Dozens of radio stations around the world have removed Michael Jackson’s music from their playlists after allegations that the late singer abused children aired on Sunday in the documentary Leaving Neverland.

In New Zealand, the public broadcaster and its major commercial rivals – whose listener base covers more than half the population – united in opting not to play Jackson’s hits.

State-owned RNZ said it applied “editorial judgment” to any music it played, and Jackson did not currently feature. MediaWorks, which owns nine major commercial radio stations, confirmed the artist had been pulled from all playlists at all its stations as “a reflection of our audiences and their preferences”.

Rival NZME followed suit, with director Dean Buchanan saying: “Playlists change from week to week and right now Michael Jackson does not feature on them.”

Earlier, three major Canadian radio stations ditched Jackson’s songs. The owner of the Montreal French-language stations CKOI and Rythme and the English-language The Beat said his music was pulled on Monday morning.

Christine Dicaire, a spokeswoman for media company Cogeco said the move – which also applies to 23 smaller radio stations – was a response to listener reactions to the documentary.

Other major broadcasters, such as the BBC have denied reports that it has banned Jackson, saying each piece of music was considered on their merits by each network.

In New Zealand, it is unclear how long the ban will last. MediaWorks said “we will be guided by our audience” on whether the deletion is permanent. RNZ – which has more than 600,000 listeners a week – said at present the only exception would be if songs were played “as part of a news story or to provide colour around a commentary piece”.

The documentary Leaving Neverland began airing on HBO on Sunday. It details the abuse allegations of two men who had previously denied Jackson molested them and supported him against authorities.

In the four-hour documentary two men accuse Jackson of graphic and extensive sexual abuse, and even participating in a mock marriage to the pop star.

Timeline Michael Jackson child sexual abuse claims Show LAPD investigation After Jordan Chandler makes allegations during a police interview that Jackson has abused him, an investigation begins. Jackson had met the 12-year-old boy the previous year. Barnes and Robson press conference Teenagers Brett Barnes and Wade Robson hold a press conference stating that they had shared a bed with Jackson on multiple occasions, but that nothing sexual had happened. Chandlers sue Jackson A lawsuit from the Chandler family alleges sexual abuse by Jackson and seeks $30m. Jackson video statement Jackson describes being strip-searched and photographed by the LAPD two days earlier as “the most humiliating ordeal of my life”. He states: "I am not guilty of these allegations, but if I am guilty of anything it is of giving all that I have to give to help children all over the world.” Jackson settles lawsuit Jackson settles out of court with the Chandlers for $22m – $15m goes to Jordan Chandler to be held in a trust fund until he turns 18. LAPD investigation fails After two grand juries fail to indict, and Jordan Chandler tells authorities he will not testify in court, the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara district attorneys end their investigation. Scream released The lead single from Jackson’s album HIStory is released. A duet with his sister Janet, the song angrily addresses media coverage of the child sexual abuse allegations against him.

Bashir documentary Jackson discusses regularly having sleepovers with children, including a young cancer patient named Gavin Arvizo, in Living with Michael Jackson – a documentary fronted by the British journalist Martin Bashir. "It's not sexual," said Jackson on-screen. "We’re going to sleep. I tuck them in. It's very charming." The film rekindles police investigations. Police raid and arrest Jackson's Neverland estate is again searched by police, and a week later Jackson is arrested. Jackson charged Michael Jackson is formally charged with committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14. Trial begins During Jackson's trial, Arvizo and his younger brother testify that the singer showed them pornography and made them drink "Jesus juice" – wine. Both say Jackson masturbated in front of them and molested Arvizo on multiple occasions. Blanca Francia, one of Jackson's former housekeepers, testifies she saw Jackson showering with Wade Robson. Witnesses for the defence, including Macaulay Culkin and Robson, say that Jackson never molested them. Not guilty verdict The jury finds Jackson not guilty on all 14 charges brought against him. Jackson dies In the run-up to This Is It, a planned residency at London's O2 Arena, Jackson dies age 50 of a cardiac arrest. Wade Robson sues Wade Robson takes legal action against the Jackson estate, alleging that Michael Jackson molested him over a seven-year period between the ages of seven and 14. James Safechuck sues Safechuck alleges Jackson abused him on more than 100 occasions after the pair met when Safechuck appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside the singer. Leaving Neverland Dan Reed's four-hour documentary Leaving Neverland opens at the Sundance film festival. In it Wade Robson and James Safechuck discuss at length the abuse they claim they suffered at Jackson's hands. It is described as "a public lynching" by Jackson's surviving family. Television screenings Leaving Neverland is shown on the HBO network in the US, with a UK screening on Channel 4 on 6 and 7 March. The Jackson estate sue HBO for $100m, claiming the network is in breach of a non-disparagement clause in a 1992 contract. Radio ban Radio stations around the world, including in New Zealand and Canada, begin to pull Jackson's music from the airwaves.

The singer’s estate has criticised the documentary as “an outrageous and pathetic attempt to exploit and cash in on Michael Jackson” while fans have reportedly levelled threats against the film’s director, the Bafta award winner Dan Reed, as well as death threats at the two men.

In an interview with the London Telegraph, Reed said pop fans needed to reassess if they were comfortable listening to Jackson following the allegations.

“People will have to listen to his music in the knowledge that he was a prolific child rapist. If they’re comfortable doing that, fine. If they’re not, well perhaps listen to something else for a while,” Reed said.

MediaWorks group content director Leon Wratt told Magic FM: “The audience has always been pretty split over Michael … you’ve got 500 songs on a playlist and you have to make the decisions which 500 are the ones people will want to listen to.”

“We [MediaWorks] aren’t deciding whether Michael Jackson is guilty of paedophilia, we’re just making sure our radio stations are going to play the music people want to hear.”

Associated Press contributed to this report