RT (Russia Today)

RT Profits from YouTube Success

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:46:14 +0000

RT’s profit from YouTube has exceeded a million dollars, doubling in just six months.

The financial success stems from a massive increase in RT’s popularity on YouTube. RT is the first TV news channel to surpass half a billion views on YouTube, with current total running at over 670 million.

“RT is our trump card, one of the, if not the biggest news provider on YouTube worldwide,” YouTube’s director of video partnerships Patrick Walker told MIPCOM 2011.

RT’s YouTube stats place it head and shoulders above the competition – with total views three times that of ABC news, 11 times that of Reuters, 13 times SKY News and 29 times Fox News.

RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan reflected on RT’s YouTube progress “2011 has proven very successful for our channel. We beat world records we could hardly have dreamt of a couple of years ago, which reaffirms once again that audiences are demanding an alternative view on global events”.

RT Wins Best Channel at Hotbird Awards 2011

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:06:18 +0000

Russian news channel RT was selected as the best channel representing Russia in Europe at the prestigious Hot Bird TV Awards 2011.

Founded in 1998 by Eutelsat, the Hot Bird TV Awards ceremony took place in Venice on November 25th. News channels broadcasting in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa via Eutelsat competed for prizes.

This is not the first time RT has topped international prize lists. In 2010 the channel was the first Russian broadcaster to be shortlisted in the “News” category at the Emmy International Awards.

RT was launched in 2005. The channel broadcasts 24/7 from it studios in Moscow and Washington to an estimated audience of over 430 million viewers in 100 countries. The channel is available online, at www.rt.com. RT was the first news channel in the world to break the 500 million view threshold on Youtube.

George Watts Awarded Russian Order of Friendship

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:30:35 +0000

RT journalist George Watts has been awarded the Order of Friendship for his contribution to the development of journalism in Russia.

Born in Canada, George has spent over 50 years in journalism in Russia. He moved from Canada to the USSR with his parents and brother in 1952. Since then he spent many years as anchor, editor and translator for USSR state radio. George then became the "voice" of Russia Today, right from the channel launch in 2005. As a gifted simultaneous translator, George has relayed innumerable live TV broadcasts of some of the most important political and diplomatic events of the last 5 years.

"George's experience is priceless. He is a unique professional and we are all proud of working at his side every day. I wish him good health and a long life," RT's editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said.

George received his award at a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of Russian television in the Kremlin's Catherine hall. The Order of friendship is awarded to those who have made a contribution to the development of friendship between nations or ethnic groups, distinguished themselves in developing Russia's economic and scientific potential, or facilitated cultural dialogue between nations and countries.

RT America To Launch 'Capital Account with Lauren Lyster'

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:36:24 +0000

Broadcasting live out of RT America's studios in Washington, Capital Account with Lauren Lyster is a daily, half hour news analysis and discussion show focused on alternative economic and financial news.

"With Washington as the global economic policy center, our show will bring a broader and deeper perspective to viewers, one that is often overlooked by mainstream media," said Lauren Lyster, host and financial correspondent for RT America.

The first episode will air live on Wednesday, October 19th from 4:30-5pm Eastern Standard Time on RTTV (check RT.com for local listings) and streaming live RT.com/USA.

Segments can also be found at YouTube.com/CapitalAccount.

Host and financial correspondent Lauren Lyster brings her years of field and financial reporting experience to the Capital Account. From Toronto to New York, Washington DC to Sao Paulo and Lisbon, Lauren has covered breaking news events including the G20 protests, the Brazil 2010 presidential elections and the Lisbon NATO Summit.

As a correspondent and anchor for RT she's been covering politics, the economy, and foreign policy from Washington DC and New York. Specializing in financial reporting, her stories have examined the Federal Reserve, the IMF, and US fiscal policies. She has interviewed top economists and financial professionals such as Nobel-Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz and investor Jim Rogers. She previously worked as a senior analyst at the equity research firm Tiburon Research Group in San Francisco.

Producer and contributor Demetri Kofinas brings years of financial reporting experience to the show as the former producer and host of Covering the Spread, a radio show on 91.5 FM WYNE New York. Demetri is also the creator and lead contributor for CoveringDelta.com, an alternative online financial news outlet. He's covered financial crises and provided live around-the-clock coverage of austerity protests in Greece for RTTV.

RT Begins Broadcasting on MiND Television in Philadelphia

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 13:19:53 +0000

RT has started round-the-clock broadcasting in Philadelphia, adding 2 million households to the channel’s U.S. audience reach.

RT is partnering with MiND: Media Independence, a Philadelphia-based independent public broadcast station. RT is broadcasting on digital channel 35.4, and is also available on cable systems throughout the region, including, Comcast and Cablevision. As a result, RT programs are now available in 2 million households in Philadelphia and its suburbs.

“Today it is especially relevant to expand the channel’s footprint in the U.S., given the growing popularity of RT as a source of information that’s alternative to the mainstream media,” says Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief.

