Netflix has issued a statement denying rumours circulating in social media that it plans to cease operations in Turkey.
Quoting the statement, Sabah reports that the service remains “committed to its Turkish members and creative community. We are proud of the talent we work with. We are very excited for projects both in production and scheduled to soon begin shooting and are looking forward to sharing these stories with our members all across the world”.
Sabah adds that Netflix has come under pressure following plans to launch a TV series that would have included a gay character among the main roles. It was removed following a request by the regulatory authority RTÜK.
The statement by Netflix came after Turkey’s ruling party AKP also dismissed the rumours. At the same time, it denied that Netflix has met with the authorities either at the political or state level.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times, quoting a source familiar with the dispute, reports that Netflix has decided to cancel the entire production rather than write out the gay character. It adds that Netflix had 1.5 million subscribers in Turkey at the end of 2019 and the production in question If Only was one of three new original series commissioned this year.
Financial Times also says that Netflix has since 2015 also withdrawn titles under government pressure in Germany, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.