ttv ©2015
PRESIDENT/CEO Sebastian Lateulade - slateulade@todotv.tv EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Soledad Saldías - ssaldias@todotv.tv PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Sebastián Amoroso - samoroso@todotv.tv EDITOR IN CHIEF Rodrigo Ros - rros@todotv.tv EDITORS Carolina Mussio - cmussio@todotv.tv Luis Cabrera - lcabrera@todotv.tv Gonzalo Larrea - glarrea@todotv.tv Valentina Vinaja - vvinaja@todotv.tv Sofía Vanoli - svanoli@todotv.tv ARGENTINA Marina del Rivero BRAzIL Sebastián Torterola DATA AND RESEARCH Fernando Moreno - fmoreno@todotv.tv Luisina Castro - lcastro@todotv.tv VISUAL CONTENT EDITOR Mauricio Plada - mplada@todotv.tv SALES AND PRODUCTION MANAGER Darío Alemán - daleman@todotv.tv SALES MANAGER Mónica Iriarte - miriarte@todotv.tv
Contents Special Reports TURKEY’S RISE AS A TV POWERHOUSE
THE NEW DRAMA EMPIRE
TURKEY COUNTRY OF HONOR
THE CROWNING OF THE ‘DIZI’
THE CONQUERING OF LATIN AMERICA
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP
HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Alejandro Sánchez - asanchez@todotv.tv WEBMASTER Nazario Pereira - n.pereira@todotv.tv FINANCE MANAGER Cr. Michel Schwartz - mschwartz@todotv.tv ADMINISTRATION Ana Paula Carreira - acarreira@todotv.tv Valeria Morena - morena@todotv.tv ART AND DESIGN UNIK Media Solutions - info@unikbureau.com www.unikbureau.com
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HEADQUARTERS Aguada Park Paraguay 2141 Of. 401, Montevideo - Uruguay CP 11800 Tel./Fax: (598) 2927 2510 / 2511 / 2513 ttvTurkey is a monthly publication owned by TodotvMedia. Its distribution is free of charge. The articles reflect the opinions of the individual authors on the topics covered, without implying editorial control or endorsement of the content by the management and ownership of the magazine. For all purposes, the advertisements and their content are the sole responsibility of the advertiser. Reproduction in whole or in part, in electronic or print form, of the content of this publication, without express written permission of TodotvMedia is strictly prohibited.
todotvmedia
Executives
Articles
Speaks Every Language
Ay Yapim The Turkish House of Ideas
Kerim Emrah Turna, Head of Sales, Americas - Kanal D
Here For the Long Run
Mehmet Demirhan, Deputy Head of TV Department, Acquisitions, Sales and Co-Productions - TRT-Turkish Radio & Television Corporation
Leading the Charge Can Okan, CEO and President - ITV Inter Medya
Trust Your Audience
Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director - Eccho Rights
Big Dreams for Little Viewers
Ayşe Şule Bilgiç, President/CEO - Düsyeri Animation Company
Above all Expectations
Besir Tatli, General Manager - Calinos Entertainment
Blessed With the Strategic Touch
Ziyad Varol, Digital and Licensing Manager - ATV
The Writer’s Room Turkey’s Unsung Heroes
turkish news
ttvTurkey | NEWS PAY TV
Guc Digital Launched Film Channels for Teledunya Since June, Guc Digital offers 4 HD channels under the Vizioon Premier and Vizioon Family Aile brands, along with their time-shifted multiplex channels, through the Vizioon Cinema Package on Teledunya. Vizioon Premier HD and Vizioon Family HD channels offer current titles, library features, TV movies, kids programming and series from major studios and independent distributors. The channels are available in Turkish, dubbed and subtitled versions along with those in the original language. “Movies are one of the driving content in the pay TV world so we are very excited to launch the channels which offer a wide variety of film entertainment every day,” said Bulent Turan, President of Guc Digital.
Bulent Turan, President - Guc Digital
EXECUTIVES
AMAC EROL US JOINS FREMANTLEMEDIA ACQUISITION
BeIN Sports Acquires Digiturk
In December, 2014, in what was the largest media operation in Turkey’s history, the sports arm of Al Jazeera acquired 53% of the Turkish DTH operator. Later this year, the company got hold of the remaining 47%, which was in the hands of American group Providence Equity Partners, for a number between US$ 1 and US$ 1.2 billion. The Qatari company beat Dogan Holding, one of Turkey’s largest media groups, which had offered US$ 742 million for the remaining shares. The whole of the company, along with its many operations and multitude of channels, are now in hands of BeIN Sports.
CO-PRODUCTION
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Turkey and Mexico Join Forces A large number of Turkish productions are cruising around the globe, captivating large audiences. And Turkey has been named Mipcom’s Country of Honor, following in Mexico’s footstep. Both countries have participated in a forum during the past edition of Guanajuato’s film festival, which aims to promote joint productions of TV programming. The event was attended by executives, and TV and film producers from both countries, who discussed the problems, solutions and achievements from both industries. The forum was followed by the announcement that both countries will be producing their first movie together, directed by Carlos Jaime.
The executive is now FremantleMedia International’s new Dubai-based Sales Director. Reporting into Anahita Kheder, SVP of Middle East, Africa and South Eastern Europe, US, he will be responsible for exploring tape distribution and format growth opportunities with both existing clients and new emerging targets across the Middle East, Africa, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and Turkey. He will also strongly focus on scripted content distribution and develop synergies in the scripted space between the regional markets.
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Speaks Every Language Time Goes By / Drama
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Kerim Emrah Turna,
As part of the largest media group in the country, Kanal D has played a key role in Turkey’s booming TV industry, producing some of its most internationally successful dramas, adapted and translated into several languages to suit all audiences. “Every era has a different trend, but I guess we have proved ourselves with the quality of our productions and we will remain watching Turkish dramas worldwide in the long run as well,” says Kerim Emrah Turna.
Head of Sales, Americas - Kanal D
By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv / @luis_cabreram
“The Turkish TV market is very competitive and has a certain size, and every player would like to have a bigger slice from this cake”
aving conquered audiences in the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, Turkish dramas continue to spread across the globe, finding great success in Asia, Latin America and even Africa. And with Turkey recently being named the Mipcom 2015 Country of Honor, it seems as if the golden age of Turkish drama is only just beginning.
H
In the frontline of Turkish TV content’s worldwide boom is Kanal D, the leading free-to-air mainstream entertainment channel, operated by DTVH, a subsidiary of Dogan Holding, one of the major conglomerate companies in the country.
Kanal D is the channel that airs the most Turkish dramas and entertainment programs during primetime. With such a strong pedigree, it’s no surprise that it’s also one of the key Turkish content distributors in the international TV market. As it happened to its peers, the last ten years have been extremely positive for Kanal D’s distribution business. “CEE, MENA and Central Asia have always been our core markets,” explains Kerim Emrah Turna, Head of Sales, Americas at Kanal D. “This year the Americas turned into one of our core markets. We are deepening our relations in Sub Saharan Africa and Far Eastern markets.”
In an interview with ttv, the executive shares the details behind Kanal D’s success over the past ten years, as well as his outlook on the local TV market, how its high-quality productions are prepared for the different territories and why they’re so successful. What elements would you say have come together to create the present local and international success of Turkish dramas? There are of course lots of different elements, but I would mainly describe it as the passion for creating the best content. The Turkish TV market is very competitive and has a certain size, and every player would like to have a bigger slice from this cake. Another possible important element would be the geographical location of Turkey that results in hundreds of different cultures that lead us to have different stories from different perspectives. The issues in our dramas are very global in most of the cases. What is your take on the short and long term repercussions of this phenomenon? Every era has a different trend but I guess we have proven ourselves with the quality of our productions, and we will remain watching Turkish dramas worldwide in the long run as well. Do you think the new rating system will have some sort of repercussion on the drama productions? The new rating system has changed the decision making process of the industry. The profits of all major players have declined. We have already been seeing this difference with even more longer products in comparison to 4-5 years ago, but more importantly with the new rating system the target audience in Turkey has changed and these leads to a totally new structured drama. What can you tell us about the other genres? How they faring locally and what are their projections internationally? Drama series in all major broadcasters are still dominating the market but we can say that there has been a rise of thematic channels. Besides this, we see more and more scripted and non-scripted formats on all TV channels. However, an important part of them are acquired shows from the international market.
& Far Eastern clients will meet with our global hits such as, ‘Fatmagul’, ‘Forbidden Love’, ‘Time goes by’, ‘Kuzey Guney’ and many more. ‘Fatmagul’ has been a huge success around the world, did it surprise you? Which one of your titles do you see following ‘Fatmagul’s steps? None of our titles’ global success is a surprise for us. ‘Matter of Respect’, ‘War of the Roses’ and ‘For my Son’ will be the next big hits as we expect. Kanal D has been dubbing its productions to different languages; do you do this inhouse? Do you also adapt the length of the episodes for the international markets? We dub some of our productions for specific markets such as Africa where there is a need for different languages like English, French and Portuguese. We work with professional partners with global proven success. We have recently begun adapting the length of some of the productions for the international markets. Can you share details of any deals recently closed by the company? ‘Fatmagul’ and ‘Kuzey Guney’ have been sold to Azteca in Mexico. This is one of the most important recent deals. Besides that we have recently closed a package deal with a huge media group for six Central American countries. What does it mean for the company to have Turkey highlighted at this year’s Mipcom? What type of unique opportunities does it present? Besides being Turkey’s biggest media group, Kanal D has been the main actor in the worldwide success of the Turkish dramas. Our huge catalogue has been sold to more than 300 different clients in 130 countries. This actually means a lot for Kanal D since we are sharing the biggest part in this honor. ttv
Gümüs / Drama
“We have Arabic versions of our content, French versions, English ones, Latin ones, maybe soon even Portuguese ones. We are really happy to reach different parts of the world.”
IN NUMBERS: KANAL D DRAMAS’ SUCCESS 96 COUNTRIES and all continents have bought Kanal D’s content.
100 MILLION VIEWERS follow the
channel’s dramas, with audiences reaching records across Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Euro Asia.
41 TERRITORIES have acquired ‘Kuzey Guney’, while ‘Time Goes By’ is close behind, having been sold to 34 countries. 2006 was the year in which ‘Gümüs’
was first sold internationally. Many mark that date as the beginning of the current international Turkish drama phenomenon. The series was sold by Kanal D to 58 territories.
8 SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRIES
have acquired ‘Fatmagul’. The drama has been sold to 53 territories.
* All the numbers where provided by DTHV in May 2015
“Because of the production values and ongoing business in Turkey, as well as the competition, we continue to produce and produce.”
