Public Television of Russia (OTR)
Public Television of Russia (Общественное Телевидение России, OTR) is a Russian television station that first aired on 19 May 2013.
Media assets
Television: OTR
State Media Matrix Typology
Ownership and governance
OTR was officially launched through Presidential Decree No. 455, signed on 17 April 2012 by President Dmitry Medvedev, with the explicit aim of founding an independent public-service broadcaster. A key oversight body, the Public Television Council, was meant to represent the public interest, with nominations drawn from Russia’s Public Chamber; management was barred from including sitting MPs or government officials.
By mid‑2012, however, then‑President Vladimir Putin approved the appointments to the Supervisory Board and named Anatoly Lysenko, President of the International TV Academy, as the channel’s first Director General. In practice, this structure has effectively placed OTR under state control, as modern analysts have noted that the President approves both the Supervisory Board members and the Director General.
Source of funding and budget
OTR is funded via a combination of state budget allocations and public donations, though it does not publish detailed financial statements. Early figures reveal significant state subsidies: approximately RUB 3 billion (~US$ 41.6 million) in 2020; rising to around RUB 4.9 billion in 2021; and approximately RUB 5.5 billion in 2022.
There remains no publicly available data on revenues, income, or profit for 2023–2025.
Editorial independence
Although conceived as a public-service broadcaster, OTR has seen its editorial independence curtailed, with programming largely confined to non-contentious, pro-government themes. Opposition figures are absent from its coverage, and its content often aligns with government narratives, particularly regarding the Ukraine conflict. No statutes or independent oversight mechanisms are in place to assess or safeguard the channel’s editorial autonomy.
August 2025