Saudi-owned private broadcaster bans Turkish series

A Saudi-owned private television network has stopped showing Turkish programs and shows amid growing tensions between Ankara and some Arab monarchies of the Persian Gulf region.  

A spokesman for the Arab world’s largest private broadcaster, MBC, said on Monday that the decision to pull the plug came into effect at the Dubai-based group on March 2. MBC did not, however, state specifically who was behind the decision.

“There is a decision, which also apparently included several Arab television stations in several countries, including MBC, to stop broadcasting Turkish dramas,” media outlets quoted Mazen Hayek as saying.

The spokesman added that the decision included all kinds of Turkish programs, and immediately affected six shows. It was likely to hit revenues and viewership built up over more than 10 years, he noted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hayek said the ban also opened opportunities for program makers in Arab countries to fill the gap. “This may be an incentive for Arab producers to create high-level Arabic drama that can be a good alternative to those taken off the air.”