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What titles would you highlight from the catalogue you are taking to Mipcom? We have different target titles for different markets. In America we will be highlighting titles such as ‘For my son’, ‘War of the roses’ and ‘Matter of Respect’. In Europe and the Middle East, ‘Sunshine Girls’, ‘Story of Summer’ and ‘Love & Sin’ will be the highlighted titles. The African
Kuzey Guney / Drama
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Here For the Long Run To understand Turkey’s TV ecosystem is to learn about TRT. The state-run corporation was the country’s first TV channel. Today, TRT owns a network of 14 TV channels and its footprint expanded onto the international market. “We’d like to be on stage for long and our investing strategy aims at securing this long-lasting presence in global markets,” says Mehmet Demirhan. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv / @luis_cabreram
Filinta / Drama
Mehmet Demirhan,
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Deputy Head of TV Department, Acquisitions, Sales and Co-Productions - TRT-Turkish Radio & Television Corporation
I
t was 47 years ago that TRT planted the seed to what is a powerful industry, wholly worthy of the mantle of ‘Country of Honor’ at Mipcom 2015. The clip of the historical first broadcast on Turkish television has been lost to time, but that day in 1968, TRT launched itself at the front of the TV industry in Turkey. TRT has been in business for 51 years and time has seen it grow to own a network of 14 TV channels, among them, their flagship TRT1, TRT Kids, the country’s Nº1 kid’s channel and the recently launched TRT World, among many others. TRT produces its own dramas -in 2014, only 6% were acquisitions- and some of its projects can only be described as extremely ambitious. “We invest in new, inexperienced, but talented producers who had innovative projects,” says Mehmet Demirhan, Deputy Head of TV Department, Acquisitions, Sales and Co-Productions at TRT. “We had amazing results, and
now we have wonderful shows like ‘Resurrection’ and ‘Filinta’.” With that mentality, Turkish dramas’ success comes at the perfect time for TRT’s global goals: “TRT has a strong production capacity which makes its catalogue expand on each market. TRT in that sense is a marathon runner. We’d like to be on stage for long, and our investing strategy aims at securing this long-lasting presence in global markets. We consider that TRT shall play a key role in providing sustainability of the interest for Turkish content worldwide,” says debería decir Demirahn. What has made Turkey so attractive as a TV producer? We have a centuries-old existence in our geography. We have a great and unexplored treasure of stories originating from our history and our own experience of modernity. We have a young and dynamic population who is talented and with knowhow. Our industry is based on content and making the difference. Content is king. All stories are the
same, but the way you tell them is different. The Turkish industry is able to tell local stories in a universal language.
to crime. The movies are made for TV but the production quality is cinematic and the casting includes major Turkish celebrities.
International co-productions are one of the strongest trends around the world, what has TRT’s experience been in this area? We are already involved in local and international co-productions. We strongly support the Turkish film industry by being involved in the projects as co-producer. On the other hand, we started to co-produce international feature films and documentaries. Our talks continue with possible partners for drama co-production. Of course, documentary and animation are also open realms to discuss co-production. Indeed, we consider co-productions as a road to walk, and we see great value in doing so to make TRT’s brand worldwide.
‘Resurrection: Ertrugul’ and Filinta’ had a good reception in the Middle East and Central Asia. Have you closed any new deals in those territories? We are bringing to Mipcom the second seasons of both shows. ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’ has been the number one drama and winner of the Wednesday Primetime in Turkey from its first episode. We licensed it to many countries and new territories are underway. ‘Filinta’ is also well received abroad, and we believe that we shall reach a good number of countries for both.
What can you share about the TRT TV Movies Project? We add up a new concept to the globally-demanded Turkish drama. We will present over 30 TV movies produced under the TRT TV Movies Project. We have prepared a separate catalogue to highlight this new content. We are ready to bring this exciting project to the attention of our partners. TRT TV Movies presents universal stories to its worldwide audience with a variety of genres ranging from comedy to drama and sports
What other titles would you highlight from your catalogue? We have ‘What Happens to My Family’, our new family drama on Sunday Primetime. It’s an adaptation of a successful Korean scripted format. It has great chemistry and magic blending drama with romance. We are also presenting two new miniseries and more than 30 TV movies. ‘Seddu’l-Bahir 32 hours’ is a historical miniseries showing 32 hours in the Sedd’ul-Bahir front during the Gallipoli Wars. ‘The Century Old Seal’ is another historical drama of 15 episodes that brings to the screen the stories of heroes in Gallipoli. Both have high production values. We also have a strong and
renewed line-up of documentaries and fantastic animation shows. Can you share details of any deals recently closed by the company? Most recently we closed deals in territories like Latin America, Indonesia, Pakistan, Macedonia, Albania, Kazakhstan, and India. We have ongoing negotiations for Malaysia, Thailand, Iran and Indonesia. We have interest from some central European countries for scripted format rights. ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’ is our most wanted drama. ‘Filinta’ is doing well too. Thanks to our new sales strategy and also our successful shows, our library titles are getting more attention as well. As we have a wide range of content, we closed documentary and animation deals recently in different territories. ttv
“We’d like to be on stage for long, and our investing strategy aims at securing this long-lasting presence in global markets. We consider that TRT shall play a key role in providing sustainability of the interest for Turkish content worldwide.” TRT MEETS THE WORLD
“Why TRT World? Because we believe we can contribute to global issues with a peculiar global perspective.”
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The state-run television channel launched last month its English news service, TRT World. “TRT World will be a channel that transmits Turkey’s messages to the whole world,” said Yalcin Akdogan, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister, who spoke at the launch ceremony. The objective of TRT World is to be a global news channel like CNN International or BBC World. Towards that end, TRT recruited professionals from over 40 countries. “Why TRT World? Because we believe we can contribute to global issues with a peculiar global perspective,” says Demirhan. “TRT World’s vision is to be a catalyst for positive change. Its mission is to expand understanding, challenge assumptions, encourage debate and influence positive behavior. “TRT World headquarters are based in the multicultural and intercontinental Istanbul. Diversity is our strength. Our staff comes from all backgrounds and races from all across the globe, together our aspirations and inspirations meet at TRT World. We believe in a better world!”
ttvTurkey | TURKEY’S RISE AS A TV POWERHOUSE
The New Drama
Empire
From just a few local channels to a national TV ecosystem with more than 678 options, the path to Turkey’s rise as a global TV empire started locally. A highly competitive local market demanded high quality production, the kind that would later travel across borders and has, for the last ten years, shaken the international market to its core.
By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv / @luis_cabreram
T
he turning point came in the last decade. Not everyone agrees on exactly when it happened, but most look at 2006 as the year when things started changing for Turkey’s TV industry. That was the year that ‘Gümüs’ made its international debut in Arab broadcaster MBC. Kanal D sold the series for an irrelevant sum, as unaware as everyone else of what would happen once the show, renamed ‘Noor’, hit the air. The Arab world loved ‘Gümüs’ and more 85 million viewers tuned in to watch the end of the Şadoğlu’s love story.
“The initial flames for Turkish content started from MENA and Balkans, then Ex-Yugoslavian countries followed,” remembers Ziyad Varol, Digital and Licensing Manager at ATV. “It took a while for the global audience to engage with Turkish content and with the aid of the internet, it has reached different regions. We
“During the past six years Turkey became a world class player in the global television ecosystem,” adds Besir Tatli, General Manager of distributor Calinos Entertainment. “Since 2009 it’s seen a steady growth and the demand reached its highest point in 2014.” Turkish TV drama closed 2013 with more than US$ 200 million in exportation sales. That figure is forecast to climb to US$ 1 billion by 2023. The Middle East continues to be its biggest buyer, but now Turkish content is travelling to places as diverse as the Balkans, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia, Latin America, the North of Africa and India. The numbers are mind-blowing, especially if they’re compared with just 15 or 20 years ago, when the TV industry in Turkey was lacking in many aspects. FROM THEN TO NOW. A highly competed local market, where many channels fight for the attention of a universe of 76 million people, half of them under the age of 30, has paved the way for the international success
of its local productions. However, before this happened, Turkey lived under a very different system. “In the past, the Turkish society was obliged to be contented with only one channel for a long period,” says İbrahim Çağlar, President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İstanbul Ticaret Odasi or ITO, in Turkish). However, a few years ago, after a revolution that allowed private entities to offer their own channels, the potential really started to become noticeable. From just a few state channels, Turkey now has a dozen, in addition to over 50 private channels, all currently evolving towards new technologies and platforms. In total, Turkey has 678 TV channels that broadcast locally, nationally and regionally. “People are enjoying the alternative programming that is being offered now by a liberal broadcasting system. After the 1990s with new broadcasting system Turkish TV audiences started pushing TV content forward,” Çağlar adds. That fierce competition has improved the quality of local productions in a way that has reinvigorated every area of the industry,
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Almost ten years later, Mehmet and Gümüs’ tale has been sold in 58 territories. And they haven’t travelled alone. Countries in the Middle East and the Balkans were among the first ones to demand more Turkish content. Today, every continent has caught up with them.
have even succeeded in the regions where we were more skeptical. Now, market conditions are fair for Turkish content and it’s much easier for us to promote our titles.”
ttvTurkey | TURKEY’S RISE AS A TV POWERHOUSE with actors, actresses, directors and writers popping up all over the country, and bringing the best of each other to land the highly sought-after roles. This growth was backed by a flourishing economy in Turkey, the 16th most important in the world and 6th most powerful in Europe, with an average GDP growth of 5% over the past decade. This growth is noticeable in many aspects, including the multiplying number of broadband subscribers that currently surpass 40 million, growing from just 6 million in 2008.
MR. İBRAHIM ÇAĞLAR Q&A with the President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce
Has Turkish TV content’s excellent results all around the world paved the way for other products? The increasing demand for Turkish TV content in the international level led to a high demand for Turkey’s international trade as well, because the content not only has commercial potential for its own field but also has a strategic importance for other fields of trade. Can you give us an example? The newfound popularity of Turkish content in the media has had a positive effect on the country’s tourism and fashion trades. The amount of tourists visiting Turkey has grown since Turkey started exporting TV series. Fans of Turkish TV series visit Turkey to have a tour around their favorite shows’ filming sets. Places, towns, regions, districts where TV series are shot have become the favorite stops for domestic and international tourism.
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What percentage of the ad revenue goes to the TV channels? Has that number changed significantly during the last decade? Total investment for advertising in Turkey was US$ 990 million in 2013 and 52% of this sum was spent on TV advertisements. Advertising expenditures for TV have shown an increasing trend, and in the first half of 2014 advertising expenditures increased by 2.7% compared to the same period in 2013. Turkish series’ high popularity has also increased the share of commercials in TV channels. What can we expect in the future? Generally speaking, Turkey’s advertising market recovered quickly after the 2009 downturn and continued its healthy pace of growth, largely (though not entirely) unaffected by the problems in the Eurozone during the following 4 years, growing 11.5% in 2013. The expected average annual growth in advertising expenditure of Turkey’s regional block between 2014 and 2017 is 5.9%.
That being said, many warning signs are surfacing, signaling a major slowdown of that exemplary growth. Experts indicate that internal turmoil (the less said about the government scandals, the better) and grueling factors like Syria’s conflict, are going to take its toll sooner rather than later. For now, consumer spending is doing wonders for the local economy, which made another strong showing in the second quarter of the year. As for the TV industry, the present situation is interesting. The lira has sunk to a record low against the dollar, which might not be a bad deal after all, as long as the rest of the world continues to demand Turkish content as much as it does right now. “Every era has a different trend but I guess we have proved ourselves with the quality of our productions and we will remain watching Turkish dramas worldwide in the long run as well”, says Kerim Emrah Turna, Head of Sales for the Americas on Kanal D. COMPETITON IS THE FUEL. After years functioning mostly as buyers, something that worked very well for Latin American telenovelas, local TV companies turned the tables by product of a fierce local drama competition among the eight leading channels, a sort of “drama race” that has completely shifted the Turkish TV dynamic around. “The stiff competition in the local market has forced us to produce more quality work over time. Due to our lo-
cal market conditions only the very best can survive and this leads us to highest possible standards. Therefore, we get the opportunity to distribute the best content available from Turkey,” says Varol. Firat Gulgen, CEO of Calinos Entertainment, agrees: “There is very intense competition in the sector. More than 100 new productions are produced every year. TV series and studio productions are creating US$ 1.5 billion worth of business for the market. Within this competitive environment, only the best TV shows, series and dramas survive. This competitive and profitable market naturally creates a very dynamic structure.” But is this situation sustainable among so much economic uncertainty? The executives thinks so and the ITO agrees, but with caveats.
ttvTurkey | TURKEY’S RISE AS A TV POWERHOUSE
“It took a while for the global audience to engage with Turkish content and with the aid of the internet, it has reached different regions. We have even succeeded in the regions where we were more skeptical.” Ziyad Varol, Digital and Licensing Manager - ATV
“During the past six years Turkey became a world class player in the global television ecosystem. Since 2009 it has seen a steady growth, as the demand reached its highest point in 2014.” Besir Tatli, General Manager - Calinos Entertainment
“Every era has a different trend but I guess we have proved ourselves with the quality of our productions and we will remain watching Turkish dramas worldwide in the long run as well.” Kerim Emrah Turna, Head of Sales, Americas - Kanal D
“Turkish television broadcasters should develop long term strategies instead of daily plans which will be detrimental for the sector in the long run. For example, taking commercials out of dominance of TV series, directing productions to match audiences and distinguish-
ing regulations from punishments, are some of the steps that should be taken in this direction,” advices Mr. Çağlar.
interest in Turkish content, with NBC and ABC opting to adapt ‘Suskunlar’ (‘Game of Silence’) and ‘Son’ (‘Runner’), respectively.