“RT is a wonderful addition to MiND’s program services in Philadelphia,” said MiND CEO Howard Blumenthal. “We believe that people should ‘Question More’ - which is RT’s tagline.”

The overall number of potential RT viewers in the U.S. has almost reached 50 million. Beyond Philadelphia, RT is available on cable in Washington D.C., New York City, Los Angeles, San-Francisco, San Diego and Chicago. RT programming is also accessible across the U.S. via the GlobeCast WorldTV satellite platform.

Nielsen Media Research* found that residents of Washington and New York prefer watching RT to other international news channels. Nielsen found RT's average daily audience in Washington is bigger than that of Euronews, Deutsche Welle, France 24, and CCTV News, the English-language Chinese news channel. In New York, Nielsen research indicates that RT’s daily audience exceeds the average daily audience of Deutsche Welle, Arabic Al Jazeera English and CCTV News.

RT to Help Judge Current Affairs Category at International Emmy Awards

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:46:49 +0000

Two representatives of RT have been invited to the jury of the International Emmy Awards for the Current Affairs category – RT presenter Bill Dod and channel Deputy Editor-in-Chief Aleksey Nikolov.

“It’s a huge success for me to be among the elite of the TV industry judging the programs competing, and represent RT. It’s a testimony to the channel’s high reputation worldwide and to its leading position in television journalism,” says RT presenter Bill Dod.

The annual International Emmy Awards jury comprises professionals from top global television stations. Bill also made it to last year’s International Emmy Awards ceremony in New York, but as a nominee; RT became the first Russian TV channel be shortlisted for a ‘News’ nomination through Bill’s coverage of U.S. President Barack Obama’s debut visit to Russia in July 2009.

RT’s editor in chief Margarita Simonyan said “We are very pleased that RT is partaking in the Emmy awards for the second year in a row. We made the finals in the news category last year. This year a part of our team will help choose the winners.”

RT was launched in 2005. The channel broadcasts 24/7 from its studios in Moscow and Washington to over 100 countries and an estimated audience of 400 million. RT was the first news channel in the world to top 500 million YouTube views. In March 2011 RT claimed top spot in YouTube’s global rating, beating the Vevo music video portal. RT can also be viewed online at RT.com.

The annual “International Emmy Awards”, or “television’s Oscar,” is considered to be one of the most prestigious in the world. It is awarded by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the world’s largest union of television professionals from around the globe. The 39th International Emmy awards will take place in New York on November 21st.

RT to Broadcast on Aeroflot Flights

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 19:35:42 +0000

RT programs are provided to Aeroflot passengers through in-flight infotainment across several viewing categories.

RT news bulletins will bring RT on-air stories from around the world. Award winning RT documentaries, including several Media Excellence and New York Festival winners, are available in-flight. And RT travel guides will take passengers on a video tour of their destination city.

RT is available in English and Russian onboard long-haul Aeroflot aircraft offering integrated in-flight entertainment systems, such as the Airbus A330 and Boeing 767, as well as on flights of over 5 hours, where business class passengers are provided with portable media players (PMPs).

“We are happy to have launched our cooperation with Aeroflot, which represents Russia among the world’s largest passenger air carriers,” says RT’s Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan. “Now our viewers will also be able to watch RT in-flight. This will give them an opportunity to get to know Russia while still flying to it.”

RT is a round-the-clock news network broadcasting in English, Arabic and Spanish out of bureaus in Moscow and Washington, DC. It is already available to 430 million viewers, 22 percent of the world’s total cable subscribers. RT is the world’s first TV news network to receive over 500 million views on Youtube. In 2010, RT became the first Russian TV channel to reach the final of the prestigious Emmy International Television Award with a “News and Current Affairs” nomination. RT broadcasts, programming and other content is available at RT.COM.

RT Sets TV News Channel Record for Youtube Hits

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:42:02 +0000

RT’s total view count on YouTube has now exceeded half a billion, making the Russian news channel a world record setter.

In terms of the total view count, RT is well ahead of other major media outlets - Al Jazeera English gets only half as many hits; Reuters and Sky News are viewed 12 times less; and CNN International receives 100 times fewer clicks. Thanks to its snowballing popularity, RT’s revenue from Youtube has already exceeded half a million U.S. Dollars.

“It’s a remarkable achievement, and I’m proud that we made it over such a short period of time,” said RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.

In 2007, RT was the first of Russia’s channels to start uploading content to the world’s largest video hosting service, YouTube. In March 2011, RT became YouTube’s most viewed channel, beating the hugely popular music video website Vevo.

As of today, RT’s total view count on YouTube has exceeded 500 million and, according to YouTube Trends analysts, is growing at an average rate of 850 thousand views per day.

RT Launches New Documentary Channel - RTDoc

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:37:58 +0000

The RT family has a new member. RTDoc, a TV channel featuring documentaries about Russia, has launched, broadcasting 24/7 in English.

