ISTANBUL/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. online streaming service Netflix (NFLX.O) has applied for a license to continue operating in Turkey under new online broadcasting rules that have raised fears over possible censorship in the future.
Turkey last month granted its radio and television watchdog sweeping oversight over all online content, including streaming platforms and news outlets, a move that raised concerns that the state was tightening its control over the media.
Ebubekir Sahin, president of Turkey’s television watchdog RTUK, announced Netflix’s application on Tuesday, and said on Twitter that over 600 institutions, including local streaming platforms Puhu TV and Blu TV, had also applied for licenses.
As part of obtaining the license, the Los Gatos, California-based subscription streaming service will set up a local entity and pay 0.5% of revenue generated in Turkey to the government. The company pays similar levies in Spain and Italy.
Netflix serves 1.5 million subscribers in Turkey and only reaches about 10% of the country’s broadband households, the company said, making the Turkish market a potentially important and lucrative source of new subscribers as competition mounts.
The company operates one of the world’s largest streaming services and has sustained its position at the top by courting new subscribers outside the United States as its U.S. home market matures.
To date, Turkey has not attempted to censor Netflix content, a source familiar with the matter said.
Turkey’s new regulation stipulates that content providers should get a fresh license to continue operating in Turkey, and comply with RTUK guidelines.
