Russian-language television channel begins broadcasting in Estonia

The channel follows a year of planning. ETV+ is an attempt to improve the inclusion of the Russian-speaking cohort of the Estonian population and to give it access to independent journalism programmes.

In recent years, there has been increasing concern in Estonia about a number of Russian television programmes that are thought to be controlled by the Russian regime and which have gained a sizeable audience among Russian speakers in the country.
ETV+ offers programmes produced in Estonia, including news and current affairs programmes, as well as programmes bought in from abroad.
Of its population of roughly 1.3 million people, Estonia has around 330,000 Russian native speakers, many of whom speak no Estonian.
In June 2015, the Nordic Council of Ministers decided to provide a support package to promote the development of balanced and independent Russian-language media in the Baltic countries. The  package also included support for ETV+.