IN NUMBERS:
Another element to be considered is the new ratings’ system, which went into effect after the previous one collapsed in 2011. Marked by scandal and numbers that were meddled with, the AGB Nielsen Company’s ratings system -which monitored over 2,500 homes in 34 cities- was eventually shut down by the Television Watching Monitoring Committee.
A PROFITABLE OPTION. The legal framework that allows only 12 minutes of advertising for every hour broadcast, and the competition itself among different channels, made Turkish productions extend their air time. First they were just five extra minutes, then ten, and now there are dramas lasting up to 140 minutes.
/ 25 national, 16 regional and 205 local channels provide terrestrial broadcasting service for free.
After a temporary system was put in place, the country set up a new one commanded by TNS, which puts more emphasis on rural audiences and has taken a blow on local production, mostly dramas set in urban scenarios.
This longer running time has played well alongside one of Turkish dramas’ prime qualities: a slow pace, even compared to traditional telenovelas, with huge emphasis on character and situation development and, in many of the best cases, a non-filtered treatment of modern family struggles, showed with such realism that it has gained criticism from government officials.
TURKEY’S TV MARKET
/ There are 678 TV channels in Turkey that broadcast locally, regionally and nationally.
/ Subscription is necessary for the cable (139) and satellite (293) channels.
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/ People in Turkey watch an average of 4 hours of TV a day. • The amount of satellite channels went from 67 in 2002 to 293 in 2013. / Cable channels went from 61 in 2002 to 139 in 2013. / TV series exports in Turkey increased by 20% at the end of 2013. For comparison: the average around the world was a 4.54% increase. / Turkey TV exported US$ 200 million in 2013, distributed to 75 countries.
“One of the core elements of our business is based on the rating system. Changes within this environment also affect our content,” says Varol. “A dramatic change in the types of Turkish content is now visible due to the new people-meter. In the new panel, a majority of representation is shifted from AB demo-group to CD, which is considered more rural. This affected the content to evolve to more local stories. However, we have recently seen it can still be done in a way that both local and global audiences find it appealing.” That seems to be the case, since Turkish drama has left no territory untouched. Even the always difficult US market has begun to show
The challenge of re-editing content to make them faster for international markets hasn’t become an obstacle for Turkish dramas’ unstoppable journey around the world. “In the beginning, Turkish series were preferred over other countries’ productions in the international market due to their low budgets,” says Mr. Çağlar. “However, today exported Turkish TV series are considered as a more profitable market, and are paid a higher amount for.” ttv
THE NEXT BIG HITS KARADAYI
This Ay Yapim production aired from 2012 to June 2015 on ATV. It quickly became an audience and critics’ favorite, winning many awards, especially because of Kenan İmirzalıoğlu and Bergüzar Korel’s performances. ‘Karadayi’ tells the story of Mahir, who takes his place as head of his family when his father is found guilty of a murder he did not commit. The drama has been sold to many territories, including Indonesia, the US, Peru, Saudi Arabia and Israel, among others.
KURT SEYIT AND ŞURA
20 MINUTES
Based on the novel of the same name and produced by Ay Yapim, ‘Kurt Seyit and Şura’ is about the adventures of two people in love in the time of war in the 1920’s. A lieutenant from Crimea and the beautiful daughter of a noble Russian family have to break away from their magnificent lives in Russia after being dragged to Istanbul. The show has 21 episodes and is currently airing on MundoMax.
Also known as ‘20 Dakika’, this 2013 drama has been sold by ITV Inter Medya to 10 countries in Latin America. The series originally aired on Star TV and it follows the story of a married couple whose life is turned upside down when the woman is arrested for attempted murder. Tuba Büyüküstün was nominated for an International Emmy Award for her role as the wife.
STOLEN LIFE
This unique drama was produced by Limon Film and premiered on ATV this year. It tells the story of two sisters that escape a bad neighborhood after one of them stabs her abusive boyfriend and takes over a dead rich girl’s life. No matter what, they won’t be able to escape from their dark past. The first season has been a success in Turkey.
THE GIRL NAMED FERIHA
A Mad Yapim production that originally ran from 2011 to 2012 but is still conquering new territories. Calinos has sold it recently to India and seven Latin American Countries. Hazal Kaya plays Feriha, a young girl who gets a scholarship to a private school and lies about her humble uprising. Once she falls in love with a rich boy, those lies come back to haunt her.
WHITE NIGHTS
The newest drama from Ay Yapim. The series premiered last month on ATV. ‘White Nights’ tells the story of a young single mother who is under pressure to marry a well-respected businessman, but on her wedding day she finds out he is really an evil drug dealer. She escapes and tries to find real love.
‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ is one of the most ambitious series in Turkey. This TRT series is set on the XIII Century and follows a young man determined to change the world. This historical show premiered at the end of 2014 and has been a huge success for TRT 1. Internationally, the show has already been sold to over 30 countries.
THE NEXT BIG HITS
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RESURRECTION
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Leading the Charge ITV Inter Medya is at the crest of the wave generated by Turkish content around the world. The company led by Can Okan represents around 30% of Turkey’s total yearly content exports and, with the launch of a new lineup of formats, it expects to keep on riding high into the future. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv / @luis_cabreram
Endless Love / Drama Series
Can Okan,
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CEO & President – ITV Inter Medya
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ith titles like ‘Black Money Love’ and ‘Resurrection’, ITV Inter Medya has opened doors all around the globe and now, with the Turkish content business already booming, is adding new flavors to its successful recipe, looking forward to a sustained growth during the next years. The Middle East, Latin America, US Hispanic and now Asia have been seduced by ITV’s offering. “With the strength of our sales people in different regions as ITV Inter Medya, we don’t see a big risk (of a drop off in sales) in the short term,” says Can Okan, president and CEO of the company.
Now at Mipcom, ITV Inter Medya is ready to expand further. The company, which expects 1,000 guests for its traditional ITV Inter Medya Party, will launch a new lineup of formats to round up its strong portfolio, spearheaded by some of the highest-rated Turkish dramas. What would you say is the most important element in the creation of the present success of Turkish dramas? We can say that mostly it is the production quality with high budgets of our shows. Due to the strong competition among broadcasters in Turkey, they air high quality and high budget shows in order to get the maximum share from advertisement market. This causes dramas not only
“Although there is not a clear and official total figure stated by the government we foresee that our company’s share in the Turkish content export is about 25-30%.”
to be watched locally but also internationally. Moreover the acting quality is quite good and gets positive reviews in the international arena. Which are the main markets for your business? Which ones would you like to add? Although they are very new, without a doubt, two of the most important markets for us are the Latin American and US Hispanic markets. The number of countries where Turkish dramas are broadcast and watched in those regions is growing every day. Due to the sales capacity of our company together with our partners, the Middle East is still one of our biggest markets. Additionally, we believe that with the interest in Turkish dramas that started in Indonesia a few months ago, our content will spread in Asia quite soon. Also Africa seems to be a good candidate for Turkish dramas.
films and we are making successful sales in the territories where the dramas are working extremely well. We are very happy to participate in the ever growing Turkish motion picture industry. ttv
“We believe that with the interest in Turkish dramas that started in Indonesia a few months ago, our content will spread in Asia quite soon. Africa also seems to be a good candidate for Turkish dramas.”
“Besides Turkish drama series, we are also distributing Turkish Feature films and we are making successful sales in the territories where the dramas are a success.”
How much does ITV Inter Medya represent wthin Turkey’s total TV content exports? Although there is not a clear and official total figure stated by the government, we foresee that our company’s share in the Turkish content export is about 25-30%. Can you share details of any deals recently closed by the company? To name a few examples from our latest sales: ‘Black Money Love’ has reached 14 countries in Latin America and negotiations are still ongoing with broadcasters in other countries from the region. ‘20 Minutes’ and ‘Red Scarf’ are being prepared to be aired in 10 countries in the region. ‘In Between’ will soon be aired in 28 countries including Middle East Pay TV, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Bulgaria and Romania and it’s ready to travel to Latin America. Furthermore, TRT’s rating smasher series ‘Resurrection’ has been sold over 30 countries so far with more deals on the way.
What can you tell us about the other genres? How they faring locally and what are their projections internationally? As ITV Inter Medya, besides Turkish drama series we also are distributing Turkish Feature
HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE BEST Among the factors that Can Okan identifies as key ingredients in the strategy that has taken Turkish TV dramas to the upper echelon in the industry, the quality of the actors and actress in the shows plays a very important role. “The acting quality is quite good and gets positive reviews in the international arena,” says the CEO of ITV Inter Medya. “As an example, Tuba Buyukustun, the lead actress of the series ‘20 minutes’ was nominated as best performing actress at the 2014 International Emmy Awards and Engin Akyurek won the best performing actor at the recent Seoul Drama Awards for his performance in ‘Black Money Love’.” In claiming the award, Akyurek beat actors like Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard. ‘Black Money Love’ airs in more than 45 territories and has been a huge success across the board for ITV, reaching audience shares as high as 69% in some countries.
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What titles would you highlight from your Mipcom catalogue? The series ‘Endless Love’, one of the most recent series of Star TV, produced by Ay Yapım, is one of our most important projects that we are taking to Mipcom. ‘Destiny’, produced by Focus Film and aired on Kanal D, is another important project in our catalogue. Furthermore, we will launch a new lineup that our company has been working on, for a long time. We have prepared three game show formats: ‘Answer If You Can’, ‘Celebrities in the Kitchen’ and ‘The League’. Quiz shows are usually monotone and boring, but ‘Answer If You Can’ is a fun and exciting quiz show. ‘Celebrities in the Kitchen’ is a cooking contest and ‘The League’ is a sports quiz show adaptable to many team sports.
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Trust Eccho Rights has heard it all. As a company that has been distributing Turkish content around the globe for almost two decades, the Swedish distributor understands that a quality show will win over any audience, no matter what the perceived obstacles are.
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By Luis Cabrera lcabrera@todotv.tv @luis_cabreram
Your Audience
Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director - Eccho Rights
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In our country, viewers only prefer this and that.” Those words, voiced by different broadcasters dubious about acquiring Turkish content, have more than once tested international Turkish content distributors’ patience. “(That is) the most common comment we get in local markets,” says Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director of Eccho Rights. “(But) that is simply not true. If you give them the choice and a good introduction, viewers will appreciate quality.” Going back some years, when did you first start working with Turkish content? What compelled you to do it? Eccho Rights has always been a pioneer in Turkish drama and we have been in love with the genre from the start. As originally a Swedish company totally influenced by series from the US and the UK, we were a bit tired of the complete focus on crime and family issues only as comedies.
