It was created by decree of Russian presidentBoris Yeltsin to replaceOstankino Television Channel One, which in turn replacedProgramme One in 1991.[6] From April 1995 to September 2002, the channel was known asPublic Russian Television (Russian:Общественное Российское Телевидение,romanized: Obshchestvennoye Rossiyskoye Televideniye,ORT[oˈɛrˈtɛ]).[6] The main news programmes areVremya andNovosti.[7]
Channel One's main competitors are theRussia-1,NTV,5TV andTV Centre channels. The channel has 2,443 employees as of 2019.[8]
When theSoviet Union was abolished, the Russian Federation took over most of its structures and institutions. One of the first acts ofBoris Yeltsin's new government was to sign apresidential decree on 27 December 1991, providing for Russian jurisdiction over the central television system. The All-Union State Television and Radio Company (Gosteleradio) was transformed into the Russian State Television and Radio CompanyOstankino, a shareholding company, with 51% of its shares remaining with the state.[9]
A presidential decree of 30 November 1994 transformed Ostankino into aclosed joint-stock company, called Russian Public Television (Obshchestvennoe Rossiyskoye Televidenie, or ORT). The shares were distributed between state agencies (51%) and private shareholders, including numerous banks (49%). The partial privatization was inspired by the intolerable financial situation of Ostankino owing to huge transmission costs and a bloated payroll (total staff of about 10,000 in early 1995). In February 1995, the channel announced it would stop airing commercial advertising which was seen by network executives as a "source of great irritation and disappointment". It wasn't clear when would the law would be passed; its lifting depended on the introduction of new advertising rules.[12] After the fallout from Listyev's death on 1 March, Alexander Yakovlev resigned from his post as chairman, as the channel was facing an uncertain future on the verge of becoming ORT.[13]
Following the1998 financial collapse, which almost resulted in them becoming insolvent, the channel obtained a government loan of $100 million from state-controlledVnesheconombank.[14] Also in 1998, the closed joint stock company was transformed into an open stock company. However, controlling votes on the board of directors remained in the hands of structures linked to then-Kremlin-connected businessman Boris Berezovsky. Thanks to this state of affairs, Berezovsky was able to preserve control over the channel's cash flows as well as over its editorial line until 2000.
From 1 April 1995 to late 2002, the channel was called ORT (ОРТ—Общественное Российское Телевидение,Obshchestvennoye Rossiyskoye Televideniye; Public Russian Television). It maintained the traditional programs and shows of the First Channel of the Soviet Television (RTO), such asVremya,KVN,Chto? Gde? Kogda?,V mire zhivotnykh andTravelers' Club; the last two are no longer broadcast on this channel.
The main broadcasting center is inOstankino Tower, Moscow. In September 2008 the channel installed new digital audio mixing systems in their new state-of-the-art broadcast complex located in the Ostankino Television Technical Centre in Moscow. The new Channel One news facility opened in March 2008 and features advanced server technology with equipment from the world's leading television equipment manufacturers such as Thomson, EVS, and HP. Spearheading the transition of the renovated news facilities was Okno TV.[18] Channel One began broadcasting a1080ihigh-definition signal on 24 December 2012.[19]
Channel One can be streamed on the internet for free on 1tv.ru for viewers in Russia and 1tv.com is for international viewers, though most programs of the Russian version of the channel can be seen internationally too.
In August 2000, however, his program criticized how the Putin government handled theexplosion of the Russian submarineKursk. When Dorenko's show was in turn suspended on 9 September 2000, ORT director-generalKonstantin Ernst insisted that — contrary to Dorenko's allegations — the government had not been involved in the change. Ernst stated that he yanked the show because Dorenko had defied his orders to stop discussing the government's plan to nationalize Boris Berezovsky's 49-percent stake in the network.[26][27][28]
Berezovsky claims that in 2001 he was forced by the Putin administration to sell his shares. He first tried to sell them to a third party, but failed. A close friend of Berezovsky,Nikolai Glushkov, was arrested while seriously ill, and Berezovsky gave up the shares and transferred them toRoman Abramovich'sSibneft with the understanding that Glushkov would then be released. This promise was not fulfilled.[29][30] Soon after Berezovsky's withdrawal, the new ownership changed the channel's name to Pervy Kanal (Channel One). Konstantin Ernst remains as general director. As of 2008, Channel One's minority shares are held by three little-known companies namely ORT-KB, Eberlink2002 and Rastrkom-2002. Their parent companies are domiciled in Panama and Seychelles and are managed by Evrofinans Group.
