Canadian media companies are joining the global economic movement to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine.

Distributors and channel operators such as Blue Ant Media, marblemedia and Gusto Worldwide Media have all confirmed they’ve suspended business dealings with Russia.

Toronto’s Blue Ant Media has pulled its Love Nature channel from Russian platforms, according to a statement from CEO Michael MacMillan, which added that the company is “appalled at the Russian atrocity in Ukraine.”

Love Nature has previously been sold to Russian pay-tv channel Tricolor and TV network MTS.

Ottawa’s Gusto Worldwide Media also confirmed that it has cancelled a pending content agreement for its channel Gusto TV with Russian TV company Red Media. The company previously sold 83 half-hour episodes of content to Red Media, as well as 200 short-form videos.

Distribution360 (D360), a subsidiary of Toronto prodco marblemedia, has also suspended its business with Russia, according to a statement from Mark Bishop, co-CEO and executive producer at marblemedia. The company has previously sold content to Russian companies such as Kontent and AG Rubin Group.

The crisis is also raising questions about the fate of an upcoming CBC doc series on the 1972 Canada/Russia hockey showdown. Mercury Films’ Nicholas de Pencier tells Playback Daily they hired a local Russian crew to film remotely in Russia before the recent conflict took place, instead of the Canadian team having to travel themselves.

De Pencier, showrunner and a producer on the 4 x 60-minute Summit 72 (working title), says they’ve mostly completed their remote filming work, so there hasn’t been a big effect on the project.

“The question for us is how it should affect the story?” De Pencier tells Playback Daily. “Will the pendulum swing back to the Cold War dynamics that drive our narrative, and how can we represent that as it unfolds?”

Playback parent company Brunico Communications, which runs the Banff World Media Festival, Realscreen Summit and Kidscreen Summit, has also suspended its business dealings with Russia.

Earlier this week Canadian broadcasters such as Bell Media, Rogers Sports & Media and Telus pulled Russian state-owned TV network RT from their lineups. Toronto’s VMedia has since been named the Canadian distributor of Ukraine 24, which runs 24/7 news coverage from Ukraine.

Minister of Canadian Heritage Pablo Rodriguez announced on Twitter on Tuesday (March 1) that the government has asked the CRTC to “immediately initiate an expedited hearing process on the presence of RT in Canada.” The minister added that the CRTC is expected to issue a decision in two weeks.

With files from Victoria Ahearn

Image: Unsplash