International online broadcasters Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have obtained licenses in Turkey to comply with the new rules, the head of Turkey’s Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) announced Thursday.
“Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, just like their domestic examples, received licenses from RTÜK,” Ebubekir Şahin said on Twitter.
Şahin in September said over 600 institutions, including local streaming platforms Puhu TV and Blu TV, had also applied for licenses.
Among other online broadcasters that completed applications and received the 10-year licenses are Fizy, TV8, Diyanet TV and Powerapp Music, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported Thursday.
The online content providers are required to obtain a fresh license to continue broadcasting in the country and comply with the RTÜK guideline, according to Turkey’s new regulation.
If they do not respect the guidelines, they will be given 30 days to change their content or face having their licenses suspended for three months and later canceled.
The legislation in August 2019 gives RTÜK the authority to regulate online radio, television and on-demand broadcasting in Turkey.
The RTÜK last month issued a warning to four broadcasters, including Spotify, to comply with new rules and complete their licensing process in order to continue activities in the country.
Otherwise, the RTÜK said it would file a criminal complaint against the companies and apply to a penal judgeship of peace for an order to block access.