According to the inspection[31] conducted by theAudit Chamber of Russia and initiated by MPAlexander Lebedev, in 2005 the channel had the following shareholders structure and board of directors:
Vladimir Putin's close friendYuriy Kovalchuk, through his holding company National Media Group, owns stakes in several of Russia's most influential television channels, including Channel One.[34][35]
Critics charge that Channel One's news and information programs are frequently used for propaganda purposes. As Konstantin Ernst stated in his interview to theNew Yorker, "it would be strange if a channel that belonged to the state were to express an anti-government point of view".[36] The critics contend that Channel One airs a disproportionate number of stories focusing on positive aspects of official government policy, while largely neglecting certain controversial topics such as war inChechnya or social problems. In addition, some have argued that the station's news reports often blur the line between factual reporting and editorial commentary, especially when broadcasting stories concerningRussian government policies or goals. For example, during the2004 Ukrainian presidential elections, many political observers believe the Russian government actively supported the candidacy of then Ukrainian prime ministerViktor Yanukovych over that ofViktor Yushchenko.[37] In a 13 October 2004 news story, Channel One reporter Natalya Kondratyuk declared that "the Premier [Yanukovich], as a candidate, is adding to his ratings by working on the economy and by solving current social problems; he does not use slogans; he is not criticizing his opponent; and he is not creating scandals. Yushchenko’s style of campaigning is diametrically opposite."[citation needed]
In another controversial example, on a 23 January 2005 broadcast, in the midst of widespread protests against a new reform of Russia's social benefits system (L'goty), a Channel One anchor opined, "you can understand, and should understand, those who went out on the streets, but you also have to understand that the old system has completely outlived its use." Later, in the same story, a reporter characterized those protesting against the reforms as political opportunists, adding, "criticizing the reform is good PR." A few days later, on 27 January 2005, as the protests continued across Russia, a Channel One reporter noted, "You can understand the elderly [protestors, but] repealing free [bus] fares was the last hope for public transport."[citation needed]
Similarly, on a 12 February 2005 broadcast, a Channel One anchor declared, "The key question of the week has been: how are Presidents[Mikheil] Saakashvili [of Georgia]) and Yushchenko [of Ukraine] different? At first, it seemed the difference was only in their appearance, in all other ways, they were like characters from the filmAttack of the Clones for us." Critics of Channel One news argue that hundreds of similar examples exist where station news reporters and anchors insert editorial commentary into news reports, almost always to commend perceived allies of Russia or criticize perceived enemies.[citation needed]
Moreover, various media reported that the channel presented a biased coverage of other events that were closely connected to Russia's foreign policy, including the Ukrainian elections to theVerkhovna Rada in 2007, theEuromaidan of 2013–2014, and the followingannexation of Crimea.[39][40][41] The channel was also criticized for ignoringAlexei Navalny's political activities, namely his participation in theMoscow mayoral election of 2013.[42] Vladimir Pozner, one of the channel's most popular TV hosts, once admitted in an interview to the New Yorker that he composed a list of people who could not participate in his show.[36]
According to aBBC News analysis by Stephen Ennis, the channel has in its reports about Ukraine'swar in Donbas "sought to furtherdemonise anddehumanise theUkrainian army".[43] The story of the boy hasbecome widely known[44], allegedly crucified by the Ukrainian military during theconfrontation in Slavyansk, which was told to the correspondent of the "First" refugee Galina Pyshnyak[45][46]. After the story was released, it turned out that Pyshnyak's story was unconfirmed, contained inconsistencies, and was a retelling of an earlier blog post by right-wing radical publicistAlexander Dugin.[47][48]. Subsequently, Irada Zeynalova admitted on television that the journalists had not found confirmation of Pyshnyak's words, but the archived text of the story on the website was never corrected, and the story itself turned into an Internet meme.[49][50].
