RTÜK fines Netflix, Spotify over TV series, podcasts

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The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) fined Netflix and Spotify, as well as three national TV outlets at its weekly meeting yesterday (August 17).

The council found that the animated series "Jurassic Park Camp Cretaceous," which it previously asked Netflix to remove because of LGBTI+ characters, was against its broadcasting principles.

The scenes where "two girls were kissing each other" violated the "principle of the protection of general morality and family," it concluded.

Netflix describing the series as "series that can be watched with family" was misleading and could expose children to inappropriate content, it also noted.

The Minister of Family and Social Services had filed a complaint with the council against the series.

Spotify

The council decided that Spotify should remove playlists and content containing insults against the president, political party leaders and other state officials, propaganda of the "Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ)."

Earlier this month, İstanbul prosecutors opened an investigation into Spotify over the names of some playlists created by users following complaints.

Names of some of the playlists that were reported are "The songs that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan listens to while drinking raki," "The songs that Allah was listening to when he expelled Adam from paradise," "The Devlet Bahçeli Concept Hotel," and "The songs that Hz. Ali was listening while weaving in and out."

TV outlets

The council fined two pro-opposition TV channels, TELE1 and Halk TV, for "unearned income" because of collecting donations, and "insulting national and spiritual values, the president, the interior minister and ministry officials," respectively.

Considering a complaint by the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the council also fined Habertürk because of Prof. Celal Şengör's remarks during a program on Habertürk, which it said contained insults against religious values. (HA/VK)