The new channel’s open signal coming from the Hot Bird satellite will be received by 120 million households across Europe as well as in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

The bulk of RTDoc broadcast will be exclusive documentaries about Russia, produced in-house by RT. Among them films that have won international prizes such as Media Excellence and New York Festivals Awards.

“Cable operators welcome documentary content in their networks because it remains invariably popular with audiences. Viewers tire of dynamic news streams and switch to ethnographic and educational formats. We’re launching a new documentary channel about Russia exactly for the purpose of giving the viewer this alternative,” said Margarita Simonyan, RT editor-in-chief.

Strong interest has been shown by cable operators all over the world. RTDoc’s reach covers network subscribers in Germany, Ireland, Portugal and Bulgaria. In the United States and Canada, more than a million viewers can watch RTDoc on the IPTV Roku system. Viewers can also watch RTDoc online at the RTD.RT.COM.

The new channel will feature a documentary series on Russian cities (Discovering Russia), customs and traditions of the peoples of Russia (Faces of Russia), science and technology (Technology Update) as well as a series on the environment (Meeting with Nature). Historical Faces explores the history of Russia and Culture Fair will broadcast films on culture, art and fashion. Inter-program section will diversify the content. For example, A Little Bit of Russian will help English speaking viewers learn the basics of the Russian language. RT correspondents, editors and presenters will play the role of teachers.

In addition to RTDoc, the RT family unites four TV News channels, an online video agency and four multimedia portals. The English-language RT channel went on air in December 2005; the Arabic channel Rusiya-al-Yaum was launched in May 2007; in December 2009, RT launched its Spanish-language channel. RT America, broadcasting in prime time to American viewers, was the last in line: going on air in January 2010.

RT was the first Russian television channel to be nominated for an Emmy International Television Awards, a TV Oscar, in the News category, while RT’s YouTube channel is close to half a billion views.

RTDoc’s broadcast on Hot Bird satellite:

Hot Bird 8, 13°E (frequency : 12015 Mhz, polarization: H, symbol rate: 27500, FEC: ¾)

RT Youtube Channel Records Half-million Dollar Profit

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 08:41:51 +0000

Profits from advertising on RT's YouTube channel have exceeded $500,000. This figure places RT among an elite few in the history of the international video hosting service who can boast of such financial success.

"We're delighted with RT's success on YouTube. The channel's high numbers are evidence not just of the growing popularity of professional online news content but also of YouTube's efficiency as an advertising platform," said Vladimir Dolgov, General Director of Google Russia.

RT videos have been viewed over 450 million times on YouTube and are now getting an average of 850,000 views per day, YouTube Trends reports. This has promoted the Russian news channel to the Top 100 Most Viewed All Time channels in the history of YouTube where it gained a solid position in the middle of the list, leaving behind international news channels such as Fox, ABC, Sky, CNN International, Al Jazeera and Reuters. This March RT was rated first in month’s top channel and is challenging the major pop music video channel Vevo.

“We are glad that viewers opt for RT. At first we were even puzzled by this immense success. It demonstrates that the young and active part of the audience has grown tired of the mainstream media and is dissatisfied with their biased view of the world. The youth wants alternative news and RT has matched their needs”, RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan said.

RT makes Final of Monte Carlo Television Festival

news@newsonnews.net (Newsdesk) — Tue, 17 May 2011 12:31:07 +0000

RT has made it to the final of the Monte Carlo Television Festival where it is competing with Sky News, CNN International.

RT’s “DOMODEDOVO live” coverage, representing the channel’s 24-hour reporting of the Domodedovo airport terror attack, has been nominated for the Golden Nymph in the category “Best 24-Hour News Programme”.

RT began its 24-hour breaking news coverage as soon as the blast hit Moscow’s Domodedovo airport on January 24, 2011. RT correspondents supplied the updates from the blast site, as well as from the train station serving the airport where witnesses and survivors were taken to, and from the hospitals which admitted the injured. In covering this tragedy RT served as the main source of information for the world’s media. RT’s footage was aired by dozens of international news channels including FOX News, CNN, Bloomberg, Sky News, and the Associated Press.

Also nominated for this award, aside from Sky News and CNN International, are Canada’s CBC, Spain’s TVE, and Poland’s TVN.

CNN’s and Sky News’ nominated entries are clips from the coverage of protests in Egypt and the resignation of the country’s president Hosni Mubarak.

The jury includes many influential names in the world of TV broadcasting. RT’s Head of News, Irakly Gachechiladze has been given the honour of presiding over the jury of the Monte Carlo Television Festival in the “Short News” category at this year’s festival. “Short News” unites two categories, Best TV News Items and Best 24-Hour News Programs. This is the second time Iralky is representing RT at the Monte Carlo Festival, but this year he’s the only jury member from Russia.

The Monte Carlo Television Festival was established in 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco and since then has become the world’s largest forum for TV films, shows, news reports, and news programmes. Last year the festival celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The top prize in the festival is a gold copy of the "Salmacis" Nymph statuette by the sculptor Francois Joseph Bosio, commonly known as the Golden Nymph. The original copy is kept in the Louvre Museum.

