Leading TV channels in Russia 2022, by audience share

Russia-1 and Channel One were the most popular television channels in Russia in the first 11 months of 2022, having accounted for around 15 percent and 10 percent of the total TV audience aged four years and older, respectively. NTV, owned by Gazprom Media, ranked third. In 2020, 36 percent of Russians expressed their trust in the news reported by Channel One and Russia-1.

Who owns Channel One Russia?

Pervyi Kanal, which translates to Channel One, emerged in 1995 after the transformation of the Russian State TV and Radio Company Ostankino, which has its roots in the Central Television of the USSR. The Russian government owns approximately 34 percent of the channel’s shares. The rest is distributed among an investment bank VTB Capital, a private holding National Media Group, and an insurance company Sogaz. The channel accounted for a net profit of 600 million Russian rubles in 2021.

Main channels of VGTRK

VGTRK, or the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, is a unitary enterprise of the Russian state founded in 1990. It operates several television channels, including Russia-1, a news channel Russia-24, Russia-K dedicated to culture, and a children’s TV channel Carousel, as well as radio stations like Radio Mayak, Radio Rossii, and Vesti FM. VGTRK’s revenue exceeded 30 billion Russian rubles in 2021, ranking first among broadcasters in the country.