Russia’s Channel One faces financial woes amid viewer drop
Channel One, Russia's main propaganda television channel, is facing serious financial problems and declining viewership, reports "Rzeczpospolita." The station's debt to its main contractor has increased fivefold, and viewership has dropped by almost half.
Channel One, a symbol of Russian propaganda, is experiencing severe financial difficulties that have worsened since the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The station's debt to Krasny Kvadrat LLC, owned by billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, amounts to 4.99 billion rubles (approximately $53 million).
Moreover, as Rzeczpospolita notes, the channel's debt has increased by almost 4 billion rubles since the beginning of 2022, indicating a sharp deterioration in its financial situation.
One of the main causes of these problems is the significant drop in viewership—from 1.48% in 2021 to 0.99% in 2022. Compared to 2017, nationwide television channels in Russia have lost about 25 million viewers. Propaganda programs have become less popular, and Russians are increasingly turning away from this type of media.
The Kremlin funnels billions into Channel One
Even though Channel One is not making a profit and continues to struggle with increasing debt, the Russian state still allocates enormous sums for its maintenance. In 2025, the government will allocate a record 137.2 billion rubles for funding state television. This is an increase of 13% compared to the previous year.
However, despite the financial crisis and declining viewership, the Kremlin continues investments in state media, which are one of the regime's propaganda tools.