RT America Launches New Show, Hosted by Former US Marine, Adam Kokesh

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 14:23:07 +0000

RT America, is set to launch a new program, "Adam vs The Man," April 11 at 7PM EDT. The next generation political program will be hosted by activist, former Republican congressional candidate, and United States Marine veteran Adam Kokesh.

International Emmy-nominated news channel, RT America is an English-language news channel based in Moscow and Washington, DC. With bold, original programming, RT is making inroads into what used to be mainstream media-dominated television markets. Said Margarita Simonyan, RT editor-in-chief, "As an alternative media source often interacting with independent journalists and controversial opinion makers, RT has become a major player in the battle for information in recent years."

Adam is a former United States Marine who became a leader in the American anti-war movement and a congressional candidate who captured the voice of the youth and liberty movements across America. Most recently, Adam brought thought-provoking programming to radio as the host of his own local show.

In 2008, the United States presidential elections showed a voter turnout of youth (ages 18-29) that rose to 51 percent. As the 2012 election nears, Adam Kokesh will provide a perspective that potential youth voters will appreciate. As Adam often says, "It's okay if you don't do politics, politics will keep doing you."

"Adam Kokesh brings such a diverse background to any issue," said former campaign manager, Tina Richards. She continued, "When I want to hear political talking points I can turn to the mainstream networks, but when I want to hear what is really happening and what the younger people of America are thinking, I'll be watching 'Adam vs The Man.'"

"Adam vs The Man" will air daily at 7PM EDT starting April 11 on Russia Today.

In the US, RT is available on cable in the metro areas of Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego as well as in North Carolina and South Carolina.

Hillary Clinton Watches RT as US Loses Information War

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 09:06:54 +0000

Hillary Clinton watches the Russian channel and finds it “instructive”, the U.S. Secretary of State said during budget hearings in the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

U.S. State Secretary Hillary Clinton said the United States was engaged in an information war and losing it because of TV channels like Russia Today, China’s CCTV and Al Jazeera. She also said she had watched RT and found it “quite instructive.”

“We are in an information war and we are losing that war,” she said, citing RT. “The Russians have opened up an English-language network. I’ve seen it in a few countries and it’s quite instructive.”

“Our private media cannot fill that gap,” Clinton said, warning the Senate against cuts in the DoS budget and urging America to get back in the “game.” “During the Cold War we did a great job in getting America’s message out. After the Berlin Wall fell, we said, ‘Okay, fine, enough of that, you know, we’ve done it, we’re done.’ And, unfortunately, we are paying a big price for that,” she said. Secretary Clinton also told the Committee about DoS efforts to spread U.S. propaganda through new media, such as Twitter. But, she admitted, “most people still get their news from TV and radio.” “I would look very much toward your cooperation to try to figure out how we get back in the game on this, because I hate ceding what we are most expert in to anybody else,” she said in conclusion.

Libyan Authorities Jam Rusiya Al-Yaum Signal

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:33:16 +0000

RT’s Arabic channel Rusiya al-Yaum, broadcast in Libya via the Nilesat (AB4) satellite, is being jammed.

According to RRsat Global Communications Network, a satellite TV provider, several attempts have been made to jam the Rusiya al-Yaum signal, broadcast via the open channel of the Nilesat (AB4) satellite.

The company says Libyan authorities are jamming the signal to deprive the people of Libya of access to independent and unbiased coverage of events in the country and wider Middle East.

Rusiya al-Yaum, Russia’s first news channel in Arabic, was launched in May 2007. It is freely available via satellite in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.

According to Nielsen research, Rusiya al-Yaum has an audience of over 5 million viewers in Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. The channel is available online at arabic.rt.com. Rusiya al-Yaum’s best news stories and shows are also available on the channel’s YouTube stream.

RT Adds 7 Million to European Audience Pool

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:47:52 +0000

RT, the Russian English-language news channel has added 7 million viewers to its potential audience in Europe, by launching its 24/7 broadcast on the largest cable networks in France and Belgium.

In France, RT began broadcasting through Numericable, the largest cable television provider in the country with a reach of over 3.6 million viewers.

In Belgium, RT launched on Telenet, one of the country's largest cable television operators with an audience of approx. 3.5 million in the Brussels and Flemish regions.

RT broadcasts 24/7 from Moscow and from its studio in Washington. The channel is also available at RT.COM. In 2010, RT became the first Russian TV channel to make the finals of the prestigious Emmy International Television Awards of the International Academy of Television in the News category.

Synovate research has found that in six European countries alone, including Germany, France and Italy, more than 7 million viewers watch RT. In the UK, according to Kantar Media, RT's audience is more than 2 million which significantly exceeds that of other international news channels, such as France 24, Germany's Deutsche Welle, and China's CCTV.

For instance, RT's monthly audience exceeds that of Deutsche Welle more than 5 times. On YouTube, RT has received the most prestigious rating, TOP 100 most viewed channels in the history of international video hosting, with over 250 million YouTube views.

