Business

Turkish production companies had developed TV series in the late ‘90s and 2000’s such as: Deli Yürek, Kurtlar Vadisi, Gümüş, Aşk-I Memnu. For the very first time, a global audience began to recognize what Turkish producers were creating. And then, The Magnificent Century, Muhteşem Yüzyıl, (The Global Agency) a historical fiction Turkish TV series based on the life and reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, and especially on his relationship with Hürrem Sultan, became the flagship of Turkish series on the international scene.

Having been watched by nearly 200 million people all around the world, Muhteşem Yüzyıl had become an international success, particularly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Greece, Macedonia and MENA countries.

This success was followed by İstanbullu Gelin starring by Özcan Deniz and Aslı Enver; Kiralık Aşk starring Elçin Sangu and Barış Arduç; Paramparça starring by Erkan Petekkaya and Nurgül Yeşilçay.

Latin Telenovelas finally had competition! The biggest reason why Turkish TV series could compete with telenovelas, or even replace them, is that they gave the best examples of the “good family content” genre, a true look into families and individuals that the viewer could easily relate to.

“Socio-economic differences between leading roles;” plus “from zero to hero story;” plus “handsome guys and beautiful ladies;” plus “love triangle” plus “magnificent Istanbul views” minus “scenes with nudity or sexuality;” has been a formula for nearly all traditional Turkish series. However, the biggest problem of these internationally appreciated series is that they are not in demand “yet”, especially among the young population in the country.

In my opinion, it is because most of today’s novelas lack authenticity and are filled with relatively bad acting. Without even seeing an episode of a Turkish original, younger viewers are turned off.

With Netflix’s entry into the Turkish market in 2017 and the rise of domestic, local platforms such as Puhu TV and Blu TV, the most successful works of Turkish TV series in the country were produced in these mediums. Online platforms gave full rein to shoot a classic 45-minute series, instead of traditional Turkish soap opera times, that may be well over two hours. Mini-series like Masum, Sıfır Bir, Bozkır have become the favorite of the new generation.

And with Şahsiyet (Persona), Haluk Bilginer won the Best Performance by an Actor at the 47th International Emmy Awards. That truly is saying a lot about our genre.

However, the international adventure of Turkish series has been uncertain recently as the global demand for Turkish dramas seems to have reached saturation. Economic troubles in the Arab market and Latin America have become the biggest obstacle. Additionally, Turkish TV Series are banned in Turkic Republics such as: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, yielding yet another problem. The next two years will show whether the Turkish series will return to the golden age, or if the flat market trend will continue.

Of course, with the world now in a pandemic crisis, all formats, genres and new releases are in a heretofore unknown area. New productions everywhere have been halted for the most part. The lack of in-person showcases, are not, and most likely will not be a part of 2020.

So, the future of Turkish programming is basically in the same boat as Latin programming, or French, or British….what the audience will want tomorrow is anyone’s guess.

What the audience will want today….with all of the time in the world, is “escape”. Our viewing habits have increased. More hours are spent watching programming: original, dubbed and subtitled. Older series are being revisited and often reformatted as well. Subtitles are being added to most content. New markets for Turkish programming, and other programming, are being tested.

I certainly cannot predict the future, but I can tell you that The Kitchen Turkey, along with The Kitchen International, and all of our global locations, are ready. We’re here, open for business, with strict health and sanitary conditions in place for the unforeseeable future.

I had planned on being in the States this past spring, but like most of us, our travel plans have been put aside. It is important for all of us to take a strong stand in fighting this pandemic; in maintaining new precautions in our studios; in adapting to the “new normal”.

By doing so, we will continue to spread the word about Turkish content, while also adapting Latin, Castilian, German, French, Russian, Asian and English shows for the Turkish audience. The goal is to continue to localize all genres and all formats for a diversified audience that continues to grow, and that continues to demand excellence in content.

— By Gunay Goksel, CEO, The Kitchen Turkey