The only Russian independent TV-channel was taken off air by all satellite and cable providers because of an order from ‘above’.

The TV-channel continues to broadcast online through paid subscriptions.

The goal was to increase the number of channel subscribers.

In 2014 the country’s only independent TV-channel was taken off air by all satellite and cable providers because of an order from ‘above’. The TV-channel, however, hasn’t stopped covering the real state of affairs in Russia. Now one can get an access to truth only through paid subscriptions.

In 2015 Vladimir Putin promised to help the channel ease the censorship burden. He did it again in 2016 and 2017 during his annual press conferences. But the miracle has not happened yet.

A week before the regular press conference-2018 we made his promises true. Everyone could get access to the channel’s broadcast for 24 hours if they demonstrated the president’s portrait to the web camera.

The officials actively used the TV-channel’s new feature too, as they all have the necessary portrait.

A week before the regular Putin`s press conference we launched ‘Putin turns on the Rain’.

The information spread in social networks, blogs; interest to it reached the peak by the time of Putin's press conference. At the press conference, a journalist ‘turned the Rain on’ with the real president’s face.

Everyone could get free access to the TV-channel for 24 hours if they demonstrated the president’s portrait to the web camera. Face recognition technology identified Putin’s face and opened access to the TV-channel’s broadcast.

The project was trending both in press and among ordinary users, as it resulted in lots of posts, memes, reaction videos and photos.

14,520,076 Media impressions.

Conversion rate 16.7% (every sixth person opened the access).

For two weeks only the number of subscribers grew by 3.9 %