Country | Czech Republic |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Russia, Ukraine, countries of Central Asia and Eastern Europe |
Headquarters | Prague |
Programming | |
Language(s) | Russian |
Ownership | |
Owner | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
History | |
Launched | 7 February 2017 |
Links | |
Webcast |
en |
Website | Russian:
currenttime English en Entertainment votvot |
Availability | |
Terrestrial | |
Levira (Estonia) | Multiplex 6 |
Tet (Latvia) | Multiplex 2 (Pay TV) |
Telecentras (Lithuania) | Multiplex LRTC1 |
Channelbox UK | COM4/SDN (Channel 271, HbbTV) |
Current Time TV ( Russian: Настоящее Время, romanized: Nastoyashcheye Vremya) is a Russian-language television channel with editorial office in Prague, created by the US organisations Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America. The channel – via RFE/RL – is funded through grants from the US Congress through the US Agency for Global Media. [1] The media sees its task in "promoting democratic values and institutions". RFE/RL launched Current Time, in October 2014. [2] The official round-the-clock broadcasting began on February 7, 2017. [3] [4] [5]
Current Time was instituted as an alternative to Kremlin-controlled media and Russian propaganda. [6] [7] Despite the fact that Current Time was intended to counterbalance Russian official news coverage, Kenan Aliyev, [8] executive editor of Current Time, told Reuters that C.T. was not counterpropaganda at all. [9]
In December 2017 Russia's Ministry of Justice added the outlet to the so-called list of "foreign agent". It, alongside 8 other American public broadcasters, was the first mass media outlet to be included to the so-called list of "foreign agents". [10]
Current Time is available on cable, satellite and digital platforms in Russia, the Baltics, Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus and central Asia. [9] It had over 1,500,000 followers on Facebook and 1,300,000 subscribers on YouTube in August 2020. [5]
On 27 February 2022, Roskomnadzor blocked the website of the channel for its coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [11] On January 5, 2024, a Belarusian court declared the Internet pages of “Current Time” extremist. [12]