RT Expands Its Reach and Presence In Major US Cities

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:30:50 +0000

RT, an international TV news channel, has launched its English-language feed, 24x7, on San Francisco's major cable provider, Comcast, which brings it to approximately 4 million viewers in the San Francisco metro area.

In the U.S., RT is carried by cable networks in New York, NY; Chicago, IL; Washington, DC; and in Los Angeles, CA.

A recent Nielsen survey revealed that TV viewers in Washington, DC, and in New York city metro prefer RT to other major international news channels as their source of daily information.

Said Margarita Simonyan, RT's editor-in-chief: "As the recent survey proved, RT is actively gaining popularity among TV viewers in the key U.S. markets, and is acting as a counter-weight to their regular diet of mainstream news. By making RT available on yet another key market, such as San Francisco, we are making good progress in expanding our reach to the U.S. audience further."

Nielsen Media research showed RT's average daily audience in Washington, DC, as exceeding that of Deutsche Welle, France 24, Euronews, and CCTV News, the English-language Chinese news channel. In New York metro, the Nielsen survey indicated that RT's daily audience exceeds the average daily audience of Deutsche Welle, Al Jazeera English and CCTV News.

Almost one-half (42.6%) of RT viewers* in Washington, DC, and in New York, NY,** appreciate RT's critical take on news of the day, as well as its different stance from the mainstream media, and see it as a reliable alternative. The majority (87%) of respondents consider mainstream TV channels, such as CNN and BBC America, to be partisan.

Nielsen Media Research conducted the survey in the fall of 2010 with 2,192 residents in Washington, DC, and 2,180 residents in New York city.** Nielsen Company operates in over 100 countries. It is a global leader in market and audience research, with a specialty in TV market research sector, and is the most authoritative source for television ratings in the U.S.

RT, an international TV news channel in English, Spanish, and Arabic is carried in the US by cable TV providers in Washington, DC; New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA; and now in San Francisco, CA. GlobeCast WorldTV, a satellite provider, makes RT available elsewhere in the U.S. RT broadcasts 24x7 from its studios in Moscow, Russia, as well as from Washington, DC, in the U.S.

RT Hits 200 Million Views on YouTube

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 14:33:57 +0000

200 million views puts RT far ahead of other global news channels, including famous mainstream names Fox News, ABC News, Sky News, and CNN International.

RT YouTube has 13 times more views than Fox News, while CNN International has less than 2 million YouTube views.

"Western cable networks aren't always happy to see a Russian English-news channel in their packages. We value the equal opportunities new media offers both Russian and American companies. Our guys get the most out of this opportunity, and as you can see, we are ahead of our rivals. If you want to be a media leader tomorrow, you need to be a leader on new platforms today because the future belongs to those new platforms," RT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan said.

In August, the Russian channel made it to the Top 100 most watched channels among YouTube's 10,000 premium partners, taking the place of US President Barack Obama's channel. RT content has regularly been the most watched video of the day, with up to 7 million views. On several occasions, RT was YouTube’s most watched channel of the day. RT is a regular leader in the News and Politics category, with views increasing by approximately half a million each day.

RT Audience in South Africa More than Four Times Bigger than Competing European Networks

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 09:51:25 +0000

RT, the Russian English-language news TV channel, now has an audience more than 4 times bigger than the aggregate audience of three leading European news channels in South Africa.

RT's average daily audience in South Africa, the most developed economy on the African continent, is more than 4 times bigger than the overall daily audience of three leading European news channels - Deutsche Welle, France 24 and TV5 Monde - EMS Africa 2010, a survey conducted by Synovate in Africa, finds.

EMS Africa 2010 was the first large-scale television audience survey in Africa. The survey was conducted among the wealthiest 15% of the continent's residents. Synovate is a global market research company that provides services to clients in 62 countries. It is one of the world's top ten research firms.

Data source: EMS Africa 2010 by Synovate

More than Two Million Britons Watch RT

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:40:55 +0000

More than two million Britons watch RT, the Russian news channel. That’s according to leading British market research agency, Kantar Media.

In market research covering Great Britain, Kantar finds that over two million British viewers watch RT. This exceeds the audience of leading European channels such as Deutsche Welle and France 24, both major rivals of RT.

RT's average monthly audience in Britain is now over 5 times larger than that of the German Deutsche Welle, and 1.5 times larger than that of the English-language channel France 24.

The market research highlighted the strengths of the Russian television channel – respondents pointed to different take on news from mainstream media as the main reason they watch RT. The survey also showed that 45% of British viewers think that mainstream media, such as BBC News, CNN and Sky News, is biased. However, 69% of RT viewers cited mainstream bias. Viewers also agreed informative news coverage, quality of presenting and credible & trustworthy content were reasons why they chose RT.

The Kantar Media survey is based on 10,250 face-to-face interviews conducted during October and November 2010. Kantar Media is a branch of Kantar, one of the world's largest market research and knowledge-based development networks.

