Airings on GEM TV ends in Iran

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The channel was known for airing Turkish soap opera ‘The Tulip Age.’

GEM TV, a channel that has been operating from Dubai and broadcasting illegally into Iran, has been taken offline without explanation, according to the New York Times.

 Its website was also down, adding to the mystery. The channel was known for airing Turkish soap opera “The Tulip Age.”

“On Jan. 14, with the Iranian news media silent, wild rumors flew about the causes of the blackout, with some describing a technically complicated government crackdown and others a shrewd plot to get people to subscribe online for a monthly fee,” the U.S. daily reported.

Government behind the events

Many, however, believe the government was behind the move, according to the daily. “The authorities here have fought what they call a ‘cultural invasion’ from the West, starting with the introduction of videotaped Hollywood movies in the 1980s and, more recently, the Internet and dozens of satellite channels based abroad, broadcasting in Persian.”

Iranian police have long attempted to prevent people from using satellites to watch foreign programs – often without success – since the passage of a 1994 law banning the production, sale and assembling of satellite dishes in Iran, the Hürriyet Daily News previously reported. Many Iranians, however, have continued to use illegal satellites to follow their favorite Turkish shows, such as “Aşkı-I Memnu” (Forbidden Love) and “Ezel,” as well as their favorite Turkish stars, including Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, Beren Saat and Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, according to Doğan news agency.