London (CNN Business) WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange hadn't been seen in public for many months before he was arrested and hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday.

It was a moment that global news organizations were desperate to show their audiences. Yet it wasn't captured by leading UK broadcasters like the BBC, Sky News or Independent Television News (ITN).

Instead, the only media organization with video of the controversial moment was an obscure outfit called Ruptly.

Ruptly, which has carved out a niche for itself by recording events around the world and selling the footage to other broadcasters, is a subsidiary of Russian state-backed media outlet RT.

Founded in 2013, the operation is headquartered in Berlin. The footage of Assange may be its biggest moment yet.

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