RTVI should not be confused with RTTV.
| RTVI | |
| Launch Date: | 1 January 1997 |
| Owner: | Mikayel Israyelyan[1] |
| Country: | United States Germany Israel Sweden |
| Area: | Worldwide |
| Headquarters: | Moscow[2] New York[3] [4] |
| Language: | First languages Russian English Second languages German Hebrew Spanish Swedish |
| Former Names: | NTV International (1997–2002) |
| Website: | rtvi.com |
RTVI is a global Russian-speaking multi-platform media, which includes a news website (about 4 million users per month) and other digital platforms (2.7 million subscribers): 6 YouTube channels, 2 Telegram channels and accounts in all major social networks.
As of 2023, it broadcasts in 159 countries.[5] It has more than 350 broadcasting operators around the world and 20 million viewers.
In 1997, the channel was founded as NTV International by Vladimir Gusinsky, where it would serve as the "international, license-cleared version" of the NTV channel.[6] Its main audiences were the Russian-speaking diasporas of Israel, the United States, and Europe.[7]
Following the Kursk disaster, numerous independent media outlets became very critical of Vladimir Putin who later would support an agenda for the state to gain control of these outlets.
In the early 2000s Kiselev sold a majority stake in the network to a group of Russian and foreign investors. The change brought about shifts in editorial direction and programming.
In April 2002, two independent broadcasters the Andrey Norkin and Vyacheslav Kriskevich associated Echo (ru|"Эхо"), which is the television version of the radio station Echo of Moscow, and the Yevgeny Kiselyov associated TV6, which aired the program "Grani" (ru|"Грани") by Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was an advisor to Vladimir Putin opponent Boris Nemtsov, and would rename itself as TVS, began offering their products to the NTV-International channel, which planned to change its name to RTV or "Russia Televion".[8] Both Vyacheslav Kriskevich, who was a presenter of "Today on TV6" «Сегодня на ТВ-6», which later was renamed "Now" (ru|«Сейчас»), and Andrey Norkin, who both had been employed by TV6, moved their support to RTV instead of TVS.[9] [10]
From 2004 to 2012, Vladimir Kara-Murza who received strong support from Mikhail Khodorkovsky, directed the Washington bureau of RTVi until Ruslan Sokolov took ownership of RTV which led to Kara-Murza's dismissal.
RTVI was owned by a former director of the Russian state TV channel Zvezda the Russian businessman Ruslan Sokolov (ru|Руслан Соколов) who bought the channel from Gusinsky in 2012.
A group of Israeli private investors purchased RTVI International channel in 2017. In June 2017, The channel, which planned to enter the Russian market, was relaunched with the liberal Dozhd TV's pink colors in its new logo, new presenters and editors some of which were from Dozhd or from former NTV's independent editorial board. Alexey Pivovarov, who had worked as a manager at STS and is a strong supporter of the old NTV, headed RTVI International until 2020 when he left RTVi to run his 2019 established YouTube channel. Vasily Brovko, Sergey Chemezov and Rostec also were supporting the relaunch. In the Spring of 2019, Yulia Moskvitina chaired the board of directors and Tatyana Druzhnyaeva headed RTVI as the executive director.
In October 2019, the Armenia-born American Mikayel Israyelyan was named the new owner of RTVI.[11] [12]
RTVi's News Director till June 2020 was Ekaterina Kotrikadze. Russian journalist Alexey Pivovarov was appointed editor-in-chief in 2016. Pivovarov remained in this position till 25 June 2020.[1] [13] On 10 March 2022, the general producer of RTVI Sergey Shnurov announced the temporary termination of cooperation with RTVI.[14]