT and Sputnik facing bans in EU, Canadian pay TV companies boot RT and the war on TikTok

February 28, 2022

While this newsletter normally covers the business of media with a focus on product management, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is remaking not just foreign policy but also media policy. The EU has banned Russia's RT and Sputnik news. TechCrunch is reporting that the social media companies are coming under pressure to clamp down on the disinformation flowing from Russia that has been destabilising Europe and the US. On that note, YouTube has demonetised RT and other Russian channels, but the content is still there. And I have seen plenty of pushback on other social media channels from media watchers calling for more to be done.

On our regularly scheduled coverage, the Wall Street Journal, which tends to be critical of the platforms. says that publishers are abandoning Google's AMP mobile format.

The Guardian highlighted two purchases by Spotify that I flagged up last week. These two purchases will help the digital audio company track listening on podcasts, and The Guardian says that this could spell the end of podcasting outside of the major platforms. I think that this is a little over-wrought, not to mention how strong of a hold that Apple has had on podcasts over the years. But it's still worth a read.

PLUS Tumblr is offering an ad-free subscription package. How much money would it take to secure independent journalism in Europe? And a look at US-UK publisher Gannett as it grows digital subscriptions but still struggles with their overall revenue picture as print continues to collapse for the company.

Social media lit up with messages and videos decrying the war, ignoring the risk that comes with speaking against a Russian dictator

Late yesterday the European Union announced an “unprecedented” step against Russian disinformation, saying it would ban Kremlin-based media outlets, Russia Today (aka RT) and Sputnik — extending measures targeting the country following president Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries will no longer be able to spread […]

Canada’s largest television providers are removing Russia Today from their services after one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ministers said he opposed the state-owned Russian broadcaster’s presence on the nation’s airwaves.

Alphabet Inc's Google barred on Saturday Russia's state-owned media outlet RT and other channels from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos, similar to a move by Facebook after the invasion of Ukraine.

Owners of the Verge and Bustle test alternatives to the AMP framework, an effort they expect will generate more ad revenue.

In this week’s newsletter: two under the radar moves feel like the beginning of the end for one of the last sections of the internet to exist outside of the major tech platforms

News organizations' "attempts to keep audiences hooked through apps, newsletters, notification schemes and other things are an adaptation to an infrastructure not under their direct control."

Tumblr has had advertisements for ten years, but now users can go back to an ad-free experience. The social network will let you opt-out of ads in your feed by paying $4.99 per month, or $39.99 per year.

A new report examines the effectiveness of journalism funding strategies and how they can evolve to address existing and emerging challenges.

Press Gazette has been reporting on British journalism without fear or favour since 1965. Our mission is to provide a news and information service which helps the UK journalism.

The newspaper chain grew digital subscriptions to 1.6 million but the surge appears to be driven by deeply discounted introductory rates.