RT en español

RT en español, also known as Actualidad RT, is the Spanish-language service of the Russian international media network RT. It combines television broadcasting, online news publishing, video programming and social-media distribution, with editorial output aimed primarily at audiences in Latin America and Spanish-speaking communities elsewhere. The service is based in Moscow and has operated bureaus or reporting presences in Miami, Los Angeles, Madrid, Managua, Caracas, Havana and Buenos Aires. The idea of creating a Spanish-language RT service was reported in 2006 and formally announced in 2007. The channel began broadcasting on 28 December 2009. Its programming was developed separately from RT’s English- and Arabic-language services, with Spanish-speaking presenters and regionally oriented editorial choices, while also using translated or adapted material from other parts of the RT network. Its principal subjects include headline news, international politics, Latin American affairs, sports, technology, features about Russia, interviews and special reports. Distribution expanded through pay-TV operators, satellite platforms, cable systems and digital services. In Spain, the channel was carried by operators including Orange TV, Vodafone and Movistar TV+ before European Union restrictions on RT broadcasting in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In Latin America, the service obtained carriage through national and private television systems. It entered Argentina’s state-run Open Digital Television platform in October 2014 after an announcement made during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Buenos Aires. It subsequently became available through terrestrial or cable distribution in countries including Venezuela, Chile, Ecuador and Mexico. By the middle of the 2010s, RT stated that its Spanish-language signal was available through more than 900 private television operators in Spain and Latin America, although distribution has changed over time because of regulatory and platform decisions. The service has maintained a multinational newsroom. The referenced Wikipedia account describes a staff of nearly 200 people, including approximately 35 foreign journalists from Spain, Argentina, the United States, Chile, Nicaragua and Venezuela, alongside Russian and Serbian journalists who speak Spanish. Its programming has included news blocks scheduled around audience time zones in Madrid, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Mexico and Buenos Aires, as well as recurring interview, documentary, economic, sports, technology and travel formats. RT en español’s role has also been shaped by political and regulatory controversy. Critics and governments have treated RT as a state-linked Russian international broadcaster and have questioned its editorial independence. The European Union’s February 2022 decision to prohibit RT and Sputnik distribution across member states effectively ended the service’s conventional broadcasts in Spain, while Latin American distribution continued. In 2025, its appearance on Telecanal’s transmitter network in Chile prompted scrutiny from Chile’s National Television Council, including concerns about the transparency of the arrangement and regulatory treatment of documentaries broadcast through the network. The service remains an active Spanish-language media brand, although its availability varies substantially by country and platform.

Plans for a Spanish-language RT service emerged publicly in 2006, when the Financial Times reported that Russia was considering the creation of a channel aimed at Spanish-speaking audiences. The project was formally announced in 2007 and became operational on 28 December 2009. Rather than simply retransmitting RT’s English service, RT en español developed its own Spanish-language presentation, newsroom output and schedule, while adapting selected programming from the wider RT network. The service was established in Moscow and built an international reporting footprint with bureaus or offices in Miami, Los Angeles, Madrid, Managua, Caracas, Havana and Buenos Aires. Its editorial agenda combined general international news with subjects of particular interest to Latin American audiences. News, politics, sports and special reports formed the core of the schedule, supplemented by interviews, economic analysis, technology coverage, features about Russian life and travel-oriented programming. Broadcast blocks were scheduled around the time zones of major Spanish-speaking audience centers, including Madrid, Mexico, Buenos Aires, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. Distribution was initially built through pay television, satellite and cable operators. In Spain, RT en español became available through services including Orange TV, Vodafone and Movistar TV+, as well as other operators. Vodafone Spain, formerly associated with ONO TV, began carrying the service in December 2010. Expansion in Latin America became especially important to the channel’s strategy. During Vladimir Putin’s July 2014 visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina announced that RT would be made available on Open Digital Television. The signal entered the Argentine terrestrial grid on 10 October 2014, making RT the first media channel produced outside Latin America to join that state television platform, according to the referenced account. The Latin American distribution footprint expanded further. The service began high-definition transmission in Chile through the GTD group in May 2015 and later entered Ecuador through Grupo TVCable. It was also carried in Venezuela and Cuba through national channels or public distribution arrangements, and in Mexico through Izzi Telecom from July 2016. By the middle of the 2010s, RT en español reported availability through more than 900 private television operators in Spain and Latin America. These carriage figures describe the network’s distribution at that period rather than a permanent current footprint. Argentina became an early example of the political sensitivity surrounding the service. In June 2016, the government of Mauricio Macri announced that RT’s terrestrial signal would be suspended. Representatives of RT alleged outside political pressure, while Argentine officials and other political figures discussed the decision and reviewed the status of the channel. The eventual arrangement retained RT on the platform and included proposals for an exchange of programming, the promotion of Argentine content in Russia and possible co-productions. The service’s European availability changed fundamentally after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. On 27 February 2022, the European Union announced a ban on RT and Sputnik distribution in all languages across its member states. This effectively ended RT en español’s television distribution in Spain, although the service continued to operate and seek audiences in Latin America and through online channels. The restriction formed part of a broader European regulatory response to Russian state-linked media rather than a programming or generation change by the channel itself. In June 2025, RT en español began broadcasting through Telecanal’s transmitter network in Chile. The arrangement attracted attention from Chile’s National Television Council, which raised concerns about the lack of transparent information concerning the lease. The referenced material also states that two documentaries broadcast through Telecanal led to regulatory sanctions. This episode illustrates the continuing tension between the service’s expansion in Latin America and scrutiny of its ownership, distribution arrangements and editorial role. The channel’s newsroom has been described as comprising nearly 200 employees, including approximately 35 foreign journalists from Spain, Argentina, the United States, Chile, Nicaragua and Venezuela, together with Spanish-speaking journalists from Russia and Serbia. Its continuing identity is that of a Spanish-language branch of the RT network: a television and digital news operation with global coverage, a strong Latin American distribution focus and a public profile closely connected to debates about Russian international broadcasting.