The Turkish approach, with strong emotions, family issues and impossible love, feels fresh and I think there is a demand for this kind of series worldwide. Also the close look at social issues such as gender roles, honor and love, is appealing. What are the main characteristics of Turkish productions? Turkey is culturally in a “pole position” in the new global world. It is a perfect mix of cultures and economies. I would rather produce something targeted at the average Turkish TV viewer than the average American, who is no longer such a good representation of the global TV viewer. We do also love Turkey because of the attitude among producers and broadcasters. It is a market that is less consolidated, very little in-house production with broadcasters and a clear focus. A producer is a producer, a broadcaster a broadcaster and a distributor a distributor. This is a system that works compared to huge corporate organizations who try to do everything. What do you think are the strongest selling points of the “dizi”? It’s long-running, dares
Ezel / Drama
to be emotional and is well produced. We love the fact that a “dizi” may spend 10 minutes on a male character crying and expressing his emotions Clearly, ‘Ezel’ has been as standout for Eccho Rights. What can you tell us about its success? ‘Ezel’ has now been on air in almost 100 countries, always on top broadcasters in each market. It is amazing to see the success of the series. In Greece, we had in some episodes a 70% share and the success in Latin America is fundamental. We have licensed the series in all the countries by now, and that is impressive. Did that success surprise you? Yes, a lot of “experts” in the industry doubted that ‘Ezel’ would work. I was convinced about its potential. The most common comment we get in local markets is: “In our country, viewers only prefer this and that.” That is simply not true. If you give them the choice and a good introduction, viewers will appreciate quality. ‘Ezel’ is an amazing series and viewers understand it. What other drama do you see following ‘Ezel’s success in Latin America? We launched the mega production ‘Kurt Seyit & Sura’ in US Hispanic on Mundo Fox earlier this year and it worked well. The series is a shorter one with 46 episodes, but a very impressive production starring Kivan Tatlitug, a big star in Turkey. We believe this series will work all over Latin America. We are also launching ‘Kacak’ on Azteca America soon and have the dub ready. That is an amazing production as well. The third project is ‘Karadayi’ that has been running for 3 season in Turkey. It’s a very impressive production starring Kenan Imirzalıoğlu, the lead in ‘Ezel’, and Berguzar Korel,
SUSTEROVA LEADS LATIN AMERICAN SALES FOR ECCHO RIGHTS The Stockholm-based distribution company appointed Barbora Susterova to the newly created role of Head of Sales for Latin America. Susterova joined the distributor in July from Spanish production giant Imagina, where she spent the last eight years managing strategic territories, including markets in Latin America. She will continue to be based out of Madrid. “Barbora’s extensive knowledge of the Latin American market will help Eccho Rights to build on this interest,” said af Malmborg. Up until this point, Eccho Rights has worked alongside Somos Distribution in Latin America, and af Malmborg was very pleased about the experience. “We normally don’t work through partners, so the Somos case was an exception,” explained the executive. “But we worked very well together, but at this point, it was important for us to have direct contacts”. Before joining Imagina, Susterova served in Acquisition and Sales executive roles at Prague-based Dramedy Productions and Spain’s Globomedia, respectively.
“I would rather produce something targeted at the average Turkish TV viewer than the average American, who is no longer such a good representation of the global TV viewer.”
Kurt Seyit & Sura / Drama
the lead actress of ‘1001 Nights’. This is a sure hit everywhere, and a very strong story in a 70’s setting. You have recently licensed Turkish dramas in the US. Is there any territory you are setting your aim on next? Asia is growing a lot. We have tremendous success in for example IndonesIa, but China is of course a target within reach. ttv
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“The Turkish approach, with strong emotions, family issues and impossible love, feels fresh and I think there is a demand for this kind of series worldwide.”
ttvTurkey | DÜŞYERI ANIMATION COMPANY
Big Dreams for Little Viewers
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From just a “handful of dreamers” to a major animation studio, Düşyeri is responsible for creating Turkey’s first ever animated cartoons. Bolstered by their local success, the studio is now ready to find new opportunities overseas. By Carolina Mussio / @carolinamussio / cmussio@todotv.tv
ounded in 2008 with the goal of creating “fresh and safe content for Turkish kids,” Düşyeri Animation Company has grown to be one of the most influential animation studios in the country, responsible for creating Turkey’s very first national cartoon brand. “We were founded 7 years ago and now own Turkey’s most popular kids’ animations,” said Nazli Güney, Marketing Manager at Düşyeri. “We have the largest influence on kids and mothers in Turkey.” Before Düşyeri was founded, there was no local animation industry in Turkey, with kids watching shows imported from global studios. “We began developing animation as an independent studio, with the idea to create fresh and safe content for our own kids,” added Ayşe Şule Bilgiç, founder and CEO of Düşyeri.
Ayşe Şule Bilgiç, Founder / CEO - Düşyeri
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“There is this whole Turkish drama effect happening worldwide. What we are doing nicely here is producing really high quality content for kids. So we want to build on that.”
With “great dedication and involvement”, the studio created its first project, ‘Pepee’. Named the “First National Cartoon Hero of Turkey,” ‘Pepee’ is a 5 year old boy living with his loving family and friends, in a show that offers universal moral values and cultural themes through music and adventure. Planet Çocuk, Turkey’s public network for kids, was founded soon after ‘Pepee’ was created and it was the first show it acquired. Now, the company has two major studios in Istanbul and Eskişehir, and has developed many more successful animations such as RGG Ayas, Leliko and Pisi. MUCH MORE THAN ANIMATION. “After ‘Pepee’s success, we realized that we could do great animation for kids. People began to know ‘Pepee’ and like it very much, and we realized this didn’t have to only be about creating animations,” Güney said. “We understood we should build on ‘Pepee’s brand and make it huge. The first thing we did was build an office to license merchandising. This was Turkey’s first branded animation,” she said. Establishing a special in-house Licensing Department, Düşyeri holds a catalog of over 3500 products for its brands, including toys
and even fresh produce. It also develops magazines and organizes live shows such as stadium concerts for as many as 35,000 people. “We are not only developing animations, but also the entire project around them. We are like a little industry ourselves,” Şule Bilgiç explained. The company also recently joined forces with Planet Kids, a private network devoted to kids’ content, to provide it with its animations, as well as its knowledge and experience. Since then, the channel has grown to become one of Turkey’s most popular kids’ networks, offering Düşyeri’s beloved characters, as well as others such as the ‘Winx Club’ girls and ‘Mia and Me’. Led by Ayşe Şule Bilgiç as Editor in Chief, Planet Kids increased its ratings by 210% with the studio’s content, and will be airing new animation series this year to continue building on this success. Now, Düşyeri is presenting ‘Aydamaya’, the company’s foray into the live-action genre. The show, which premieres this month, follows an alien girl who accidentally falls into Earth and discovers values like friendship with the assistance of Ada, a young girl from Istanbul. BEYOND TURKEY. Encouraged by its success in the local market, Düşyeri is now ready to continue expanding its footprint in the international arena, seeking new opportunities overseas. To this end, the company is headed to Mipcom 2015, where Turkey is shining bright as this year’s Country of Honor. “This year we are focusing on exporting globally. We have a booth set up for the upcoming Mipcom and we’ll be in a corner in the Turkish area as well,” Güney said. “There is this whole Turkish drama effect happening worldwide. What we are doing nicely here is producing really high quality content for kids. So we want to build on that,” she said. “We do all kinds of things to turn animation into a complete brand for kids. And now we are excited to export them to the whole world,” she concluded. ttv
MIPCOM 2015 - TURKEY COUNTRY OF HONOR
The Crowning of the Dizi
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Mipcom 2015 will direct its potent spotlights on Turkish content. Beware: the light that will be reflected might be blinding. That’s because Turkey’s TV content has already been shinning bright for almost a decade, conquering hundreds of territories in a global charge led by an array of successful dramas, or, as they call them, dizi. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv /@luis_cabreram
O
nce it was announced back in 2014 that Turkey would be the Country of Honor for the 2015 edition of Mipcom, one couldn’t stop to think it was about time. After two consecutive years looking at the Latin American market –Argentina was honored in 2013 and Mexico in 2014- , Reed Midem arguably stayed in the region. After all, Turkish dramas are one of the biggest hits on Latin American screens. Even in Latin America is a great case of study for the global explosion of the Turkish content, the region is not alone in falling under the dizi’s spell. Traditionally, the Middle East has always be a great partner for Turkish distributors while other regions, like Africa and Asia, are starting to open its doors to the content that’s is seducing the whole world.
“Turkey has achieved over US$ 200 million in revenues from their series and the target for 2023 is to take that number to US$ 1 billion,” said Ibrahim Çağlar, Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. “We will shine the star of our brand in Cannes.” The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO, in Turkish) is playing a key role during the festivities at Mipcom. The ITO invites visitors to “discover Turkey’s rich content” in a dedicated space that consists of a big stand (106.5m²) and an even bigger tent (300m²). Both spaces are going to be used for business meetings and press conferences, among other activities, all under the banner “Turkey Home of Content.” “The Turkish television industry ranks as the second-fastest growing in the world. As the Country of Honor, we would like to share this dynamism at Mipcom 2015, which provides a global showcase for Turkey to advertise its treasures to the world,” said Çağlar. The ITO will lead a delegation of 45 companies, without taking into account the ones that will have their own space in the market, like the well-known ITV Inter Medya, Calinos Entertainment, Eccho Rights, Kanal D, TRT Sales and ATV Distribution, among others.
The first day will end with the “Mipcom Opening Party – Turkey Country of Honor”, that will be co-hosted by Mipcom and TRT. “Being the public broadcaster, we are contributing a lot to this event,” said Mehmet Demirhan, Deputy Head of Television Department Acquisitions, Sales and Coproductions at TRT. “We are sponsoring the opening the party of Mipcom, which will gather more than 3,000 people.” TRT has also sponsored the promotional film of Turkey as the Country of Honor and the Snack & Screen at MIPJunior, under the umbrella of kids’ channel TRT Çocuk.
THE NAME OF THE GAME. If there is something that people have learned around the globe during these past few years of Turkish TV conquest, is that magical four letter word: “dizi”. That’s how Turkey calls its scripted formats, the ones that have been taking over audiences across all regions and spear-heading Turkey’s TV industry success. That’s why the session “Turkey: Home of ‘Dizi’ Content” promises to be one of the most attractive panels during the second day of Mipcom. This session features a lineup of producers, creators and talent to discuss its originality and compatibility for the global content market. Actors, writers, directors and producers will join forces as speakers to cover all sides of this local and global phenomenon. Among other activities that will be held on Tuesday is the panel “The Present and Future of Turkish Animation”, to be hosted on the “Home of Content” dedicated space; the session “Turkish Public TV in Focus”, and the superpanel “The Power of Unscripted”. Besides all the networking to be held on the different stands and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce’s dedicated space, Mipcom organized a matchmaking session with Turkish producers. The activity gives an exclusive opportunity for Turkish producers and distributors to meet one on one with international buyers and commissioners. The activity is closed for previously register participants only. ttv
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TURKISH CONTENT 101. As it should, the first order of business in the Country of Honor (COH) activities is a welcome breakfast and a panel aptly titled “Turkey: Mar- “Turkish content’s presence in the global ket Overview.” Presented by Sahar Baghere, market is increasing. I think Cannes gives Head of Research and Content Strategy of us the opportunity to make our presence in Eurodata TV, the session aims to offer an the global market to be felt even better. In a overview of the Turkish media landscape through exclusive Mipcom reİbrahim Çağlar, search, presented by EuroPRESIDENT - ISTANBUL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE data TV Worldwide. “The Turkish television industry ranks as the second-fastest growing in the world. As the Country of Honour, we After that, at Auditorium would like to share this dynamism at Mipcom 2015, A, where most of the COH which provides a global showcase for Turkey to adversessions will take place, the tise its treasures to the world.” “Dialogue with the Americas” panel will take place. In this megasession, viLaurine Garaude, sionary & inspiring senior DIRECTOR - REED MIDEM’S TELEVISION executives from Turkey, DIVISION with a proven track record “The COH programme will give TV of successful international executives from around the world deals, in conversation with the opportunity to discover the richness executives from the US and of Turkey’s TV output.” Latam who believe in the power of Turkish drama and scripted formats. Mehmet Demirhan, Deputy Head of Television Department Acquisitions, Later will be the turn of Sales and CO-PRODUCTIONS - TRT “Fresh TV From Turkey”. Vir“Turkish content’s footprint in the global market is inginia Mouseler, CEO of The creasing. I think Cannes gives us the opportunity to Wit, will be presenting the make our presence in the global market to be felt even newest selection of Turkish better. In a sense, it’s an opportunity for the Turkish concontent that hasn’t been tent to be crowned.” aired internationally yet.
sense, it’s an opportunity for Turkish content to be crowned,” said Demirhan.
ttvTurkey
EVERYTHING TURKEY IN CANNES MONDAY 5
TUESDAY 6
WEDNESDAY 7
MIPCOM 2015 WELCOME PRESS BREAKFAST 8.30-9.15 Blue Lounge Press & News Hub
MATCHMAKING WITH TURKISH PRODUCERS Matchmaking Lounge / 9.00-11.00 Reserved to Turkish registered participants.