RT to Broadcast on New Zealand's Biggest Platform

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:52:09 +0000

RT has started broadcasting at Channel 96 of SKY TV New Zealand which covers approximately half of all households in New Zealand.

Besides RT, the SKY TV New Zealand package includes major news channels such as CNN, BBC World, Fox News, Sky News, CNBC and others.

The launch of the New Zealand broadcast is another step in RT’s campaign to expand its footprint. Earlier this year, RT launched its broadcast in Chicago through Comcast, America’s biggest cable television operator, and a 24-hour broadcast throughout the United Kingdom on the Freeview platform.

In the meantime, the channel’s audience on new media platforms is growing rapidly as well. RT has reached 185 million views on YouTube and made the top 100 most viewed channels among YouTube’s 10,000 premium partners. In August 2010, RT was nominated for the prestigious Emmy International Television Awards in the News category.

RT Wins Six Awards at Promax-BDA Latin America Competition

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 16:19:20 +0000

RT Spanish has become the first Russian TV channel to be recognized at Latin America’s largest international awards for television marketing and design, the Promax / BDA Latin America Competition 2010.

RT Spanish was awarded six prizes at the recent ceremony in Buenos Aires.

RT Spanish weather forecast won the Promax/BDA gold award for nonstandard graphic design solutions. The jury board of Latin America’s leading TV marketing and design competition also commended RT Spanish imaging and promotion design. Besides the gold, RT Spanish collected two silver and three bronze awards at the ceremony.

Promax / BDA Latin America awards are annually awarded for outstanding TV marketing, advertising and design. RT’s competition at the awards comprises well-known media leaders – CNN, NBC Universal, Discovery Channel Latin America, HBO Latin America Group, FOX Latin American Channels.

RT Spanish was launched in December 2009 and broadcasts 24/7 from Moscow. The open signal is available to millions of viewers in Europe, North and South America. RT Spanish has been broadcasting in Washington since September 1, 2010, via MHZ Networks, and since September 17 it’s been available in New York on one of the major US networks - Warner Cable. The channel’s official website, actualidad.rt.com, is a fully-fledged multimedia news service, where visitors can watch RT Spanish live.

The Hottest Political Show in the US Finds a New Home on RT Channel

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:43:24 +0000

The Big Picture, no-holds-barred talk show created and hosted by Thom Hartmann, will appear on RT.

Thom Hartmann, bestselling author of Screwed: The Undeclared War Against The Middle Class and We The People: A Call To Take Back America and network radio personality is going into partnership with RT Channel.

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann will broadcast weekdays at 9pm and 11pm EST from RT's state-of-the-art studios in downtown Washington, D.C. to millions of the US and Canadian households that receive the channel via cable and satellite.

Said Thom Hartmann, "We are excited to be in the Nation's capital, the epicenter of political process at such a critical time. The next two years in our election cycle will be the new dancing with the stars...and we plan to bring our audience in-depth coverage on the issues effecting us all."

Emmy International nominated channel, RT has its studio hubs in Moscow and Washington DC and continues its worldwide expansion.

With its bold and original programming, RT is making inroads into what used to be mainstream media dominated television markets.

Said Margarita Simonyan , RT editor-in-chief: "We show our viewers news they cannot see elsewhere. And now, together with Thom Hartmann, we will provide them with opinions that will encourage every viewer to question more. We are looking forward to the start of this new project on RT."

As an alternative media source often interacting with independent journalists and controversial opinion makers, RT has become a major player in the battle for information in the recent years.

Thom Hartmann is the NY Times bestselling author of over twenty books, and his Thom Hartmann Program is heard daily on hundreds of radio stations, SiriusXM, DirectTV and Dish Network, broadcast live from 12N-3pm across the US and on five continents, syndicated by Dial-Global, Pacifica , and Free Speech TV Network. For two rears in a row, Hartmann has been ranked by Talkers Magazine as America's number one progressive talk show host.

In the US RT is available on cable in Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Diego. In Canada RT can be viewed in all the major cities on Shaw Cable and Rogers Cable.

RT Begins Broadcasting in Chicago

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 03:24:57 +0000

RT, the Russian English-language news channel, has begun 24-hour broadcasting in Chicago via Comcast, a major US cable operator.

RT will be available to more than 1.7 million subscribers of the Comcast Chicago cable network as part of the Expanded Basic package (Channel No. 103) in America’s second biggest financial centre and third most populated city. RT English is already available in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles and San Diego. Also, RT is available throughout the United States via the GlobCastWorldTV satellite operator.

“Of course, we are happy that we managed to expand significantly the broadcast range of our channel in the US recently and reach such major cities as Los Angeles and Chicago,” RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said. “But merely expanding the broadcast is not enough to attract viewers. That’s why we focus on making RT programmes interesting specifically to our US audience and covering the subjects that appeal to American viewers.”

According to a market study conducted by Nielsen Media Research in 2009, Washington DMA TV audience prefers RT news in prime time to similar channels from other countries—the Arab channel Al Jazeera English, Germany’s Deutsche Welle, France 24, Euronews and China’s CCTV-9. For example, Nielsen reported that RT’s daily audience is 6.5 times bigger than that of Al Jazeera English, while RT’s monthly audience is 5 times bigger than that of Deutsche Welle.

