RT International Live Streaming
RT International is Russia’s English-language news channel, funded by the Russian state and broadcast out of Moscow.
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It is also among the most restricted broadcasters in the world. Since 2022 it has been banned across the European Union, had its licence revoked in the United Kingdom, been blocked in Canada, and removed from YouTube, Meta, Apple and other major platforms. The live stream is playing on this page – free, with nothing to install and no account to create.
Where RT Comes From
RT launched on 10 December 2005 under the name Russia Today, shortening it to RT in 2009.
It is operated by ANO TV-Novosti, a state-controlled non-profit set up by the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, and funded by the Russian government through its federal press agency. That funding is substantial – RT receives more state money than any other Russian media organisation.
From its Moscow base the network broadcasts in English, Arabic, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Serbian and Russian. RT International is the English service, and the one most viewers outside Russia come across.
What RT Says It Is For
RT has always presented itself as a counterweight rather than a competitor.
Its stated purpose is to carry perspectives its editors argue are missing from Western-dominated coverage, particularly on Russia and on parts of the world they say receive little attention elsewhere. Margarita Simonyan, its long-serving editor-in-chief, framed the mission as breaking what she called the Anglo-Saxon monopoly on global information.
The network has also described itself as Russian soft power, in the way the BBC World Service or CNN International project British and American perspectives abroad.
What Regulators and Researchers Say
That self-description is heavily contested.
Ofcom, the British broadcasting regulator, repeatedly found RT in breach of impartiality rules and, in several cases, ruled that it had broadcast materially misleading content. Academic researchers and media watchdogs have widely characterised the network as an instrument of state propaganda and a vehicle for disinformation.
Anyone watching is entitled to weigh those assessments against the channel’s own account of itself. What is not in dispute is who pays for it – and that is the single most useful thing to keep in mind while watching.
Banned Across Much of the West
The restrictions on RT are unusually broad for a news organisation:
- The European Union banned RT from broadcasting on 27 February 2022
- The United Kingdom revoked its broadcasting licence in March 2022
- Canada removed it from distribution in March 2022
- Germany had already banned RT DE earlier that year
- Ukraine banned it in 2014; Latvia and Lithuania followed in 2020
Its regional operations went with them. RT America and RT UK both closed in March 2022, and RT France shut down in 2023.
Major platforms acted as well. YouTube blocked RT worldwide in March 2022, and Apple, Microsoft, TikTok, Roku and DirecTV removed its apps or channels. Meta announced its own ban in September 2024.
Watching It From Malaysia
Malaysia has not imposed the restrictions that the EU, UK and Canada have, so RT remains accessible to viewers here.
The practical effect of the platform bans, though, is that the usual routes to an international news channel no longer work. RT is not on YouTube, and its apps have gone from the major app stores outside Russia. Direct streaming is what remains.
It runs in a browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV, wherever there is an internet connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns and funds RT?
The Russian state, through ANO TV-Novosti and the federal press agency. It is the most heavily state-funded media organisation in Russia.
When did it launch?
10 December 2005, as Russia Today. It became RT in 2009.
What is RT International?
The network’s English-language channel, separate from its Arabic, Spanish, French and other services.
Why can’t I find RT on YouTube?
YouTube blocked it globally in March 2022. Meta, Apple, Microsoft and TikTok have removed it as well.
Is RT banned in Malaysia?
No. The bans are principally in the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and several individual European countries.
Is RT a reliable news source?
That is disputed. RT presents itself as an alternative perspective; Ofcom found repeated impartiality breaches, and researchers widely describe it as a state propaganda outlet. Both views are worth weighing.
Does watching cost anything?
No. The stream is free, with nothing to install and no sign-up.
Conclusion
There is a reasonable case for watching the state broadcaster of any country. Seeing how a government wants a story told is genuinely informative, and it is hard to understand an international dispute while hearing only one side of it.
The useful habit is simply to keep the label in view. RT is funded by the Russian state and reflects that. Watched with that in mind, it is a window onto an official perspective. Taken as neutral reporting, it is something else entirely.