TURKEY: MARKET OVERVIEW Auditorium A / 9.30-9.50 Presenter: Sahar Baghery, Head of Research and Content Strategy, Eurodata TV Worldwide, France
THE PRESENT AND FUTURE OF TURKISH ANIMATION Home of Content - 10.00-11.00 Moderator: İsrafil Kuralay (Yedirenk). Speakers: Musab Gündüz (Cordoba Animation); Salih Memecan (Mart Agency); Ayşse Ünal (Anima İstanbul); Nurullah Yenihan (Siyah Martı Animation).
A ROUND TABLE ON CO & LINE PRODUCTION IN TURKEY Home of Content / 10.00-11.00 Moderator: Fredrik af Malmborg (Eccho Rights). Speakers: Ali Akdeniz (Anka Film); Stefan Baron (Nice Drama); Mehmet Demirhan (TRT); Berkun Oya (Independent Writer); Evrim Şanal (Dijital Sanatlar); M. Selçuk Yavuzkanat (Ministry of Culture).
MEGASESSION: DIALOGUE WITH THE AMERICAS Auditorium A / 9.50-10.40 Speakers: Kerem Çatay (CEO, Ay Yapim); Pelin Diştaş Yaşaroğlu (General Manager, Kanal D); Kim Moses (Producer, Sander/Moses Productions, USA); Can Okan (CEO/President, ITV Inter Medya); Juan Vicen te (Director International Content, Megavision, Chile).
HEROINES OF CONTENT: MEET TURKISH WOMEN SCREENWRITERS Home of Content / 11.30-12.30 Moderator: Arzu Öztürkmen (Boğaziçi University). Speakers: Pınar Bulut (Yazı Odası), Eylem Canpolat (Ay Yapım); Sema Ergenekon (Ay Yapım); Ayfer Tunç (Endemol Shine-Turkey); Ece Yörenç (Ay Yapım). TURKISH DRAMA LUNCH Carlton Hotel / 12.30-14.30 Co-hosted by ATV.
Kerem Çatay CEO, Ay Yapim
Can Okan CEO/President, ITV Inter Medya
FRESH TV FROM TURKEY Auditorium A / 10.45-11.15 In partnership with The Wit Presenter: Virginia Mouseler, CEO, The Wit, Switzerland.
TURKISH PUBLIC TV IN FOCUS Auditorium A / 14.00-14.15 Featuring: Ibrahim Eren (Deputy Director General, TRT). TURKEY: HOME OF ‘DIZI’ CONTENT Auditorium A / 14.15-15.00 Speakers: Tuba Büyüküstün (Actress, Turkey); Kerem Deren (Writer, Founding Partner, Writer’s Room/Yazı Odası); Halit Ergenç (Actor, Turkey); Hilal Saral (Director, Ay Yapım); Timur Savc (CEO & President, Tims productions).
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HEROES OF CONTENT: MEET TURKISH FILM MUSICIANS Home of Content / 13.30-14.30 Moderator: Burcu Yıldız. Speakers: Aytekin Ataş (Mira Records), Toygar Işıklı (Arven Music), Burcu Yıldız (Istanbul Technical University) MIPCOM OPENIN PARTY - TURKEY COUNTRY OF HONOUR Grand Hyatt Cannes Hotel Martinez / 19.30-MIDNIGHT Co-hosted by TRT
Tuba Büyüküstün Actress, Turkey
Halit Ergenç Actor, Turkey
THE POWER OF UNSCRIPTED: SUPERPANEL Auditorium A / 15.15-16.00 Speakers: Idil Belli (General Manager, Sera Film Services): Jamie Lynn (Executive Vice President, Head of Sales and Distribution, EMEA, FremantleMedia International, UK); Izzet Pinto (CEO, Global Agency); Marina Williams (COO, International Operations, Endemol Shine Group, UK).
Fredrik af Malmborg Managing Director, Eccho Rights
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Blessed With the Strategic Touch Stiff competition in Turkey means only the very best TV productions can survive and stand out, and ATV ensures its dramas’ local and international success by being involved in every step of their creation. With ‘Sila’, this effort and investment has paid off notably. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv / @luis_cabreram
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any production and distribution companies around the world would agree that for a content to be successful in as many territories as possible, its development should have a singular focus on universality.
Ziyad Varol,
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Digital and Licensing Manager - ATV “When we analyze the most successful series, we see a combination of different factors. The storyline needs to be appealing, interesting and well written. This should be backed up by a strong cast and an appropriate setting.”
However, when it comes to dramas, or specifically Turkish dramas, their local success comes first and it’s the springboard for their international launch. ATV understands this and that’s why it chooses to play a key role during all the phases of a product’s development. That being said, the company, a nationwide channel in Turkey and a global distributor internationally, has learned that production is only one piece of the puzzle. “The past has shown that production is not the only path that can lead you to success. The strategic touch and the ability to see the big picture enables us to take the products one step further,” says Ziyad Varol, ATV’s Digital and Licensing Manager. “ATV is one of the leading TV channels in Turkey and it’s always been known for its top quality series,” Varol says. “We were one of the flag carriers in content distribution. We supply the best content to the international market and try to spread it as much as possible.” Can you take us back to the beginning? In which territories did ATV start selling Turkish content? The initial flames for Turkish content started from MENA and Balkans, then Ex-Yugoslavian countries followed. It took a while for global audiences to engage with
Turkish content and with the aid of the internet, it has reached different regions. We have even succeeded in the regions that we were more skeptical about. Now, market conditions are fair for Turkish content and it’s much easier for us to promote our titles. What elements would you say have come together to create the present local and international success of Turkish dramas? Turkish dramas are known as high quality productions and they have a proven success record both locally and internationally. The stiff competition in the local market has forced us to produce more quality work over time. Due to our local market conditions, only the very best can survive and this leads us to have the highest possible standards. Therefore, we get the opportunity to distribute the best content available from Turkey. When we analyze the most successful series, we see a combination of different factors. The storyline needs to be appealing, interesting and well written. This should be backed up by a strong cast and an appropriate setting. You have spoken about the impact that the new rating system in Turkey is having over the drama productions. What do you see happening? Can this affect the international business? The new rating system implemented in Turkey is changing the type of drama series that are produced. TV channels try to adapt to the new audience panel by simply trying different drama types. Currently, the content which seems to be working on Turkish screens tends to carry more local elements and focuses more on entertaining
“ATV is one of the leading TV channels in Turkey and it’s always been known for its top quality series. As ATV, we were one of the flag carriers in content distribution. We supply the best content to the international market and try to spread it as much as possible.”
Bandits / Drama
products. This might risk the future of Turkish content in the international market. However, we have recently seen it can still be done in a way that both local and global audiences find it appealing. For example, hits such as ‘Orphan Flowers’, ‘Stolen Life’ and ‘Bandits’ are examples that can fit to this model. How involved is ATV during the product development? ATV plays a key role in script selection, audition and cast forming in product development. The past has shown that production is not the only path that can lead you to success. The strategic touch and the ability to see the big picture enables us to take the products one step further. ATV has a strong culture as a channel which eventually lets our partner producers finish impressive projects.
‘Sila’ has really been the jewel of your catalogue up to this point. Which content would follow on its footsteps? ‘Sıla’ has been sold to 60 countries and it became the bestseller product in the ATV catalogue. However, we see that some titles follow the same pattern that ‘Sıla’ did. ‘Unforgettable’, ‘Becoming a Lady’, ‘Never Ending Song’ are titles that follow a similar trend. We also expect our new series to become popular in these regions. Can you share details of any deals recently closed by the company? The Latin American market is highly active at the moment. Currently, our sales in the region have reached 14
Sila / Drama
countries including Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Bolivia, Panama, Argentina and Colombia. Apart from Latin America, we can also announce that ‘Peace Street’ has been sold to Indonesia’s RCTI and it’s currently on air. ttv
“Turkish content is mainly focused on drama but we also have a great spectrum of other types of content such as movies, comedy series and formats.”
A MEETING WITH THE BUYERS Most of Turkish distributors and production companies have participated from the start in the preparations for Turkey’s role as the “Country of Honor” at Mipcom 2015. ATV wasn’t an exception. “ATV took part in the organization process for Country of Honor since the early start of the project,” says Varol. “Along with this, ATV is hosting the annual Country of Honor lunch this year, aiming to meet with international drama buyers from all over the world and promote Turkish drama internationally.” The executive points out that this event will allow Turkish companies to highlight their complete catalogue, throwing light on genres beyond their popular dramas. “It’s a great opportunity for Turkish content providers to be on the spotlight,” says Varol. “It enables us to reach more countries and different buyers worldwide. Turkish content is mainly focused on drama but we also have a great spectrum of other types of content such as movies, comedy series and formats.”
“ATV plays a key role in script selection, audition and cast forming in product development. The strategic touch and the ability to see the big picture enables us to take the products one step further.”
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What titles would you highlight from the catalogue you are presenting at Mipcom in Cannes? Our lineup for Mipcom includes ‘Bandits’, ‘Orphan Flowers’ and ‘Stolen Life’. These are the new series we have on ATV screens for this season. They are all high-quality primetime shows with strong storylines and cast. ‘Stolen Life’ has reached its second season whereas ‘Bandits’ and ‘Orphan Flowers’ are fairly fresh shows. Both are winners of their time slots and airing days.
Orphan Flowers / Drama
THE CONQUERING OF LATIN AMERICA
The View From the Top Turkish dramas didn’t land in Latin America and play nice ALONGSIDE LOCAL telenovelas. They TOOK AUDIENCES by storm, profoundly modifying the TV landscape in many countries. Turkish dramas rewarded the channels that took a chance on them and forced the rest to join in, or struggle to work around their success. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv /@luis_cabreram
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Fatmagul / Kanal D
“Latin America is one of the most important regions and cultures for us, because for over 20 years we’ve grown with Latin American telenovelas here in Turkey.” Ozlem Ozsumbul, Head of Sales and Acquisitions - Kanal D.
o understand the impact of Turkish dramas in Latin America, all one has to do is retell the story of Mega. The Chilean private channel finished fourth in ratings in 2013, losing over US$ 5 million in the process. Mega’s 2013 results were no surprise: the channel was used to trailing behind Televisión Nacional de Chile (TVN, the state powerhouse channel), Canal 13 and Chilevisión. But one year later, Mega was the highest-rated channel in the country. Now, that was a surprise.
