The American media company Discovery, Inc. has suspended broadcasting of its channels and services in Russia due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as reported by Reuters.
The fifteen Discovery Group channels include HGTV, Animal Planet, TLC, and Eurosport, which are distributed through Media Alliance, a joint venture with Russia's National Media Group.
"Discovery has decided to suspend the broadcasting of its channels and services in Russia," the company said in a statement.
The announcement comes after CNN, the BBC, and others suspended broadcasting in response to a new law that threatens journalists with prison for disseminating "fake" news about the war in Ukraine, which the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation," according to Reuters.
As was reported earlier, on 1 March, the American streaming service Netflix refused to broadcast 20 Russian federal channels due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. On 7 March, the Netflix streaming platform left the Russian market.