Channel One news reports on 16 January 2016 about a 13-year-old girl with German and Russian citizenship in Berlin who was allegedly raped by immigrants was denounced by theGerman police as fake.[51] German foreign ministerFrank-Walter Steinmeier has accused the Russian government of using the alleged rape for "political propaganda".[51]
On 14 March 2022,Marina Ovsyannikova, an editor for Channel One, interrupted a live broadcast ofVremya to protest against theRussian invasion of Ukraine, carrying a poster stating in a mix of Russian and English: "Stop the war, don't believe the propaganda, here you are being lied to."[53][54][55][56][57]
Some of the television period dramas produced by Channel One were series criticized for low level of historical accuracy, for instance –Brezhnev,[58]The Saboteur,[59]Yesenin[60] andTrotsky.[61]
The morning of 12 January 2008 on the current affairs programHealth (Russian:«Здоровье») withYelena Malysheva aboutGuillain–Barré syndrome, in one of the sections arat wasviolently killed. Some of the viewers said, first, that this was intolerable in a program whose audience includes children and, secondly, it was contrary to theCriminal Code of the Russian Federation.[62][63][64][65][66] In particular, some claim that viewing such violent and cruel scenes poorly affected the health of some children and people.[67]
In the 2000s, Channel One was criticized for its inattentive attitude to sports broadcasting.[68][69]: the broadcasts started with a delay[70] and the carved anthems of the participating countries[71][72], They were interrupted by advertisements, and matches were recorded at a later time, rather than live.[73][74]. Before 2006[75] the channel placed its ads on top of live broadcasts[76][77], what led to conflicts with the organizers[78][79][80][81] and the dissatisfaction of the audience (at least once, due to such an insertion, a goal was not scored in the broadcast)[82][83][84][85].
In May 2020, after several materials on the outbreak ofcoronavirus in Belarus[86][87], The country's Foreign Ministry has stripped the Channel One film crew of its accreditation[88], declaring the allegations about the spread of the disease to be lies and an information attack[89].
On August 20, 2014, after theannexation of Crimea by Russia, Ukraine banned the broadcasting of 14 Russian TV channels on public and private domestic cable networks, includingRossiya-1, for "propaganda of war and violence"[90][91].
On May 8, 2022, the United States imposed sanctions against Channel One, noting that the channel is directly or indirectly controlled by the state, and American companies are prohibited from advertising and providing equipment for Channel One.[94][95].
On July 7, 2022, Canada imposed sanctions on Channel One, including it in the sanctions list of "Russian disinformation structures" for facilitating and supporting Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine."[96][97].
On October 19, 2022, Ukraine imposed sanctions because the channel generates and distributes "news content in accordance with Kremlin policy in order to justify Russia's actions."[98][99].
Since the creation of the channel, its employees and projects have repeatedly receivedTEFI awards. In terms of the number of statuettes, ORT/Channel One often became the leader among other participants (in particular, at ceremonies for 2001, 2009, 2010 and 2015)[100][101][102][103].
2001 — at the presentation of the business and entrepreneurship award "Business Olympus" ORT was recognized as the "Television Channel of the Year"[104].
2002 — the team of ORT journalists was awarded a commemorative badge "For assistance to the Ministry of Internal Affairs" for information coverage of the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus region.[105].
2002 — ORT-Design studio won silver at the PromaxBDA competition for the best design of the "News" and "Time" programs[106]. The second time Channel One received an award for the design of the news space was in 2009. In 2012, the channel received an award in the "Image Advertising Campaign" nomination for the same award for promoting the Focus on Russia project at the MIPCOM telephony forum in Cannes.Konstantin Ernst became the producer of the project.[107]. In 2014, Channel One won first place in the Lower Third Promotion nomination for the promotional show "Hse" and second place in the Made-For-Television-Movie-Spot nomination for the promotional video of the series "Murder on the Beach"[108]. In 2016, the channel received "silver" and "bronze" in the nomination Promotional Mobile Application for the promo "TV" and "Greenhouse", respectively.[109].
2009 — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev awarded diplomas to the channel's staff "For their active participation in the preparation and holding of the Eurovision Song Contest 2009". Awards were awarded to: Konstantin Ernst, Yuri Aksyuta, Andrey Boltenko, Roman Butovsky, Valery Vinogradov[110].
2013 — The award "Innovation of the Year" from the world's largest satellite operatorEutelsat. Perviy was one of the first federal Russian TV channels to switch to a new high-definition format (HDTV), providing improved image quality and multi-channel surround sound.[112].
