A US broadcaster is also apparently affected. Although there has been no official statement from the Turkish authorities so far, foreign media have been threatened with a ban for a long time.
In Turkey, there have been problems accessing the Deutsche Welle (DW) website. According to several unconfirmed reports, the US foreign broadcaster Voice of America was also affected.
The background was initially unclear. There was initially no official statement from the broadcasters concerned or from the Turkish authorities.
The German foreign broadcaster and other foreign media have been threatened with a blocking of their online programs in Turkey since February. The Turkish Broadcasting Authority (RTÜK) had officially asked broadcasters to apply for a license for on-demand offers. Deutsche Welle then announced that it would take legal action against it.
The request to apply for a license is based on a regulation that came into force in 2019. The Islamic conservative government has introduced far-reaching controls over Internet platforms that distribute films, videos or radio content. Representatives close to the government have a majority in the RTÜK body.
Turkish media are largely under the direct or indirect control of the Islamic conservative government, and content on the Internet is also subject to strict regulation.
