What happened to RT America? The Russian state-funded channel shut down on March 3, 2022, about a week after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. DirecTV and Roku had dropped it days earlier, its operator stopped live programming and laid off most of its staff, and it has never come back. There is no official way to watch RT America today, because the channel no longer exists.
Key facts (as of October 2026)
- RT America, the Washington, D.C., arm of Russia’s state-funded RT network, ended all live programming on March 3, 2022.
- DirecTV removed the channel on March 1, 2022, Roku pulled it from its channel store that week, and Dish dropped it on March 4.
- In September 2024, the US State Department sanctioned RT’s parent organization, and the Justice Department charged two RT employees over a nearly $10 million covert influence scheme.
What was RT America?
RT America was the US channel of RT, the international TV network funded by the Russian government and controlled by the Moscow-based organization TV-Novosti. It broadcast from Washington, D.C., starting around 2010, and a company called T&R Productions ran its US operations.
The channel mixed news with talk and opinion shows. It hired some well-known American names, which helped it get attention. For example, Larry King hosted “Larry King Now” and “Politicking,” produced by Ora TV, from 2012 to 2020. Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura had a show from 2015 to 2022, and Ed Schultz hosted a nightly newscast from 2016 to 2018.
RT America claimed it could reach 85 million US viewers, but that figure was always disputed. Its actual audience was much smaller than those of the big US cable news networks.
Why RT America was controversial
US officials and many researchers described RT as a tool of Russian state messaging. RT itself said it offered a different view that mainstream outlets ignored.
Two moments stood out. In March 2014, during Russia’s annexation of Crimea, host Abby Martin criticized the intervention on air. A day later, on March 5, 2014, anchor Liz Wahl resigned live on air, saying she could not work for a network funded by the Russian government that whitewashed President Vladimir Putin’s actions.
Then, in November 2017, after pressure from the Justice Department, RT America’s operator registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). As a result, Congress revoked the channel’s press gallery credentials later that month.
What happened to RT America in 2022?
The channel collapsed in a few days in early March 2022, as US distributors cut ties after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Here is the timeline.
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| February 24, 2022 | Russia launches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine |
| March 1, 2022 | DirecTV, the largest US satellite TV operator, drops RT America; Ora Media pauses the shows it made for the channel |
| Same week | Roku removes RT from its channel store |
| March 3, 2022 | T&R Productions ends all live programming and tells staff the layoffs will be permanent |
| March 4, 2022 | Dish Network drops the channel |
| March 11, 2022 | YouTube starts blocking Russian state-funded media channels worldwide |
| August 2024 | Broadcast equipment from RT’s Washington studio is scheduled for auction |
The internal memo from T&R Productions blamed “unforeseen business interruption events,” CNBC reported. More than 100 employees were told they would lose their jobs, and the memo said the layoffs were expected to be permanent. After the live shows stopped, the remaining cable feed carried RT’s international channel from Moscow until carriage ran out.
What happened to RT America after it closed?
It never came back, and nothing suggests it will. The legal climate has only become harder for RT since 2022. In short, the channel is gone, not paused.
On September 4, 2024, the US Justice Department unsealed an indictment against two RT employees, Kostiantyn Kalashnikov and Elena Afanasyeva. Prosecutors in the Southern District of New York charged them with conspiracy to violate FARA and conspiracy to commit money laundering. They said RT wired about $9.7 million to a Tennessee content company that paid online commentators, and some of those commentators said they had no idea Russia was behind the money. Both defendants were at large when the charges were announced.
Then, on September 13, 2024, the State Department announced sanctions on RT’s parent TV-Novosti and on the state media group Rossiya Segodnya and its director, Dmitry Kiselyov. US officials accused RT of covert influence work and of crowdfunding military gear for Russian troops. The Kremlin called the claims “nonsense,” NPR reported.
What happened to RT in the UK and Europe?
RT lost its legal footing in Europe at about the same time RT America closed. If you’re reading from the UK or the EU, this is why you won’t find RT on your TV.
- European Union: On March 1, 2022, the Council of the EU adopted measures to suspend the distribution of RT and Sputnik content in all member states, by any means. France’s media regulator, Arcom, said the decisions applied directly and immediately to all operators, including RT France.
- United Kingdom: On March 18, 2022, the regulator Ofcom revoked RT’s UK broadcast licence. Ofcom said ANO TV Novosti was not “fit and proper” to hold a licence, citing 29 open investigations into RT’s coverage of the invasion, an earlier £200,000 fine for impartiality breaches, and new Russian laws that made due impartiality impossible.
So, for readers asking what happened to RT America and its European sister channels, the answer is the same across the Atlantic: regulators and distributors removed them in early 2022.
What can you watch instead of RT America?
If you liked RT America for international news in English, plenty of licensed channels cover world affairs, and several are free. These are the ones our guides cover in detail.
| Channel | Based in | Free official stream? | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| DW News | Germany | Yes, on YouTube and DW’s own apps | DW News live |
| France 24 English | France | Yes, on YouTube and France 24’s site | France 24 English |
| Al Jazeera English | Qatar | Yes, on YouTube and Al Jazeera’s site | Al Jazeera English |
| TRT World | Turkey | Yes, on TRT World’s site and apps | TRT World |
| Euronews | Europe | Yes, on Euronews’s site and apps | Euronews |
All of these are funded or owned in different ways, so it’s worth knowing who stands behind each one. Each of our guides explains ownership as well as how to watch. For a wider list, browse every channel we cover or our latest channel guides.
Coming soon: the NewsLive streaming app. We’re building one subscription for live international news on Android, Roku, Fire TV and desktop. The service is under development — follow NewsLive for launch updates.
Why we don’t link to RT streams
NewsLive recommends only official, licensed ways to watch news. RT is sanctioned in the US and banned from distribution in the EU and the UK. For that reason, we don’t link to RT streams, mirror sites or apps, and we don’t recommend VPNs or other workarounds. If a website claims to offer a “live RT America stream” today, it isn’t showing a channel that still exists.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to RT America and when did it close?
RT America ended all live programming on March 3, 2022, after DirecTV and Roku dropped it following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Its operator, T&R Productions, laid off most of its more than 100 staff.
What happened to RT America on DirecTV?
DirecTV removed RT America on March 1, 2022, as US distributors cut ties with Russian state media after the invasion of Ukraine began on February 24.
Can I still watch RT America?
No. The channel no longer exists, and RT’s international service is sanctioned in the US and banned from distribution in the EU and UK. NewsLive doesn’t link to RT streams.
What happened to the hosts of RT America?
Shows made by Ora TV for the channel, including Larry King’s, had already ended or paused, and the remaining staff were laid off when the channel closed in March 2022.
Is RT banned in the United States?
RT isn’t banned by a single US law, but in September 2024 the State Department sanctioned its parent, TV-Novosti, which bars Americans from most dealings with it. Major US distributors stopped carrying RT in 2022.
Sources
- CNBC: RT America shuts down operations (March 3, 2022)
- US Department of Justice: two RT employees indicted (September 4, 2024)
- NPR: US hits Russian state media with new sanctions (September 2024)
- Advanced Television: Ofcom revokes RT’s broadcast licence (March 18, 2022)
- Arcom: EU decisions on RT and Sputnik (March 2, 2022)
- TechCrunch: YouTube blocks Russian state-affiliated media globally (March 11, 2022)