2014 — Channel One received the Vladimir Zvorykin Award for broadcasting the Winter Olympic Games. The award was established by the National Association of Television and Radio Broadcasters with the support of Rospechat. It is awarded for achievements in the field of television development.[113].
2017 — The channel's staff received a Government award with an award of 1 million rubles for organizing the broadcast of the naval parade inSt. Petersburg.[114].
2018 — PresidentVladimir Putin awarded the Channel One staff "For their great contribution to the development of Russian television and many years of diligent work," 10 employees received theOrder of Merit for the Fatherland, and 6 received the honorary title of Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation.[115]; In the same year, the creative group of the channel won the "Best Shots" nomination of the All-Russian Media Ace festival[116].
2025 —Commendation from the President of the Russian Federation (August 27, 2025) — for his contribution to the development of mass media and many years of fruitful activity[117].
In addition, the channel's employees have repeatedly received the Golden Pen of Russia awards[118], and Director Konstantin Ernst received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland for his great contribution to the development of television.[119][120].
Its first logo in 1991 featured a blocky "1", with a significantly thinner black square outline. On 1 April 1995, this was replaced with a simple "1" block, with a circle outline, but on 1 October 1995, a logo featuring an italic "1" was launched, with the ОРТ typograph. An alternate version of the 1995 logo had blue and white colors.
On 1 January 1997, another logo featuring a golden italic "1" was launched, with a partial ring and the ОРТ letters now in 3 separate blocks, which was designed by Novocom, along with Igor Barbe. On 1 October 2000, the current logo was launched, featuring a "1" with a partial cut, on a dark blue background. The current logo was designed by ORT Design. With the renaming of "ОРТ" to "Channel One Russia" on 2 September 2002, the idents were changed to match the new network's name; however, the 2000 logo is still used.
^(in Russian) С. А. Агапцов (S.A. Agaptsov),Контроль расходов федерального бюджета на здравоохранение, социальную политику и за бюджетами государственных внебюджетных фондовArchived 28 January 2007 at theWayback Machine, (Kontrol' raschodov federalinogo budzheta na zdravoohranenie, sotsial'nuyu politiki i za byuzhetami gosudarstvenniih vnebyudzhetnih fondov, "Controlling federal budget spending on health, social policy and budgets for state extra-budgetary funds"), Счетная палата Российской Федерации (Schetnaya palata Rossiiskoi Federalii, "Account Chamber of the Russian Federation"). Accessed 22 April 2008.
^(in Russian) Владимир Темный (Vladimir Temniy),Электронным СМИ – положительный заряд (Elektronim SMI — Polozhitel'ni Zaryad; "The electronic media — a positive charge"), grani.ru, 20 October 2005. Accessed online 22 April 2008.
^Арина Бородина (11 April 2007)."Телелидеры 2-8 апреля" (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved24 August 2022.
^Виктор Степанов (21 November 2014)."Гонят в пропасть" (in Russian). TJournal. Retrieved24 August 2022.
^Алексей Токарев, Владимир Тимаков, Павел Казарин (1 December 2014)."Двойная Россия" (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved24 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^(in Russian)Ведущая «Здоровья» Елена Малышева: «Мы не убиваем крыс в эфире» (Bedushchaya «Zdovоv'ya» Elena Malysheva: «Mi nye ubivaem kris v efire», "Head ofHealth Elena Malysheva: «We do not kill rats on the air», Аргументы и факты, (Argumenty i Fakty). Date not given, no longer accessible online 25 April 2008. All or part of the commentary article appears to bereproducedArchived 29 May 2008 at theWayback Machine at www.dogandcat.ru.
^abjoint venture with Amperwelle Studio München Programmanbietergesellschaft,Axel Springer AG, Burda, Studio Gong, m.b.t. Mediengesellschaft der bayerischen Tageszeitungen für Kabelkommunikation, Medienpool and Radio Bavaria Rundfunkprogrammgesellschaft.
^joint venture with Verlagsgesellschaft Madsack, Studio Gong Niedersachsen and Brune-Rieck-Beteiligungs.
^joint venture with Axel Springer, Heinrich Bauer Verlag, Lühmanndruck Harburger Zeitungsgesellschaft and Morgenpost Verlag.
