Turkish series expand their empire

About 60 series are filmed annually in Türkiye that have made Istanbul and other Turkish cities familiar to viewers in nearly 170 countries around the world.

Over the past 15 years, Türkiye has established itself as the foremost exporter of series after the United States and Britain.

"Latin Americans find Turkish series very close to their culture," said Erdi Işık, development manager at Ay Yapım - Türkiye's leading exporter last year and whose production "Yargı" ("Family Secrets") last November won an International Emmy for best telenovela.

"When I show samples to a panel, even if they don't understand a word of Turkish, they catch what it is about because the family culture is very much the same," he said.

Constraints in Türkiye also provide more modest material, important for audiences in the Middle East and Spanish-speaking countries who are accustomed to watching soap operas as a family.

However, "we think of the Turkish market first," he said, even though "we pick actors that can fit international expectations," citing a list of about 20 actors that appeal to the public outside Türkiye.

"Bitter Lands," another success story, won best telenovela of the year in South America in 2020 with its lead actress likewise crowned.

Long popular in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans, all once ruled by the Ottoman Empire, Turkish series about history, family intrigues and thwarted love stories are now present on every continent, even in the United States where they have captured the Hispanic market.

"They are now broadcast in prime-time in Spain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt," said Xavier Rambert, head of research and marketing at Glance, an audience measurement company in London, who praises the "effectiveness"...