RT, the first English-language news channel in Russia, was launched in 2005. It broadcasts 24/7 from Moscow and a studio in Washington, D.C. In 2007, the Arabic version of RT, Rusiya al-Yaum, went on air, and towards the end of 2009 a Spanish-language channel was launched. The open signal is available to millions of viewers in Europe, North and South America. Also, RT programmes can be watched live at rt.com.

RT Spanish is Now Available in New York

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:05:31 +0000

RT, the Russian news channel, launched its 24/7 Spanish broadcast to Time Warner Cable NYC Region customers.

Now hundreds of thousands of Spanish speaking viewers in the country’s biggest city and finance center will be able to access RT Spanish.

RT Spanish is available to over one million Time Warner Cable digital customers in Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, western Brooklyn, Mt. Vernon and Hudson Valley, N.Y. and Bergen County, N.J. on channel 855. RT Spanish joins a host of other domestic and international news channels available on Time Warner Cable. RT in English is with Time Warner since August 2007.

RT Spanish was launched in December 2009 and broadcasts 24/7 from Moscow. The open signal is available to millions of viewers in Europe, North and South America. The channel’s official website, actualidad.rt.com, is a fully-fledged multimedia news service, where visitors can watch RT Spanish live. In 2010, RT Spanish was nominated for the prestigious British Broadcast Digital Awards 2010 in the Best Channel Launch category. In the US RT Spanish has already been broadcasting in Washington since September 1st through MHz Networks.

RT Beats its Rivals in South-East Asia

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 09:48:57 +0000

RT’s audience exceeds that of Al Jazeera English in South Asia’s largest business and tourism centers Bangkok and Taipei.

RT’s audience exceeds that of one of the leading international channels, Al Jazeera English in Bangkok and Taipei, according to a Pan Asia Pacific Cross Media Survey (PAX). RT’s success comes despite Al Jazeera’s heavy investment in a large number of SE Asian news bureaus and a TV center in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia.

RT’s average monthly audience in Bangkok is double that of Al Jazeera News and considerably exceeds the audience of the French TV5MONDE. In Taiwan’s capital Taipei, RT has more viewers on an average weekly basis than Al Jazeera English and TV5MONDE.

The survey was conducted continuously by Synovate, covering 20% of the most prosperous adult population in the region. Synovate is in the top ten of the world’s leading marketing research companies and has offices in 62 countries.

RT is a global news channel that inspires its viewers to question more. Broadcasting from Moscow and Washington DC, RT has one of the fastest growing viewer bases of any news channel in its category.

RT Spanish Begins Broadcasting in Washington DC

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 21:20:59 +0000

RT is launching its Spanish-language 24/7 open broadcast in the US capital. RT will now be available to numerous Spanish-speaking viewers in the Washington Area through MHz Networks.

MHz Networks is one of the most popular non-commercial TV companies in Washington, D.C. Its programmes are available to every household in the area. Besides RT, its digital broadcast package includes leading international news channels, such as Al Jazeera English, Deutsche Welle, Euronews and France 24. RT English has been available through the network since June 2007. According to Nielsen Media Research 2009, the daily audience of RT English in Washington, D.C., is 6.5 times as great as that of Al Jazeera and is five times as great as that of Deutsche Welle.*

“RT English has achieved serious results in the US. People know about us and watch us,” RT Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said. "We have no doubt that our Spanish-language channel will find its audience in the US and will be in demand just as much as our English-language channel, considering that Spanish is the second most popular language in the US with about 40 million speakers”.

RT Spanish was launched in December 2009. It broadcasts from Moscow 24/7. The open signal is available to millions of viewers in Europe, North and South America. The channel’s official website, actualidad.rt.com, is a fully-fledged multimedia news service, where visitors can watch RT Spanish live. In 2010, RT Spanish was nominated for the prestigious British Broadcast Digital Awards 2010 in the Best Channel Launch category.

RT Cuts Into YouTube's Top 100 Beating President Obama's Channel

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:37:43 +0000

RT has made it into YouTube’s All-Time Top 100 Most Viewed Partners list, taking the place of President Obama’s channel with over 150 million views.

It is the first time a Russian project has broken into YouTube’s All-Time Top 100 of its 10,000 premium partners, overtaking Barack Obama’s channel, which has had a strong standing in the Top 100 of this international video service. Recently the most popular RT videos on YouTube have been footage of the heatwave in Russia, WikiLeaks revealing materials and storming of the Freedom Flotilla.

RT has been rated most viewed several times this year. In July, RT made it into the top 10 most viewed channels of the month in YouTube’s international rating. In August, RT topped 150 million views.

RT Becomes First Ever Russian TV Channel to Get Emmy News Nomination

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:16:16 +0000

The Russian-based television channel RT has been nominated for the prestigious Emmy International Television Award. It makes RT the first Russian TV channel to be nominated for an Emmy in the News & Current Affairs category.

