CNN to Resume Broadcasting in Russia After Three Months Off Air

The channel stopped broadcasting on cable and satellite networks in Russia on December 31, 2014, after new legislation introduced a ban on commercials on Russian pay television.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — CNN International is set to resume broadcasting in Russia after the US news channel was granted a license under a new media law, the Izvestia newspaper reported Tuesday.

CNN stopped broadcasting on cable and satellite networks in Russia on December 31, 2014, after new legislation introduced a ban on commercials on Russian pay television.

"We received a license from Roskomnadzor [Russia's state media watchdog] for television broadcasting for up to 10 years," a source told the Russian newspaper.

Roskomnadzor, also responsible for granting local licenses to foreign broadcasters, confirmed that CNN was returning to Russia, according to Izvestia.

"I welcome the fact that CNN strictly follows the agreements reached during the talks, and I believe they will be just as strict and flawless in their content policy," Roskomnadzor head Alexander Zharov was quoted as saying by the daily.

Founded in 1980, CNN opened its international division in 1985 before coming to Russia in the 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

CNN was the first channel to broadcast news on a 24-hour basis and currently reaches over 200 million households across 212 countries and territories.