In 2023, a notable shift occurred in Kazakhstan’s television landscape as Kanal One and several channels from the First Digital Television Family were removed from TVCOM’s broadcast lineup. The move was driven by financial issues tied to unpaid broadcast rights rather than any political motive, according to a public statement from Channel One JSC. The organization cited ongoing debt as the core reason for the disruption and made it clear that the decision was a business consequence rather than a political stance. During its communications, Kalashnikova highlighted that the two sides could not reach a renewal agreement for the following year, which led to the withdrawal of the channels from TVCOM’s schedule.
The representative underscored that the operator owed substantial sums for rights to carry the channels, including payments for broadcasts in the previous year. The message to the operator was unequivocal: this was not a temporary outage but a failure to settle arrears. Channel One emphasized that until the debt is resolved, Russian television would only be available in part within the country. This partial restoration would depend on timely payments and a truce in outstanding obligations from the operator.
Earlier in January, reports indicated that the satellite and internet television operator in Kazakhstan had become a participant in TVCOM, but several Russian channels were still not available across the network. The situation reflected ongoing negotiations and financial dynamics shaping the broadcast market in the region. Viewers faced a realignment of channel options as licensing and carriage agreements shifted, with the financial health of operators playing a decisive role in what can be offered.
Meanwhile, industry observers noted a broader pattern in which international networks reassessed distribution in markets where nonpayment and debt disputes arise. In another recent development, Discovery announced a pause in broadcasting its channels in Russia, underscoring how global media groups are recalibrating their distribution strategies in response to market and regulatory pressures. The evolving context suggests that viewers in Kazakhstan and neighboring regions may see continued changes in access to content, depending on how debts are resolved and how agreements are renegotiated between operators and rights holders.