RT's coverage of the first visit to Russia by U.S. President Barack Obama in July 2009 is up for the top industry prize and major rivals for the Emmy include Sky News, Al-Jazeera English and TV Globo.

"Five years ago, when RT was being set up, we wouldn't have believed that we would be able to compete as equals against the best of world's TV news crews in such a short space of time. And this is what is happening now. Of course, we are happy and proud. We would like to thank the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for its objective approach," RT's Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan said.

The awards are presented by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the world's most prominent association of leading broadcasting companies. "The 2010 International Emmy Award Nominees for News & Current Affairs offer a fascinating window into the human drama constantly unfolding around the world in conflict zones, politics or even daily life," said Bruce L. Paisner, President & CEO of The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. "We congratulate them for their outstanding achievements in television reporting." 2010 Emmy International Television Awards will take place in New York on September 27.

Earlier in June RT was nominated for two Golden Nymph awards at the world's biggest annual Monte Carlo Television Festival. RT's "Mortal Motor City: Detroit on the Edge," a four-minute story on once booming center of U.S. auto industry, was running for the top prize in Best TV News Package category. Reaching the finals in Best 24-Hour News Program was "Nightclub Horror," RT's coverage of the tragic fire at the nightclub Lame Horse in the Russian city of Perm.

Also in June the channel has won three gold awards and one bronze at the Promax/BDA World Gold Awards 2010 -- the industry's standard-setting competition in television design and marketing. Two gold awards went to the highly debated posters of RT's QUESTION MORE promotion campaign, which received widespread and heated coverage in the Western mass-media and Internet blogs. Major U.S. airports went as far as refusing to display RT's controversial images. RT responded by printing on blank billboards "Our Ad. Politically Correct. For the original version please visit www.rt.com." In January the campaign was recognized as the Ad of the Month by the British Awards for National Newspaper Advertising.

RT Prime Time Russia's promo video won yet another gold in the Image Promotion category. RT Spanish channel's news bumper was awarded bronze in the category Television/Video Presentation: News.

RT's previous list of professional awards include 2009 New York Festival Silver World Medal for Best News Documentary ("A city of desolate mothers"), 2008 London Media Excellence Awards Special Jury Award in the Best Creative Feature category ("Russian Glamour" feature story) and Russia's most prestigious broadcasting award TEFI in Best News Anchor category.

RT Begins 24 Hour Broadcasts on UK's Freeview

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:12:04 +0000

On July 1, Russian-based English language news channel RT starts broadcasting 24/7 in the UK. Round-the-clock broadcasting will be via the major British terrestrial system of digital broadcasting television, Freeview (on Ch 85).

The Freeview system has a reach of 18.6 million households in the UK. Several TV channels were competing for the Freeview slot, including English-speaking news channel Al Jazeera, which has announced the launch of five-hour daily broadcasts.

“For the past year that RT was broadcasting 6 hours a day via Freeview, we received lots of requests from our viewers to start broadcasting round-the-clock,” says Margarita Simonyan, RT’s Editor-in-Chief. “We are glad we have managed to do so,” she added. “Finally in the UK RT is available 24/7 in almost 90% of households.”

In the UK, the RT news channel is also available in the package of the major satellite operator British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), which is also accessible in Ireland. Besides, RT’s newsblocks in English can be viewed by subscribers of the free British satellite platform Freesat.

RT's Advertising Campaign Wins 3 Golds and 1 Bronze at the Promax-BDA World Gold Awards 2010

news@newsonnews.net (Kevin Coy) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:34:31 +0000

RT, the Russian TV news channel, has won three gold awards and one bronze at the industry's standard-setting competition in television design and marketing, the Promax/BDA World Gold Awards 2010. The awards ceremony was held on June 24th in Los Angeles, USA.

Two gold awards went to the highly debated posters of RT's QUESTION MORE promotion campaign. Developed by the McCann Erickson experts, RT's ad images appeared in the national press and on billboards across the UK in December 2009 and January 2010. The campaign received widespread and heated coverage in the Western mass-media and Internet blogs. Major US airports went as far as refusing to display RT's controversial images. RT responded by printing on blank billboards "Our Ad. Politically Correct. For the original version please visit www.rt.com." In January the campaign was recognised as the Ad of the Month by the British Awards for National Newspaper Advertising. RT's promotion concept was based on the juxtaposition of contrasting widely-recognizable images and calls the viewer to 'question more'. A total of five ads were developed.

RT Prime Time Russia's promo video won yet another gold in the Image Promotion category. RT Spanish channel's news bumper was awarded bronze in the category Television/Video Presentation: News.

Promax/BDA is recognized as the industry standard for excellence in television marketing, advertising and design. The contest is run annually among the best works submitted by the world's leading TV channels. RT's competitors nominated for gold in the 2010 contest were such industry giants as NBC UNIVERSAL, MTV Networks International, Fox, and Discovery.