The studios of Media Most’s NTV+ were ‘occupied’ by members of Russia’s tax police on May 16, and just four days after President Putin was elected. The timing was unfortunate as NTV, and its chairman, Vladimir Gusinsky was occupied elsewhere (in Israel) and had evidently planned on spending the weekend watching the launch of Eutelsat W4 to 36 degrees East, which will carry his digital broadcasting platform over most of Russia’s time zones. NTV, as a channel, provides the main competition to Russia’s state-backed ORT networks and the two outfits are arch-rivals.