Paris, March 24, 2025 – The Europe Today: The French telecommunications regulator, Arcom, has ordered a local satellite operator to cease broadcasting two Russian entertainment channels, STS and Channel 5. The decision, announced on Friday, is based on sanctions imposed in 2014 against their parent company, the National Media Group (NMG).
Although neither STS nor Channel 5 was directly subject to European Union (EU) sanctions, Arcom cited newly adopted legislation that grants it the authority to enforce the ban. The regulator stated that Eutelsat, the French satellite operator, must comply with the order within three days from Wednesday, when the ruling was relayed.
“With today’s decision, Arcom is implementing for the first time the new powers conferred on it by the law of May 21, 2024, aimed at securing and regulating the digital space,” the regulator said.
The legislation, known as SREN, allows Arcom to ensure French companies adhere to EU sanctions. Under this law, companies violating sanctions may face fines of up to 3% of their annual sales, with the penalty increasing to 5% for repeated violations.
NMG, the parent company of the banned channels, was founded by Russian billionaire Aleksey Mordashov. The media holding group owns several Russian television channels, including Channel One and Ren TV. STS and Channel 5 primarily focus on entertainment content, with the latter also featuring a small news segment.
Reports indicate that Eutelsat continues to broadcast some Russian channels that are under EU sanctions, including Russia 1, through its contract with the Russian company Trikolor.
The EU has imposed extensive sanctions on Russian media since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, banning outlets such as RT, Sputnik, and RIA Novosti. Implementation of these bans has varied across EU member states.
Moscow has condemned the restrictions, accusing Paris and Brussels of suppressing alternative perspectives. Russian officials argue that the bans reflect Western fears that audiences may form independent views on global events.
