Booming Turkish TV drama industry captures hearts and minds worldwide and boosts tourism

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ISTANBUL (AP) — Under Turkey’s blazing sun, tourists stroll through clusters of Ottoman and Byzantine-era castles, snap selfies with actors in traditional Ottoman costumes and watch acrobatic performances on horseback. Among them is Ria Toivanen, 22, a diehard fan of Turkish TV dramas who traveled to Istanbul from Finland with her mother to immerse herself in the world of her favorite shows.

About 8,000 miles (12,800 kilometers) away, in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina, retired teacher Raquel Greco, 66, watches an episode of a Turkish romantic comedy, surrounded by mementos from her unique trip to Istanbul, where she visited landmarks she knew from years of watching Turkish shows.

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“It felt like I was dreaming,” she said of her visit in April this year. “I couldn’t believe I was living what I saw every day in the series.”

The global popularity of Turkish TV series – or dizi in Turkish – has propelled Turkey into a leading position in television exports, greatly enhancing the country’s international image and attracting millions of viewers and tourists around the world to the historical and cultural sites that form the backdrops for many of the shows.

Experts say the success of the TV shows has created a thriving billion-dollar industry that continues to expand into new markets. The popularity of these shows also boosts Turkey’s soft power on a global scale.

Global demand for Turkish TV series increased by 184% between 2020 and 2023, making Turkey one of the largest TV show exporters in the world, according to research firm Parrot Analytics.

“We reach more than 400 million viewers every night around the world. The soft power we create through Turkish dramas cannot be compared to what can be done in politics,” said Izit Pinto, CEO of Global Agency, which exports Turkish dramas to global markets.

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Although Daily Yürek was the first Turkish series to be exported to Kazakhstan in 2001, it was the 2005 romantic series Gümüş that catapulted Turkish soap operas to international fame. The series, which revolves around a woman from a traditional background adapting to urban life, gained immense popularity in the Middle East.

The 2006 romantic drama “One Thousand and One Nights,” based on a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales and set in modern-day Istanbul, captured the attention of audiences in the Balkans, and “The Magnificent Century,” based on the 16th-century Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, paved the way for historical fiction.

Once an importer of Latin American TV series, Turkey is now exporting its own dramas to the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro visited the set of the historical drama “Diriliş: Ertuğrul” in 2018, highlighting the appeal of TV series in his country.

Hali Oganadi, founder of the Turkish TV series lovers platform Dizila, says the popularity of the dramas comes from their themes that focus on family, friendship and love, often set against the backdrop of Istanbul’s luxurious lifestyles or Turkey’s rich history.

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“They offer something for everyone, no matter where you come from. When I watch Turkish dramas, I see reflections of my mother, myself, and my siblings,” Oganadi said.

Her platform receives about 1.5 million viewers per month, and she has fans from the United States, Canada, Greece, India and Pakistan.

Pinto points to the family nature of Turkish drama. “There is no nudity, no swearing or bad words, and not much hatred. So this series is suitable for family viewing,” he explains.

As the industry grows, it is expanding the subject matter of its series, such as “Red Roses,” which explores the dynamics between a hardline, Western-oriented secular family and a fictional Islamist Brotherhood.

During the break in filming, actor Ozcan Deniz, who has previously starred in series such as “The Vineyard Palace” and “The Bride of Istanbul,” said that this diversity was necessary if the industry was to thrive.

“Countries that have not been able to shift to a different type of series are now falling behind in exporting series,” Deniz said. “Turkey has seized this momentum now, but if it cannot diversify its production, if it cannot tell different stories, it will end up somewhere.”

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Tovanin and her mother were touring the Bozdağ Film Studios, a massive complex in northern Istanbul where major Ottoman-era historical films such as “Diriliş: Ertuğrul” and “Kurulus Osman” were filmed.

Toivanen says her love of romantic dramas “Black Money Love” and “Endless Love” is what brought her to Istanbul. “I love Turkish culture very much. The series are very friendly and warm, and there is a lot of drama,” she said.

Producer and screenwriter Mehmet Bozdağ, who produced the popular historical drama depicting the lives of Ottoman leaders and heroes, said the first episode of “Diriliş: Ertuğrul” had more than 157 million views on Turkish Radio and Television Corporation’s Urdu-language YouTube channel. He added that “Kurulus: Osman” had been broadcast in more than 110 countries.

During its run, “Diriliş: Ertuğrul” reached the fourth place as the most in-demand show worldwide in May 2020, with demand more than 68 times the average show worldwide, according to Parrot Analytics.

The industry generated $1 billion in foreign exports in 2023 and has an important impact on tourism, especially in Istanbul, said Dr. Deniz Gürgen Atalay, assistant professor of cinema and television at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul.

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“The TV series sector has a big share in this. The image of Istanbul that the series presents, the food that is eaten here, the drinks that are drunk, the music that is listened to, the living standards, the culture here provide a very interesting place to appreciate within the framework of the series,” Atalay said.

Mert Yazicioglu, one of the stars of “Red Roses,” which is set to premiere its second season in late September, was dressed as his character, a member of an Islamic sect, when he took a break from filming to chat.

The series has catapulted the quiet 31-year-old actor to stardom, with Turkish media following his every move.

“We have introduced Turkish culture abroad. This makes us very happy,” he said, wearing baggy beige trousers and a matching jacket.

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Associated Press journalists Hernan Munoz in Barcelona, ​​Spain, Mario Tizon in Los Cocos, Argentina, Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Khalil Hamra and Mehmet Guzel in Istanbul, Turkey, contributed to this report.

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