Turkey’s TV watchdog to send warning letters to platforms over channel removal

Meltem Özgenç – ANKARA

Turkey’s TV watchdog will send warning letters to the country’s pay satellite network and TV operators for their removal of seven TV channels known to be close to the Gülen movement.

Turkey’s media watchdog, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), discussed on Oct. 14 the removal decision of four platforms over a prosecutor’s demand without a court ruling.  

RTÜK decided by a majority of votes that the four platforms had violated an article regarding giving service to media service providers under impartial and fair measurements.

TV channels Kanaltürk, Samanyolu TV, Mehtap TV, S Haber, Bugün TV, Yumurcak TV (a children’s TV channel) and Irmak TV, which belong to companies known to be close to the Fethullah Gülen movement, were first removed early October from the country’s leading pay satellite, TV and digital operators Digiturk and Tivibu.

Digitürk said in a statement on its website that they had removed the seven TV channels due to “legal obligations.”

The other two platforms, Kablo TV and Teledünya, also removed the channels on Oct. 12.