Netflix Warned By Gulf Nations Over Violating 'Islamic And Societal Values': Take Down Content Or Face 'Legal Measures'

Gulf Arab states have asked U.S. streaming giant Netflix Inc (NASDAQ: NFLX) to remove content deemed offensive to "Islamic and societal values" in the region. 

What Happened: Saudi Arabia's media regulator, in a statement, on Tuesday, asked Nextflix to take down the content that violated media regulations in the Gulf Cooperation Council — a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union comprising Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.

An email sent to Netflix by Benzinga seeking comment didn't elicit any response until the time of publishing this story.

Though the General Commission for Audiovisual Media in Saudi Arabia did not specify the material which violated the rules, it mentioned that it included children’s content.

بيان مشترك بين الهيئة العامة للإعلام #المرئي_والمسموع، ولجنة مسؤولي الإعلام الإلكتروني بدول مجلس التعاون، حول التوجيه بإزالة منصة نتفلكس "Netflix" للمحتوى المخالف. pic.twitter.com/bAm7xy1LLd

— الهيئة العامة للإعلام المرئي والمسموع (@gcamsa) September 6, 2022

Meanwhile, Riyadh’s state-run Al Ekhbariya TV, in a program discussing the Nextflix issue, showed blurred-out animation clips that appeared to show two girls embracing, Reuters reported.

The media watchdog has warned Netflix to pull the content or face "necessary legal measures", without elaborating on what it was considering. 

On Tuesday, UAE also issued a similarly worded statement on Netflix’s content. The government said it would follow up on what the platform broadcasts in the coming days and "assess its commitment to broadcasting controls."

The joint statement by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) and the Media Regulatory Office on the offensive content on Netflix platform #Netflix #TDRAUAE @tdrauae @uaemro pic.twitter.com/6pcE8cn8zj

— تدرا � TDRA (@tdrauae) September 7, 2022

Price Action: Netflix shares closed 3.41% lower on Tuesday, as per data from Benzinga Pro.