Censorship standoff sparks concerns of Netflixs withdrawal from Turkey – Ahval

Reports that Netflix is scrapping a Turkish series following a stand-off with the Turkish government over a gay character have sparked a discussion on the streaming platforms complete withdrawal from the country.

On Saturday, several Turkish news outlets reported that Netflix was pulling on the plug on teen comedy drama Ak 101 (Love 101) after Turkeys state broadcasting regulator RTK pressed to censor a leading gay character.

The total financial cost of RTKs condemnation of the series that premiered earlier this yearis a whopping 35 million lira ($5.1 million)for the ten-episode season, each episode amounting to 3.5 million lira, Fatih Altayl wrote in column in HaberTrk on Saturday.

From now on, interest in Turkish series and productions will increasingly decline and one considers the shows that these companies will no longer have produced in Turkey, the loss is great, Altayl said.

Television series have become on ofTurkeys mostprestigious exports since the ruling Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2012, with hundreds of series being sold to over 100 countries in Eastern Europe, South America and South Asia and the Middle East. The export of Turkish dramas reached $500 million in 2018, according to A Haber news.

At home, frustration is growing over Ankaras intervention in the entertainment industry. Controlled by allies of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan, RTK has come under fire for turning increasingly conservative under the 18-year rule of his AKP.

Director Ece Yren weighed in on the negotiation breakdown, telling Turkish entertainment website Fasikl on Sunday that it was very scary that the series production was not permitted over a gay character.

The character in question, Osman, engages in no physical acts of intimacy in the show yet the government is still halting production, Yren told Fasikl.

Turkish pop singer Demet Akaln took to Twitter on Sunday to express her dismay at the reports of Netflixs departure from Turkey.

Netflix saved our souls during the quarantine! Whoever doesnt wish to watch it simply wont, Akaln said, referring to the Ak 101. This is no good. Where are we going to watch Netflix now?

Akaln, a pro-government figure, later deleted her tweet saying she was caught up in the moment, and wondered when Netflix would release an official statement on the show to end speculation.

Netflix has yet to release a statement over the series in question.

In 2018, Reed Hastings, the cofounder and CEO of Netflix dismissed concerns of theNetflix being forced out of Turkey over tightening censorship rules at the time.

Were in Saudi Arabia. Were in Pakistan. If there are no problems there, will we have problems in Turkey? I cant imagine that, Hastings told Hrriyet newspaper.

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Censorship standoff sparks concerns of Netflixs withdrawal from Turkey - Ahval