Sky TV says it has dropped Russia Today (RT), a Russian government-funded 24-hour news channel. 

The move followed a number of viewer complaints to the Broadcasting Standards Authority, Sky corporate affairs chief Chris Major said. 

"As a responsible broadcaster, we take great care to ensure we comply with the Code of Broadcasting Standards," Major said. 

"We have had ongoing dialogue with the BSA over the past few days, and have received complaints from a number of customers. 

"The BSA has also warned all broadcasters of the need for particular care when reporting on crises. 

"As we have no editorial control over RT, we have taken the step of suspending the broadcast of RT while we continue to assess the news content against the New Zealand broadcasting standards." 

Australian pay-TV provider Foxtel abruptly pulled RT off air on Saturday evening, citing concerns over its content. 

A second Australian broadcaster, SBS, had already removed RT from its lineup. 

In the UK, there have been calls for RT to have its broadcasting licence revoked after the channel, which refers to the invasion by Russian leader Vladimir Putin's favoured terms of a "special military operation". 

Instead of seizing territory from another nation, viewers were told that troops were trying to "liberate" land from Ukraine on behalf of two Russian-backed breakaway states. 

But Kevin Bakhurst, content head at industry regulator Ofcom, said although RT was state-funded, there was no "substantial evidence" its news coverage was directed by the Kremlin.