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Netflix Joins Putin Ally’s National Media for Russia Rollout
- National Media Group works with Discovery, Sony in Russia
- Partnership lets users watch content in Russian, pay in rubles
Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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Netflix Inc. struck a partnership with Russia’s National Media Group, a broadcaster linked to President Vladimir Putin’s billionaire ally Yury Kovalchuk, as it prepares to roll out a local-language service in October.
The partners will offer subtitled and dubbed Netflix series as well as some Russian content, and users will be able to pay in rubles, Netflix said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday. The company has similar local-language services in countries including India and Malaysia.