The Kremlin has decided to remove Russian propagandist Dmitry Kiselyov from the program “Vesti Nedeli” amid falling ratings. The program is to get a new host from early September, while Kiselyov himself is planned to be given another TV project.

This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Censor.NET reports .

According to SZRU, the average rating of “Vesti Nedeli” decreased by 8% over the last TV season. The audience aged 18 to 54 decreased even more noticeably – its share fell by 16.4% compared to the previous year.

The decline also affected other key political programs on Russian television, with their average ratings falling by 8.1% last season.

The audience aged 18–54 has decreased especially sharply: in the program “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin” – by 26.2%, “Weekend Results” on NTV – by 23.9%, “60 Minutes” – by 17.5%, and the Sunday program “Time” – by 15.8%.

The SZRU cites one of the reasons for this dynamic as the psychological fatigue of Russians from years of aggressive television propaganda rhetoric. At the same time, the spread of digital platforms, particularly among the older generation, allows the audience to independently choose their news sources and is gradually depriving Russian television of its information monopoly.

At the same time, according to Ukrainian intelligence, this is not about the complete closure of “Vesti Nedeli”: from September, the program will be hosted by another person, and Kiselyov will receive a new project.

SZRU also reports rumors in the Russian media that the personnel changes may not be limited to this. Kiselyov is allegedly at risk of losing his position as CEO of the Rossiya Segodnya media group. There is currently no official confirmation of this. Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n4022101

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