T
of 2014 none of Mega’s shows registered more than a 5.0 average rating- the company decided to shake up its lackluster programming and take a minimal risk bet on a relatively cheap foreign drama: ‘1001 Nights’.
What prompted this change of fortune? Well, for starters, desperation. In crisis –at the start
The private channel piled on its newfound success by acquiring ‘Fatmagul’. The Kanal D
The Turkish drama premiered on March 4th at midnight, with peaks of 13 rating points, and Mega was quick to act on this unexpected success. ‘1001 Nights’ was moved to primetime, where it was able to reach an average 30.0 rating.
series ended its run in June, with 29.7 average rating. Mega is now broadcasting ‘Sila’, ‘Ezel’ and ‘Black Money Love’. Mega has led the ratings in Chile for 14 consecutive months and it doesn’t look like its reign will stop any time soon. Remember the 2013 deficit? Well, Mega ended 2014 with US$ 7.2 million in profits. It was the only Chilean free TV channel with a positive balance that year. The success has shaken the Chilean broadcast TV market to its core, with Canal 13 and Chilevision choosing to follow Mega’s example. Canal 13 acquired ‘Black Rose’, ‘Magnificent Century’, ‘Forbidden Love’ and ‘ Kuzey Güney’; while Chilevision tried its luck with ‘Time Goes By’. FROM THE PACIFIC TO THE ATLANTIC. The Chilean example is probably the most graphic because of the radical impact of Turkish drama’s success on national TV. But the phenomenon has been steadily replicating itself across the whole region. In every territory that a Turkish “dizi” lands, the impact on the ratings generate ripple effects that are felt on every channel. The formula tends to follow this script: ‘1001 Nights’ takes ratings by surprise and every channel scampers frantically looking for the next hit. ‘Ezel’ and ‘Fatmagul’ are the surest bet, with both titles being the latest to conquer the region. Both dramas are produced by Ay Yapim, with ‘Ezel’ being distributed in Latin America by Eccho Rights and Somos Distribution, and ‘Fatmagul’ being distributed by Kanal D. ‘Sila’, distributed by ATV, is another of the titles that have won over the Latin America audiences. That list grows bigger every semester.
20 years we’ve grown with Latin American telenovelas here in Turkey,” said Ozlem Ozsumbul, Head of Sales and Acquisitions at Kanal D. “We know everything about them because we’ve broadcast them and we like them a lot. We have a connection with Latin America. And when you see Latin versions of Turkish products, you see a similarity between the cultures, the features, the language and even the voices. The themes are also very similar and very good.” Latin America has become a key region for all Turkish companies, with 2015 being an even more successful year than 2014 was. Furthermore, since many of these titles are old productions in Turkey -’Ezel’, for example, finished its run on the ATV channel in 2011the future is looking very good for Turkish content. Sila / ATV
“(The success) is mostly about the production quality and high budgets of our shows,” said Can Okan, CEO and President of ITV Inter Medya, the company that distributes titles like ‘Black Money Love’ and ‘Black Rose’, among many others.
“Due to the strong competition among broadcasters in Turkey, they air high-quality and high-budget shows in order to get the maximum share from advertisement market.
Even in a country with a deep respect for its national productions, like Argentina, audiences weren’t able to resist following Onur and Sherezade’s story. El Trece bet on it and won, taking over the primetimes ratings, and it was Telefe’s turn to scramble for an answer. The channel acquired and already premiered ‘Ezel’ and ‘Fatmagul’. Canal 13 will follow ‘1001 Nights’ with ‘Küçük Gelin’. “Latin America is one of the most important regions and cultures for us, because for over
THE SEDUCTION OF THE FOREIGN
According to Concept Media, audiences feel seduced by “a new culture with exotic landscapes”. “The exteriors are beautiful” and “the geography, architecture and people’s habits” were mentioned as some of the top reasons for audiences’ engagement.
The storytelling pace has been criticized by some viewers, since most Turkish dramas are slow, even compared to Latin American telenovelas, but people do enjoy the dramatic moments, the tension and the spectacular work the music does to punctuate these scenes.
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Once ‘1001 Nights’ was conquering Argentina, consulting agency Concept Media took upon itself to find out what made this drama so attractive for the local audience. Their results can easily apply to all the successful Turkish dramas in the region and their impact on the Latin American audiences.
The investigation also found that people were weary of local dramas and welcomed the “new faces” and “new locations” that Turkish dramas bring. The audiences also praised the relationship among the characters for “showing a lot without showing” and “insinuating instead of showing”. Ironically, those are the same things that writers in Turkey criticize as limitations that come from censorship.
THE CONQUERING OF LATIN AMERICA THE NUMBERS IN THE REGION 27.5
/ was the rating averaged by ‘Fatmagul’ on Mega, finishing its run last May with an episode that climbed up to a 30.1 rating.
23.9
/ is the rating averaged by ‘Sila’ since March. The series has followed on ‘Fatmagul’ steps on Mega.
4 / Turkish dramas fight for the top
spot of the ratings’ chart in Peru: ‘Sila’ (América TV), ‘Fatmagul’ (Latina), ‘1001 Nights’ (Latina) and ‘Ezel’ (Latina). All of them average a rating of 20.
27
/ was the rating averaged by the final episode of ‘1001 Nights’ on El Trece (Argentina).
10
/ is the average rating ‘Ezel’ registered since its debut in May on Telefe (Argentina). The series is number one in its timeslot.
2 / Turkish dramas dominate the
weekly ratings in Uruguay: ‘Fatmagul’ and ‘1001 Nights’, alternating the first place between them. This bodes well for Saeta, the channel that broadcast both series.
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“Producing a telenovela in Peru costs five times more than importing one from Turkey.” Eric Jurgensen, General Manager - America Televisión
Ezel / Eccho Rights
This causes dramas not only to be watched locally, but also internationally. Moreover, the acting quality is quite good and gets positive reviews in the international arena,” Okan added. THE MONETARY EXPLANATION. In addition to the Chilean example, there is another compelling reason for Latin American channels to seek out Turkish dramas: they are a lot cheaper than producing their own series. “Producing a telenovela in Peru costs five times more than importing one from Turkey,” said Eric Jurgensen, General Manager of Peruvian network America Televisión, which has managed to “combat” the Turkish phenomenon with its own productions, such as ‘Amor de Madre’, the telenovela Latin Media Corps is presenting at Mipcom. “Turkish telenovelas are conjunctural. The new visuals, new landscapes and the actors catch people’s eye,” said Jurgensen. Yet, the opportunity to make small investments and get big rewards is too important to pass: América Televisión will premiere ‘Magnificent Century’, ‘Broken Pieces’ and ‘Küçük Gelin’ in 2016.
The whole “bet low, win big” might not continue for long. As it has been the case on the latest international events, the Latin America buyers have found out that the prices of Turkish dramas are starting to follow their ratings: they are rising higher each day. “Originally, we used to sell Turkish series to Azerbaijan for US$ 300 per hour,” explained Besir Tatli, General Manager of Calinos Entertainment, the company that sold the first Turkish content abroad (‘Wild Hearth’ to Kazakhstan, back in 2001). “Now a top quality Turkish drama is able to generate around US$ 10,000 per hour in key markets.” The always candid Head of Acquisitions at Artear/Canal 13, Walter Sequeira, the man responsible for taking ‘1001 Nights’ to Argentina, expressed caution about this trend. “Turkish producers are making a big mistake: they are asking for steep prices, knowing they do not have another ‘1001 Nights’”, he tweeted during the Miptv 2015. That being said, if Turkish dramas continue to produce the numbers they have been steadily getting on every Latin American country they disembark in, the business will still be more than worthy. ttv
ttvTurkey | Q&A
Above all Expectations With a strong footprint in the CIS countries and the Balkans, Calinos Entertainment was already doing very well in the Turkish content distribution business. However, not even they could have anticipated what would come next. “Turkey has become the world’s second most-prolific drama producer after the US,” says Besir Tatli. “I don’t think that anybody could have anticipated that.”
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By Luis Cabrera lcabrera@todotv.tv @luis_cabreram
In an interview given to ttv just a couple of weeks before Mipcom, Mr. Tatli shared his views about Turkish dramas’ growing sales around the world and the reasons behind the engagement that their “dizi” is generating with many different audiences. “We owe the popularity of Turkish TV series to the fact that the viewers managed to truly identify with the story lines and recognized the many linguistic and cultural similarities they shared with the Turkish culture,” he explained.
Besir Tatli,
General Manager - Calinos Entertainment
I
n 2001, Calinos Entertainment pioneered the business model that has now become a global trend. The company was the first one to sell Turkish content abroad: ‘Wild Heart’, the action-drama about an ordinary man with strong moral values and dreams of building an honest society, was sold to Kazakhstan. After they got the ball rolling, Calinos –and every other distributor in Turkey- has expanded its reach around the globe. Besir Tatli, General Manager of Calinos Entertainment, is confident that this trend, even if it is bound to slow down eventually, will “remain consistent” and branch out to other areas. “The trans-nationalization of Turkish dramas has made Turkey a global brand in cultural consumption; in turn, this phenomenon, I believe, will pave the way for many new and diverse co-productions and joint ventures,” Tatli said.
Did you anticipate the explosion on popularity that Turkish content is having right now when you first started working with Turkish series and formats? Personally I did not anticipate that the Turkish TV dramas would become such a worldwide phenomenon, and I don’t think that anybody did, for that matter. The demand for drama has always been high and with the expansion of its broadcasting map, the demand for Turkish drama also increased. What makes these titles so compelling? We owe the popularity of Turkish TV series to the fact that the viewers managed to truly identify with the story lines and recognized the many linguistic and cultural similarities they shared with the Turkish culture. What audiences admired the most were the strong patriarchal values portrayed in the series, the eternal dilemma of conflict between younger and older generations, which is always overcome by an unshakable foundation of respect for one another and love stories that overthrow all obstacles and differences of social or moral aspect. All this and many more dilemmas familiar to people since ancient times, recreated in such an entertaining manner is what, in my opinion, made these series appeal to so many. How has this explosion impacted your business? Originally, we used to sell Turkish series to Azerbaijan for US$ 300 per hour, now a top quality Turkish drama is able to generate around US$ 10,000 per hour in key markets. Turkey has become the world’s second most-prolific drama producer after the US, producing up to 100 long-running soap opera-style serials a year.
CALINOS BRINGS ROMANCE TO CANNES The company is bringing two new romantic series to Mipcom: ‘Relationship Status: It’s Complicated’ and ‘Emergency Love’. “Both have received very high viewership locally since their premiere,” said Tatli. “’Relationship Status: It’s Complicated’ has been number one in the ratings from its very first episode.” Calinos is also looking for new deals for series like ‘The Girl Named Feriha’ and ‘The Bitter Life’. Both shows have recently been sold in 7 countries across Latin America. ‘The Girl Named Feriha’ will be also making its debut in India soon. In total, Calinos distributes more than 35 titles across the globe.
“Originally, we used to sell Turkish series to Azerbaijan for US$ 300 per hour, now a top quality Turkish drama is able to generate around US$ 10,000 per hour in key markets.”
Historically you have always been a strong player in the CIS countries and the Balkans. How has your global reach expanded in recent years? As Calinos, we have succeeded to leave footprints in many territories. However, we have mainly dominated the markets in the CIS region and the Balkans. Up until now, our company accounts for more than 50% of the content sold in those particular territories. Now it is time for us to develop new strategies among other territories, particularly in Latin America, a very new and different market for us.
Relationship Status: It’s Complicated / Series
“As Calinos, we have succeeded to leave footprints in many territories; however, we have mainly dominated the markets in the CIS countries and the Balkans.”