1. 2025Telecanal transmission in Chile

   The service began using Telecanal’s transmitter network in Chile, prompting scrutiny from the national television regulator.

   Source
2. 2022European Union distribution ban

   EU restrictions on RT and Sputnik ended the service’s conventional broadcasts in Spain and other EU member states.

   Source
3. 2016Expansion to Ecuador and Mexico

   The channel entered Ecuador through Grupo TVCable and announced carriage in Mexico through Izzi Telecom.

   Source
4. 2015High-definition service in Chile

   RT began high-definition broadcasting in Chile through the GTD group in May.

   Source
5. 2014Argentina terrestrial distribution

   RT entered Argentina’s Open Digital Television platform on 10 October.

   Source
6. 2010Vodafone Spain carriage begins

   The channel began broadcasting on Vodafone Spain, formerly associated with ONO TV, in December.

   Source
7. 2009Broadcast launch

   RT en español began broadcasting on 28 December.

   Source
8. 2007Project formally announced

   The creation of a Spanish-language RT service was officially announced.

   Source
9. 2006Spanish-language channel considered

   Reports indicated that Russia was considering a Spanish-language international television channel.

   Source

A Spanish-language international news service presenting Russian and global affairs, Latin American politics, interviews, analysis and feature programming through television and digital channels.

• RT en español television channelTelevision broadcasting2009

  The core Spanish-language television service carries headline news, international and Latin American politics, sports, interviews, special reports and feature programming. It uses Spanish-speaking presenters and regionally scheduled news blocks, while also adapting selected programs from the wider RT network. Availability depends on national regulation, satellite capacity and agreements with cable, terrestrial and pay-TV operators.

• Actualidad RT websiteDigital news

  Actualidad RT is the service’s Spanish-language online news platform. It publishes written reports, video material, interviews, analysis and special coverage for audiences that may access RT digitally rather than through a television distributor. The website is also the principal public-facing web address associated with RT en español.

• Special reports and documentary programmingVideo programming

  The channel produces or adapts special reports, documentaries and feature segments focused on international events, political developments, life in Russia, technology and social issues. These programs are distinct from the rolling news schedule and have also been part of the regulatory scrutiny surrounding distribution in Chile.

• 2025Use Telecanal’s Chilean transmitter networkStrategy

  RT en español sought or obtained renewed terrestrial reach in Chile after major changes to its European distribution environment.

  What changed. The service began broadcasting through Telecanal’s transmitter network on 16 June 2025.

  Aftermath. Chile’s National Television Council scrutinized the arrangement and raised concerns about transparency and documentary programming carried through the network.

  Source
• 2022Continue Latin American distribution after EU restrictionsStrategy

  The European Union prohibited RT and Sputnik distribution in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, ending RT en español’s conventional broadcasts in Spain and other EU member states.

  What changed. The service continued its Latin American broadcasting and digital activity while its European television availability was curtailed.

  Aftermath. The channel’s geographic emphasis shifted further toward Latin America and online access outside the EU.

  Source
• 2016Resolve Argentine distribution disputeOther

  Argentina announced a suspension of RT’s signal on its Open Digital Television platform in June 2016, generating competing explanations about the decision.

  What changed. Following a review, an agreement kept RT on the platform and included proposals for programming exchanges, Argentine content distribution in Russia and co-productions.

  Aftermath. The agreement preserved RT’s terrestrial presence in Argentina at that time, although its wider distribution remained subject to political and regulatory conditions.

  Source
• 2014Expand into Argentina’s state digital television platformStrategy

  RT sought broader reach in Latin America, where the region was described as one of its most important areas of influence.

  What changed. The channel entered Argentina’s Open Digital Television grid on 10 October 2014 after a bilateral announcement during Vladimir Putin’s visit to Buenos Aires.

  Aftermath. The carriage increased the service’s terrestrial reach in Argentina but later became the subject of a 2016 suspension, review and subsequent agreement preserving the signal.

  Source

• 2025Chilean scrutiny of Telecanal distributionControversy

  RT en español’s transmission through Telecanal’s Chilean network prompted concerns from the National Television Council about the transparency of the leasing arrangement. The referenced account also reports sanctions connected with two documentaries broadcast through Telecanal.

  Source

• 2022European Union bans RT distribution after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

  The European Union announced restrictions on RT and Sputnik in all languages on 27 February 2022. The measure ended RT en español’s conventional broadcasts in EU member states, including Spain, while Latin American distribution continued.

  Regulation
  Source
• 2016Argentina reviews the continued terrestrial distribution of RT

  Argentina announced a suspension of RT’s signal on its Open Digital Television platform in June 2016, followed by a review and an agreement that preserved the signal while also discussing programming exchange and cooperation.

  RegulationOther
  Source
• 2014RT en español joins Argentina’s Open Digital Television platform

  The Spanish-language RT service entered Argentina’s state-run digital television grid on 10 October 2014, following an announcement during Vladimir Putin’s visit to Buenos Aires.

  Product launch
  Source
• 2009RT en español launches Spanish-language service

  RT en español began broadcasting on 28 December 2009 after plans for a Spanish-language channel had been announced in the preceding years.

  Product launch
  Source

1. RT en Español
2. RT en español official website