Bolivian company removes teleSUR and Russia TV channels from its lineup

The state-owned National Telecommunications Company (Entel S.A.) of Bolivia announced the removal of international channels teleSUR and Russia TV from its programming lineup, citing "administrative issues," a decision that rekindles the debate over the presence of foreign state media on television in the Andean country.

According to the statement issued by teleSUR, Entel notified its users that starting January 17, 2026, both channels will no longer be available on IPTV fiber optic television services, DTH satellite television, and the Entel TV Smart application. In the statement, the company did not provide further details regarding the specific reasons for this decision.

The decision recalls a similar episode that took place in November 2019, when during the transitional government of Jeanine Áñez, Entel terminated its contract with teleSUR. At that time, the company initially cited “technical issues” and later mentioned a “reorganization of the television lineup,” according to a document signed by the then-national customer manager of Entel and shared on social media.

However, that exit was reversed a year later. In November 2020, under the presidency of Luis Arce, the Bolivian government announced the return of the teleSUR signal, after more than twelve months off the air, as part of a political decision that reaffirmed the multimedia platform promoted by various leftist governments in the region.

So far, Entel, a state-owned company that provides mobile phone services, internet, and television, has not specified whether the exclusion of teleSUR, primarily funded by the Venezuelan regime, and Rusia TV, linked to the Kremlin's media apparatus, will be permanent or if there is a possibility of a future return, as has happened on previous occasions.

The exit of both channels occurs in a regional context characterized by challenges to the role of foreign state media, which are accused of promoting political narratives aligned with authoritarian governments. This adds a political dimension to a decision that, officially, Entel describes solely as "administrative."