TTV MAGAZINE/109
What is your take on the short and long term repercussions of this phenomenon? During the past 6 years, Turkey became a world class player in the global television ecosystem. Since 2009 it has seen a steady growth, as the demand reached its highest point in 2014. The need for new content will slightly decrease within the next couple of years and would reach a solid point, remaining consistent from that point onwards. ttv
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCRIPTS
Turkey’s Unsung Heroes Behind every moment of joy or sadness; behind every embrace and kiss; behind every word and every silence, there’s the work of a screenwriter. Audience and TV experts around the world highlight the relatable stories told by the “dizi” as one of the main reasons for their success, making the writers the unsung heroes of the Turkish drama phenomenon. By Luis Cabrera / lcabrera@todotv.tv /@luis_cabreram
“When we work, we write around 15 hours a day. It’s crazy, but we have to. We have to write 120 pages in about four days.” Kerem Deren, co-founder - Writer’s Room
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“If we sent content to Europe we have to be very careful about the editing. The translation should be very well done, because of the nuances embedded on the text.” Atilla Engin screenwriter - ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’ (TRT).
F
rom Bergüzar Korel and Halit Ergenç to Cansu Dere and Kenan İmirzalıoğlu, the actors and actresses in Turkish dramas are enjoying a deserved rise to fame thanks to the international success of their shows. Taking advantage of the tools given by Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms, fans from every continent connect with their new idols, showering them with praise and love. The same does not apply to the men and women that bring those stories to life, using their creativity to transform a pitch into pages and pages of drama and action.
Pinar Bulut y Kerem Derem
“When we work, we write around 15 hours a day. It’s crazy, but we have to. We have to write 120 pages in about four days,” explains Pınar Bulut, founding member of the Writer’s Room (Yazı Odası), an organization that gathers many Turkish writers to create an “American system” of collaborative writing. Bulut and her longtime collaborator, Kerem Deren, have worked on successful series like ‘Ezel’, ‘20 Minutes’ and, most recently, ‘Maral’. But despite the hard work, they find that the success of their shows doesn’t come back to them. “On one hand there is international recognition and that’s wonderful, in the sense that if you have that kind of success and recognition, there is a lot of stuff creatively that you can do,” says Deren. “On the other hand, there is this situation which the whole industry is caught in, where almost every element -writing, directing and acting- is insulated from the effects of that kind of recognition. That of course is not great.” Mipcom 2015 will work to revert that scenario with different actions. For example, on Tuesday, the dedicated program within the “Home of Content,” will have a session entitled “Heroines of Content: Meet Turkish Women Screenwriters.” Bulut will be one of the speakers in the panel. THE FIRST STEP. “It all starts with the writing,” says Deren, also a writer and co-founder of the Writer’s Room. “In a TV series, you are involved in the project for three or four years. Those are hours and hours of work. And it’s always good to have the product designed accordingly to what the writer thinks. To our experience, it’s always beneficially to the show.” With Turkish dramas being sold all over the globe, writers are adapting to follow this trend, although they concede that the hardest work comes from the editors and the translators. “We have different perceptions in Turkey and the Middle East. We basically write for those audiences. If we sent it to Europe we have to be very careful about the editing. The translation should be very well done, because of the nuances embedded on the text,” says Atilla Engin, screenwriter of TRT’s ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’. ttv
ttvTurkey | Ay Yapim
The Turkish House of Ideas Behind most of the dramas that have taken over the world lies Ay Yapim. The Turkish production company is as young as it is successful. After only ten years in business, the Istanbul-based company has become the leading production company in TURKEY, with titles like ‘Ezel’ and ‘Fatmagul’. Now, Ay Yapim is taking center stage on Mipcom. By Luis Cabrera lcabrera@todotv.tv @luis_cabreram
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112/TTV MAGAZINE
en years doesn’t seem that long in the TV industry, but if you know what you are doing, they are more than enough to make an impact. That has been the case for Ay Yapim, the Istanbul-based production company that is behind many of the most popular Turkish dramas of today. The company started strong, with many partnerships around the world, but really hit a stride recently, when two of their shows, ‘Ezel’ and ‘Fatmagul’ became international sensations. ‘Ezel’ was produced in 2009 for ATV, while ‘Fatmagul’ was produced for Kanal D one year later. Both rapidly became a gold standard for Ay Yapim productions in the international market, being sold across different regions. Their latest conquest has been Latin America.
Those success stories were followed by other very popular titles, like 2011’s ‘Kuzey Guney’, broadcast on Kanal D; 2012’s ‘Karadayi’, that was broadcast by ATV; and more recently, the company produced ‘Black Money Love’ for ATV, ‘Kurt Seyit and Şura’ for Star TV and ‘White Nights’ for Star TV.
Kurt Seyit & Sura / Drama
All of those shows are present at Mipcom in the hands of many of the distribution companies that have been making waves with the much sought-after content.
Ezel / Drama
Nowadays, Ay Yapim produces an average of over 150 episodes of top drama series each season. Besides their dramas productions, the company also produces formats, weekly and daily shows. ttv
A LOT TO SAY AT MIPCOM Ay Yapim will be strongly represented during the ‘Country of Honor’ activities at Mipcom 2015. Somewhat logical, considering the status of its productions, Ay Yapim will have speakers on almost all the important panels and sessions of the event. Kerem Çatay, CEO of Ay Yapim, will be one of the experienced speakers of the megassesion “Dialogue with the Americas’, that will focus on the power of Turkish dramas and their scripted formats on the US and Latam. Joining Çatay as a speaker, director Hilal Saral will be participating on the panel “Turkey: Home of ‘dizi’ content’ to talk about his experience behind the camera during the shooting of shows like ‘Fatmagul’, ‘Kuzey Güney’ and ‘Kurt Seyit and Şura’. Perhaps one of the most attractive conferences will be held under the “Turkey: Home of Content” umbrella. The panel titled “Heroines of Content: Meet Turkish Women Screenwriters” will include the presence of three Ay Yapim writers: Eylem Canpolat, Sema Ergenekon and Ece Yörenç. They have written titles like ‘Black Money Love’, ‘Kurt Seyit and Şura’ and ‘Fatmagul’.
Ay Yapim produces an average of over 150 episodes of top drama series each season, alongside formats, weekly and daily shows.
ttvTurkey | Listings
Orphan Flowers
Black Money Love
Relationship Status: It’s Complicated
ATV
Ay Yapim
Calinos ENTERTAINMENT
Barbaros Bulvari, Cam Han, No: 153; 34349 Besiktas, Istanbul, Turkey Tel.: +90 212 381 28 48 Fax: +90 212 227 83 88 E-mail: info@atvdistribution.com Web: www.atvdistribution.com
Ihlamur Yildiz Caddesi, NO:8 A 34353, Besiktas, Istanbul-Turkey Tel.: +90 212 259 57 57 Fax: +90 212 258 45 30 Email: fatma@ayyapim.tv website: www.ayyapim.tv Booth: P-1/B-1
Kavacik Mah. Ekinciler Cad. Necip Fazil Sok., Calinos Plaza No:6 Beykoz Istanbul, Turkiye Tel.: +90 216 999 49 99 Email: info@calinosentertainment.com website: www.calinosentertainment.com Booth: P-1/J 69
Executives Attending
Besir Tatli, General Manager Asli Serim, International Sales Director Ismail Dursunov, International Sales Director, CIS Melis Hamamcioglu, Business Development Director Emre Gorentas, International Sales Specialist, Latin America
Executives Attending
Metin Ergen, General Manager Mutlu Inan, Deputy General Manager Müge Hanilçi, Content Sales Yasin Emin Elmaci, Content Sales Serra Batus, Acquisitions Pinar Canbaz, Acquisitions
Ekrem Çatay, President Fatma Şapçı, Head of Acquisitions & Sales and Formats
TOP EXecutivE
TOP EXecutivE
Executives Attending
Kerem Çatay, CEO
Ziyad Varol, Digital and Licensing Manager
(Series/Drama)
Eylül is tired of her stepfather’s abuse. When she tells her mother about this situation, her life changes: her mother chooses to send Eylül to an orphanage instead of leaving her husband. Eylül will make different friends in that orphanage which is newly opened in the middle of a luxurious neighbourhood. These girls, who are excluded from society, are humiliated and slandered by rich men in the area. When none of the public schools accept them because of this slander, the dormitory principal sends them to a luxurious private college in the neighbourhood. Now life is more difficult for Eylül and her three friends among the rich and spoiled kids in their new school.
Stolen Life
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(Series/Drama) An Istanbul Ghetto, full of slum houses, muddy roads and a poor neighbourhood. Asiye’s only desire is to be released from this dead-end ghetto. Asiye stabs his boyfriend who leaves her because she is pregnant. She and her sister escape from their home thinking her boyfriend is dead. Later, Asiye takes the place of a dead girl and becomes the fiancée of a rich man. No matter what, Asiye won’t be able to escape from her dark past. She will carry her stepmother’s passion, dark traces of the past and the Ghetto’s mud into her glamourus, rich new life.
Bandits
(Series/Drama) Hızır Çakırbeyli climbs to the top of the mafia world, which he first entered as a child. Each man who enters the underground world vows to revolt against injustice. As he becomes more powerful and rich, he himself becomes the source of this injustice.
Dusyeri Animation Company Göksu Evleri Akkavak Cad. B100B Anadolu Hisarı Beykoz, Istanbul Tel.:90 216 465 77 71 Fax: 00 90 216 465 77 73 Email: bilgi@dusyeri.com.tr Website: www.dusyeri.com.tr Booth: P1.G83
Executives Attending
Nazli Güney, Marketing Manager
TOP EXecutivE
Ayşe Şule Bilgiç, Founder, CEO
TOP EXecutivE Firat Gulgen, CEO
BLACK MONEY LOVE Orphan Flowers
Pepee
PEPEE
(Drama / 54 x 100’)
(3D Animation – 52 x 11’ HD)
A cop, Omer, finds his girlfriend’s dead body just two days before their engagement. There’s another dead body at the crime scene; a very famous business man. His daughter Elif, couldn’t know that her father was in the money laundering jungle. Omer, could never have guessed that his fiancé was a courier. Omer and Elif meet and fall in love before they know it and start to search for the truth behind the shadow of the missing diamonds.
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: IT’S COMPLICATED
KURT SEYIT AND ŞURA
EMERGENCY LOVE
(Drama / 21 x 100’)
(Romance / On Air - +43 TV hr.)
Kurt Seyit & Sura is about the adventures of two people in love who broke away from their magnificent lives in Russia and were dragged to Istanbul. The journey of Kurt Seyit, a lieutenant from Crimea, and Sura, the beautiful daughter of a noble Russian family. From the days of magnificence to the Carpathian front line, from the riots to revolution, from Alushta to occupied Istanbul, to Pera in the 1920’s, is in a sense the journey of their love.
Hospitals that are experiencing the battle between life and death, witnessing a romantic love scene this time. The irresistable story of a young and beautiful junior doctor, Nisan and her master Sinan. Fights and love together makes a big fire.
EZEL
(Drama / 71 x 100’) Omer has just returned from military service and is about to marry the girl of his dreams. His two best friends, Cengiz and Ali are like brothers to him, and he trusts them with all his heart. The drama starts when the police storms into Omer’s bedroom when he is still sleeping. He gets arrested for a murder and robbery at the casino the night before. It is obvious that Omer has been set up, but could such a terrible crime really have been planned by his two best friends and his fiancé Eysan?
(Romance / On Air +35 TV hr.) An aspiring scriptwriter Aysegul experiencing betrayals and hard times, but her life intersects with a handsome actor Can. Although he is in love with another beautiful girl, no one knows what the future holds…
THE GIRL NAMED FERIHA
(Drama/Romance - 187 TV hr.) This heart wrenching drama tells the dreams and desires of a young girl who got stuck between two worlds.
