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 Prime Minister Viktor Orban's
nationalist government pushed the law through
parliament on Tuesday despite criticism from
rights groups and the European Union, which said
it could result in a loss of development funds
for Hungary.
Orban and his ruling Fidesz party, which faces a
tight election race next April, have
increasingly railed against LGBT+ people and
immigrants as part of their self-styled
illiberal regime, which has deeply divided
Hungarians.
German media giant RTL's Hungarian unit, the
country's top broadcaster by audience, issued a
statement saying it "condemned homophobia... We
worry that the bill gravely harms freedom of
expression, human rights and basic freedoms."
Other major broadcasters including HBO, SPI
International and A+E Networks joined RTL's
statement. An RTL spokesman said it would come
up later with a strategy to deal with the new
legislation.
The law says it aims to "defend the right of
children to an identity that conforms to their
birth gender", and bans content for minors that
"promotes or depicts gender change and
homosexuality". The same rules apply for
advertisements.
It has further highlighted a growing rift in the
EU between socially liberal western nations,
where same-sex marriages are commonplace, and
more conservative ex-communist countries in the
east. Staunchly Catholic Poland has also clashed
with Brussels over its stance on cultural issues
including LGBT+ rights.
RTL said Hungary's new law could provide grounds
for banning family favourites from from prime
time TV because they touch on homosexuality in
some manner.
RESTRICTIONS
"Based on this, works like 'Billy Elliott',
'Philadelphia', 'Bridget Jones' Diary', or even
some Harry Potter films would only be shown late
at night," RTL said. "Series like 'Modern
Family' would be banned, as would some episodes
of 'Friends'."
The law will cause significant harm to the media
business and makes it more difficult for all
Hungarians to access certain kinds of content,
the broadcaster added.
The government and the Fidesz deputy who
submitted the bill did not reply to Reuters'
requests for comment on the possible impact of
the law on programming.
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 Other media companies said in
the statement that they were "stepping up
together to support diversity and against
discrimination of the non-heterosexual
community".
They did not say how they might change their
programming.
In separate emailed comments to Reuters, HBO
owner WarnerMedia said: "We stand against all
forms of homophobia, prejudice or
discrimination. The enduring power of all of our
stories can open our eyes to the world, to each
other and to new and different perspectives."
Viacom and A+E spokesmen did not immediately
reply to Reuters' requests for comment. Global
streaming giant Netflix, which did not join the
protest, did not respond immediately to a
Reuters request for comment.
The Hungarian Association of Advertisers (MRSZ)
also criticised the new law.
"Excluding sexual minorities from mass media
hinders responsible and colourful portrayals of
the world" in line with the values of tolerance
and acceptance," it said in a statement.
RTL morning show anchor Mark Lakatos, who is
openly gay, accused Fidesz of hypocrisy and
joked that he would now "lie every morning"
about being in love with a female colleague.
Critics have drawn a parallel between Hungary's
legislation and Russia's 2013 law that bans
disseminating "propaganda on non-traditional
sexual relations" among young Russians.
In Turkey, radio and television watchdog RTUK
assumed sweeping oversight over online content
two years ago, including streaming platforms
like Netflix and online news outlets, alarming
rights groups who said it could lead to greater
censorship of LGBT+ content.
(Reporting by Marton Dunai @mdunai; Editing by
Gareth Jones)
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