The local TV series industry has been on a serious rise in recent years. So, what are the chances of these series gaining a foothold in the global market? For instance, how important are factors like genre conformity, dubbing support, or platform deals? What are your thoughts on this? I think there's hope especially in Latin American and Middle Eastern markets, but what steps should be taken to attract the attention of Western studios? What do you think?
What are the chances of Turkish TV series breaking into the international market?
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In my opinion, the biggest hurdle for local series to break into the international market is pricing and marketing strategies. Honestly, when I went to Spain last year, I saw a group of Latin Americans in a hotel watching Turkish shows, and they were all blown away by the screen. Then I learned that they basically stumbled upon the new markets where some of our Netflix series are airing almost on their own. For example, “Bir Başkadır” got a lot of attention in South America, but it took six months for the local broadcaster to reach out to us.
We also have some gaps in dubbing and subtitles, bro—our standards for Western platforms aren’t solid yet. I was chatting with a kiosk worker in Morocco the other day, and he told me, “I watch a lot of Turkish series,” but it seems we don’t really know how to reach that audience. So I think we need to first find local partners and enter the market through their networks. Seriously, working with local talent in those markets and making our stories more relatable to them wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Man, you’re right—these days Turkish series are really making noise, just like you said. It reminds me of the Netflix series “Dudaktan Kalbe.” Remember how O3 Media’s show started getting a flood of emails from Brazil? After just a few episodes they put it up on the platform completely. Why? The genre match was spot‑on, perfect for melodrama fans. Then they quickly did the dubbing and grabbed serious viewership in the Brazilian market.
But if we want to catch the attention of Western studios, we need to focus on branding. Take the series “Kara Sevda,” for example. After the whole crew—from the writer to the actors—did English press conferences, it landed on Netflix’s radar. Early deals with platforms are crucial; otherwise they don’t even know the value of the product. You’ve got to steal a bit of Hollywood’s playbook, and you need a solid script. In the end, it’s not just about the actors; the story has to be universal.