American company Warner Bros. banned the Russian holding National Media Group (owns STS, REN TV, Domashny, Pyaty) from showing its films this year. This is reported by the Bulletin of the Film Distributor (BK), citing sources and a letter sent to the management of the holding.
The media drew attention to the fact that during the New Year holidays, the Russians will not be able to watch all the parts of "Harry Potter", which are traditionally shown by many Russian channels.
At the same time, the term of licensing agreements between the Hollywood company and the holding is valid for at least another year and a half, the source emphasizes. In particular, the library of the major has been absent from STS since October.
In March, Universal, Warner Bros., Disney, Sony, and Paramount announced a temporary suspension of the distribution of their films in Russia; major Western premieres are no longer shown in domestic cinemas. However, in May, the Russian authorities began preparing a bill that, through "compulsory licensing", would allow the preservation of films, series, music and other content of companies from "unfriendly countries" that left Russia.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, almost 1,000 foreign companies have announced restrictions or termination of work on the Russian market. Among them are Microsoft, Netflix, McDonald's, Johnson & Johnson, H&M and others. In early July, Universal Pictures announced the closure of its Russian business.