CNN Russian broadcast licence to be approved imminently, says media watchdog

CNN Russian broadcast licence: Russia’s media supervisory body Roskomnadzor is processing CNN’s universal licence application and expects to approve it  within “days or weeks,” its chief Alexander Zharov said this week.
Possession of the licence would allow the U.S. network to return to the Russian market and to sign broadcasting deals with Russian cable and satellite providers just months after it decided to pull out because of  the introduction of new legislation on media advertising.
Last November, CNN announced  that it would stop broadcasting in Russia from the beginning 2015 in response to the new law which banned commercials on pay television. In the face of heavy criticism from cable companies, the law was amended in  January  to allow cable channels with 75 % Russian content to air commercials. For the purposes of the amendment, “Russian content” was  defined as any content commissioned by companies based in Russia and presented in Russian. CNN re-applied for a its  licence last month.