ONLY YOU
(Drama / Romance – 105’) The paths of former boxer Ali and visually handicapped Hazal intersect surprisingly. Despite being condemned to darkness, Hazal is a vivacious young lady and her love of Ali is a great hope for her. They fall in love with each other, but the gloomy past of Ali doesn’t stop following himself and an unknown truth comes out. He has to enter into a game for Hazal which can endanger his own life. The fight that he gets in for the sake of his love will determine their new life.
Pepee is a 5 year old boy living with his family and friends. He has a giraffe friend teaching him how to dance; a grandpa with a hot-air balloon. Her super cute little sister Bebee, cousins and friends at school is always with him in his daily life adventures. ‘Pepee’ is the most popular show in Turkey; a complete brand that is supported with licensed merchandise, publishing and events.
AYDAMAYA
(Live Action supported with Animation – 26 x 40’) Aydamaya is an alien girl who as accidently fallen into the backyard of Ada; a young girl from Istanbul. Their funny stories are strong enough to teach and have us remember the value of friendship, nature and our wonderful world.
LELİKO
(3D Animation – 52 x 10’ HD) Leli and Liko are living in a village of games with their best friends Kulabuz and Pembik; flying robots that find a special fun game for each episode and they race through the time to complete the game. They play interesting games, solve puzzles, sing songs, dance and encourage physical activity. ‘Leliko’ was designed to help children to express themselves and promote their mental development as well as supporting the physical activity.
RGG AYAS
(2D Animation – 52 x 12’ HD) Ayas is a 6 year old boy living in Istanbul with his large family. His computer engineer father gives him a tablet PC with a special application to keep and share video diaries. This app becomes the most popular social network among kids and each episode shows us a video recording of Ayas to his RGG platform. Discovery, fun, challenge and lots of Istanbul is catching all ages.
White Nights
Endless Love
Kuzey Guney
Resurrection ‘Ertugrul’
Eccho Rights
ITV Inter Medya
Kanal D
Gamla Brogatan 26, 3rd Floor, SE-111 20 Stockholm, Sweden Tel.: +46 8 55 60 93 80 Email: info@ecchorights.com Website: www.ecchorights.com Booth: P3.B1
Valikonagi Caddesi 26/3, Nisantasi, 34367 Istanbul, Turkey Tel.: (+90 212) 231 0102 Email: info@itv-intermedya.com Website: www.itv-intermedya.com
Dogan TV Center, 34204 Bagcılar, Istanbul Tel.: +902124135111 Website: sales.kanald.com.tr
Executives Attending
Nicola Söderlund, Managing Partner Barbora Susterova, Sales & Acquisition Director Latin America Handan Özkubat, Head of Istanbul Office Petra Larsson, Sales & Acquisitions
Executives Attending
Can Okan, President, CEO
White Nights
Endless Love
The new top drama from Ay Yapim in Turkey. A young single mother is under pressure to marry a well respected businessman, but on her wedding day she finds out he is really an evil drug dealer. She escapes and tries to find real love.
Two separate worlds lie on two sides of the road in Yeniköy. Both too close and too distant from each other. What happens when two young people from these 2 worlds fall in love? Kemal is one of the three children of a middle class family that lives in one of the neighborhoods of Yeniköy. His only aim in life is to make a living and survive. It’s Kemal’s last year in mine engineering. His dreams are restricted with the truth and he doesn’t believe in miracles. Especially in miracles like love.
Karadayi
(Drama Series – 299 x 45’) ‘Karadayi’ tells the story of Mahir, who takes his place as head of his family when his father is found guilty of a murder he did not commit.
Elif
(Drama Series - 380 x 50’) Elif is six years old when her mother Melek delivers her in secret to the wealthy Emiroglu household where she will grow up, as her mother did, as a servant on the farm.
Kacak
(Drama Series - 126 x 45’) A policeman kills the son of a cruel Mafia boss and has to change identity and escape to a small town.
Kerim Emrah Tuna, International Sales Executive Ezgi Ural, International Sales Executive
TOP EXecutivE Özlem Özsümbül, Head of Sales & Acquisitions
Turkish Radio & Television Corporation TRT Genel Müdürlüğü, Tv Department, A blok No: 604, 06450 Oran Ankara - Turkey Tel.: 009 0 312 463 25 40 Fax: 009 0 312 463 24 73 Website: www.trt.net.tr / www.trtsales.com
Executives Attending
Ersagun Servi, International Programmes Sales Manager Meltem Tümtürk Akyol, Sales Executive
TOP EXecutivE
TOP EXecutivE
Fredrik af Malmborg, Managing Director
(Drama Series - 45’)
Executives Attending
Ahmet Ziyalar, Managing Director Sibel Levendoglu, Sales Executive Beatriz Cea Esteruelas, Sales Executive Elena Pak, Sales Executive Pelin Koray, Sales Executive Pakize Atil, Sales Executive
TOP EXecutivE
TRT
(Drama HD)
Answer If You Can! (Game Show Format)
Imagine a studio that looks like a cirque, the doors open and fancy girls with feathery hats and handsome boys in suits come in. The atmosphere is going to be fabulous and shining. ‘Answer if You Can’ is actually a quiz show, we ask contestants questions and if they succeed, at the end they will win big prize. But do not be mistaken! We are going to do everything in order to obstruct them from answering the questions. Beforehand, we are going to learn all of their weaknesses, biggest fears and their admirations. Once we know our contestant closely, there is no way of escaping from our merciless games! (Game Show Format)
You have never seen them like this before! 13 celebrities, 13 week long cooking training. 13 different final themes. 13 different public jury. They are shining on the stage, we are all dazzled by their performances while they are dancing, singing or acting. Will they be able to prove themselves in the kitchen?
KUZEY GUNEY Kuzey Güney is the story of two brothers’ struggle to survive in their own worlds. They have different ambitions and different paths. The only thing they have in common is Cemre, the girl they are both in love with. Kuzey is very lively, rebellious, hot tempered, fearless, righteous and impatient. When there are no words left to be said, he speaks with his fists. On the contrary, Güney is a calm, patient, logical and hard-working person.
LIFE AS IT IS Professor Veysel owns a private, non-profit hospital in Istanbul. After having some financial issues, some of the doctors resign. To not lose the hospital, they are creating a new team of five doctors, gathered together from different parts of Turkey. They all have different characters. However, they share a common idea.
SECRETS Kemal, his wife Leyla and their children Kerem and Yasemin have a life to be envied. They have a successful family business, beautiful house and seem to have the perfect family that has everything. But this beautiful family picture is destroyed in a single night.
FORBIDDEN LOVE An adaptation of the work of the foremost Turkish author Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil. After losing his wife eleven years ago and excluding himself from his social environment, Adnan gave all his attention to his daughter Nihal and his son Bülent. Adnan meets Bihter years later, who is also a socialite couple’s daughter and falls in love with her, and then the story begins.
LOVE If we were to ask people to name one thing money couldn’t buy… Some would say happiness, some would say health and some would say love. Love... It is stronger and more precious than anything. More precious even than money. No one can buy love, no matter how rich they are. They cannot force someone to love them. For Azra and Kerem, love was all they had.
RESURRECTION ‘ERTUGRUL’
DIRILIS ‘ERTUGRUL’ (Drama - 26 X 100’) He made the sun his flag, the sky his tent and rode his horses across endless plains. He vibrated the swarthy land, pierced the blue sky. He made his armors companions and his armies strong. He carried the divine gospel tomore seas, tomore lands. Resurrection, story of theman who determined the fate of theworld.
FILINTA – AN OTTOMAN DETECTIVE STORY (Drama – 26 X 100’)
‘Filinta’ TV series aims to tell the stories of the institution of Kadı (judiciary). ‘Filinta’ is written and settled on the basis of justice, friendship and fraternity. The well-educated Kadıs (judges) maintained harmony in social life and sustained peace through 600 years of Ottoman Empire.
SEDDUL BAHIR 32 HOURS (Miniseries - 10 X 50)
The allied fleets, which could not reached to İstanbul on 18 March, landed on Seddül Bahir on 25 april 1915. Mahmut Sabri the Commander faced with the enemy. He and his 1300 soldiers became a shield against to 18000 enemy soldiers. After resisting for 32 hours, Turkish soldiers leaving their homes, families and everthing behind them, did not give passage to the opposing forces for he cost of their lives. ‘Seddül Bahir 32 Hours’ tells about the outstanding resisting which is beyond being legendary and bravery.
HAREM
(Documentary – 3 x 30’) It had to be hidden away fromprying eyes to keep its integrity. Like the heart inside the mighty body of an empire ruling the world, Harem had to be preserved like a precious stone. Ottoman Empire was one of the mightiest that history has ever seen. This documentary surely will reveal the true nature of the Harem, no doubt one of the key components of this mighty Empire that survived for centuries.
TTV MAGAZINE/115
Celebrities In The Kitchen
Mehmet Demirhan, Deputy Head of TV Department, Acquisitions, Sales and Co-Productions
ttvTurkey | NEWS DUBBING
The Voices Behind the Success
turkish news
Universal Cinergia Dubbing has been a key cog in the Turkish content juggernaut. The company takes pride in being one of the first dubbing studios to support the introduction of Turkish content into Latin America. For the last 3 consecutive years, Universal has provided producers, distributors and TV channels with over 3,000 hours of Turkish content in series and soap operas. Universal Cinergia ventured in this kind of content, attending Discop Budapest and Discop Istanbul since 2013 and working with each of them in the success of these productions. Some of the titles that have been dubbed by Universal Cinergia are ‘Black Rose’, ‘Time Goes By’, ‘20 Minutes’ and ‘Secrets’, among many more.
DISTRIBUTION
‘A Girl Named Feriha’ Showed Up on Indian TV COUNTRY OF HONOR
ITV Inter Medya
Gets Busy at Mipcom
This year, Mipcom is celebrating Turkey as Country of Honor, and Turkish-based distributor ITV Inter Medya will have an important role during the celebrations, aiming to showcase its country in the best possible way. “Our company has been active for almost a year in the council created during the Turkey Country of Honor preparation by participating in many events and sponsoring many others,” said Can Okan, CEO of ITV Inter Medya. In addition, the company will host its traditional party, as they do every year, which is expecting over 1,000 guests on one of the busiest markets around the world: “This year this party might become one of the most spoken events in Mipcom,” he added.
116/TTV MAGAZINE
TELENOVELAS
Turkish Telenovelas go Head to Head with US Productions The television industry in Turkey is booming. So much so that Turkish productions have turned into a very profitable business, bringing in US$ 200 million per year as the second biggest exporter worldwide. The first place still belongs to the US, but the Turkish Exporters Assembly has an ambitious goal for 2023: to reach the US$ 2 billion mark in exports. The hype over Turkish productions was started by ‘Gümüs’, which turned into an unexpected success after being picked up by Dubai’s MBC for the Pan-Arab region. Many more followed. Now, with a steady flow of productions, other areas like tourism, are riding the wave. Turkey welcomed 28 million tourists in 2010 and, in 2014, the numbers climbed to 37 million.
Zindagi, channel owned by Zee Entertainment, premiered its first Turkish drama in September: ‘A Girl Named Feriha’. The “dizi” is produced by Med Yapim and distributed by Calinos. ‘A Girl Named Feriha’ is about the life of a young and beautiful girl named Feriha Yilmaz, a doorkeeper’s daughter, who gets into a university through full scholarship. Ever since her first day there, Feriha poses as a rich girl with a very wealthy father. There, she meets a handsome and rich boy called Emir Sarrafoglu. Feriha lies about her whole life and background. Emir falls in love with her, not knowing who she really is. But when she also falls in love with him, she is trapped in her own lies.