TL;DR
Get movie nights delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Mediazona reports that 200 of the 472 foreign TV series it examined on Russian streaming service Amediateka contained censored scenes. Its frame-by-frame comparison found 75 hours of cuts, more than half involving LGBTQ+ topics; the report also describes softened wording and changes to translations.
Mediazona reports that nearly half of the foreign TV series it examined on Russian streaming service Amediateka contain censored material, after comparing 472 shows with their original versions. The outlet identified 75 hours of edited scenes across 200 series, with more than half of that footage involving LGBTQ+ topics.
Mediazona said it examined the Russian adaptations frame by frame, comparing them with the original versions of 472 foreign series available on Amediateka. It counted censored scenes in 200 of those shows. The report does not say that every instance involved a complete scene removal: edits also included changes to dialogue and translation.
Of the 75 hours Mediazona identified, 44 hours involved LGBTQ+ topics. The second-largest category was political content, at 12 hours, including references to President Vladimir Putin, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and real or fictional events in Russian and Soviet history. The outlet also reported cuts to scenes involving incest, pedophilia, drugs, and what it described as “non-traditional” sex.
Mediazona said translation changes sometimes softened references rather than removing them outright. As one example, it reported that the phrase “he’s gay” could be rendered as “he’s different.” According to the outlet, partner studios translate series under guidelines, after which Amediateka reviews the translated, corrected, and dubbed content and can make further edits.
Edits Affect Major Imported Series
Amediateka distributes series from studios including HBO, Showtime, AMC, and Warner Bros., giving the reported edits potential reach beyond its own platform. Mediazona says other large Russian streaming services, including Okko and Kinopoisk, use Amediateka’s translations for these titles. If so, the same localized versions may reach audiences through several services, although the report does not quantify how many viewers watched edited episodes.
The findings also point to how censorship can appear in streaming content: not only through scenes removed from a program, but through dialogue altered in translation or dubbing. That distinction matters to viewers trying to understand whether they are seeing the original creative work or a version modified for distribution in Russia.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Amediateka Localizes Foreign Shows
Amediateka is described in the report as the official Russian distributor for series from several major international studios. Mediazona’s account says partner studios prepare translations according to specific guidelines, then Amediateka reviews the resulting translated and dubbed material and may edit it further. The report does not publish the guidelines’ full text in the supplied material.
Mediazona also reported that Amediateka has received at least six citations related to content: four for incorrect age ratings and two under Russia’s law on “propaganda of nontraditional relationships.” These citations provide regulatory context, but the source material does not link each citation to a particular edit identified in the comparison.
TV streaming box with Dolby Vision
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Details Behind the Scene Counts
The reported figures describe Mediazona’s review, and the source material does not provide a list of all 200 series, the complete methodology, or a breakdown of how many hours were cut from each title. It is also unclear whether the 75-hour total counts only removed footage or includes other forms of alteration; the report describes both scene cuts and softened translations.
The supplied account does not include a response from Amediateka, the partner studios, or the other streaming services said to use its translations. It also does not establish who instructed or approved each specific change, or whether the cited edits were made for legal compliance, platform policy, or another reason.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Responses and Further Verification
The next developments to watch for are any response from Amediateka or the studios whose series were examined, and whether Mediazona publishes more detail about its titles, comparison method, and categorization of edits. Further reporting could also clarify how many of the affected translations are carried by Okko and Kinopoisk, and whether those services use identical versions.
Until such details are available, the figures should be attributed to Mediazona’s review. The report establishes what the outlet says it found in its sample, but the available information does not show how representative that sample is of all foreign series on Russian streaming platforms.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
How many series did Mediazona say were censored?
Mediazona reported finding censored scenes in 200 of the 472 series it compared with their original versions.
How much edited material did the outlet identify?
The review identified 75 hours of censored scenes. Mediazona said 44 hours involved LGBTQ+ topics and 12 hours involved political content.
What kinds of changes did the report describe?
Mediazona reported scene removals as well as softened translations. Its example changes “he’s gay” to “he’s different.”
Which other streaming services may carry the translations?
According to Mediazona, Okko and Kinopoisk use Amediateka’s translations for the series covered by its distribution work. The report does not specify how many titles or viewers this affects.
Source: rss
Columbus Day / Indigenous Peoples' Day Picks
long weekend sales
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
