The Ministry of Digital Development has been instructed to assess the scale of unlicensed satellite equipment use in Crimea. This refers to the so-called "Gorynychi" – receivers capable of receiving signals from several satellites at once, including broadcasting Ukrainian TV channels.
According to a "Grifon Expert" study presented at a meeting in the Federation Council on April 27, about 34% of the peninsula's residents use such devices. At the same time, only 17% of the population has licensed satellite television, and almost half of the residents (49%) do not use satellite TV at all.
The largest share of "Gorynychi" users falls on young and middle-aged people – from 18 to 54 years old. Among older age groups, such devices are significantly less common.
Experts attribute the popularity of unlicensed equipment to several factors. In the new regions of Russia, restrictions on its sale and use are already in effect, while in Crimea, similar measures have not yet been introduced. In addition, the peninsula has a limited supply of legal alternatives: in fact, only the operator "Russkiy Mir" has a license for satellite broadcasting, which has not yet launched mass operations.
Technical problems also complicated the situation. In early March, the "Express-AT1" satellite, which provided broadcasting in the region, failed. In April, its functions were partially transferred to the "Express-AT2" spacecraft, which was moved to a new orbital position.
The Ministry of Digital Development notes that similar devices were more common in new regions, where restrictions on their sale and use had previously been introduced. Now the authorities of Crimea and Sevastopol are considering options for gradually replacing "Gorynychi" with licensed equipment.
Following the meeting, the agency was instructed to clarify the actual scale of distribution of such devices and propose measures to reduce their share in the market.
Experts also point out that access to alternative content sources affects the information behavior of the audience: users of such receivers are more likely to rely on external sources and show a lower level of trust in official information.
Read more on the topic:
- They want to restrict the sale of SIM cards: the Ministry of Digital Development is discussing new measures
- Telecom Operators Asked the Ministry of Digital Development to Postpone the Introduction of Charges for International Traffic Above 15 GB
- "Kommersant": Ministry of Digital Development Puts Platforms Before a Choice - Benefits or User Traffic with Circumvention of Blocking