The growing Turkish TV drama industry wins hearts and minds around the world and boosts tourism

ISTANBUL – Under the scorching Turkish sun, tourists stroll through scenes that recreate Ottoman and Byzantine-era castles, take selfies with actors in traditional Ottoman costumes and watch horseback acrobatics performances. Among them is Riia Toivanen, 22, a devoted fan of the Turkish television drama who traveled from Finland to Istanbul with her mother to immerse herself in the realm of her beloved shows.

About 12,800 kilometers from the world, in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina, retired teacher Raquel Greco, 66, watches an episode of a Turkish romantic comedy, surrounded by memories of her once-in-a-lifetime trip to Istanbul. where she visited tourist spots she had known for years watching Turkish shows.

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

The global popularity of Turkish television dramas – or dizi in Turkish – has placed Turkey in the position of the country’s leading television exporter, greatly enhancing the country’s international image and attracting millions of viewers and tourists around the world to its historic and cultural sites that are settings for many of the shows.

The success of television shows has fueled a booming billion-dollar industry that continues to expand into new markets, experts say. The popularity of these programs is also greatly increasing Turkey’s soft power on a global scale.

Between 2020 and 2023, global demand for Turkish series increased by 184%, positioning Turkey as one of the largest exporters of television programs worldwide, according to Parrot Analytics, a research company.

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

Although “Deli Yurek” was the first Turkish series to be exported – to Kazakhstan in 2001 – it was the 2005 romantic series “Gumus” that catapulted Turkish dizis to global fame. The series, which revolves around a woman from a traditional background who adapts to urban life, has become immensely popular in the Middle East.

“One Thousand and One Nights,” a 2006 romantic drama loosely based on the collection of Middle Eastern folktales and set in modern-day Istanbul, captivated audiences in the Balkans. “Magnificent Century,” based on the 16th-century Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, paved the way for historical fiction.

Once an importer of Latin American soap operas, Turkey now exports its dramas to the region. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro visited the set of the historical drama series “Resurrection: Ertugrul” in 2018, highlighting the appeal of dizi in his nation.

Haley Uganadi, founder of the Turkish TV series fan platform “Dizilah”, says the dramas’ popularity comes from themes that focus on family, friendship and love, often set against the backdrop of Istanbul’s lavish lifestyle or the rich history of Turkey.

“They offer something for everyone, regardless of where you are from. Watching Turkish dramas, I see reflections of my mother, myself and my brothers,” Uganadi said.

Its platform receives around 1.5 million viewers monthly, with fans from the United States, Canada, Greece, India and Pakistan.

Pinto points to the family-friendly nature of Turkish dramas. “There is no nudity, no swearing or swearing, not much hate. So, this becomes watched by the family”, he explains.

As the industry grows, it expands the themes of its series, such as “Red Roses,” which explores the dynamics between a strongly secular, Western-oriented family and a fictional Islamic brotherhood.

During a break in filming, actor Ozcan Deniz, who has acted in series such as “The Mansion with Vines” and “The Bride of Istanbul”, said that this diversification was essential for the industry to prosper.

“Countries that failed to transform into a different genre are now behind in exporting series,” said Deniz. “Turkey has already caught this momentum, but if it doesn’t manage to diversify, if it doesn’t also manage to say different things, it will end up somewhere.”

Toivanen and his mother were visiting Bozdag Film Studios, a vast complex in northern Istanbul where historic Ottoman-era blockbusters such as “Resurrection: Ertugrul” and “Foundation: Osman” were filmed.

Toivanen says her love for the romantic dramas “Black Money Love” and “Endless Love” brought her to Istanbul. “I really like Turkish culture,” she said. “(The show is) very friendly and warm, and there is a lot of drama going on.”

The first episode of “Resurrection: Ertugrul” has had more than 157 million views on the Urdu-language YouTube channel of Turkish state broadcaster TRT, said producer and screenwriter Mehmet Bozdag, who created the popular historical dramas that fictionalize the lives of leaders and Ottoman heroes. “Foundation: Osman” has been broadcast in more than 110 countries, he said.

During its run, “Resurrection: Ertugrul” peaked as the fourth most searched program worldwide in May 2020, with demand more than 68 times greater than the program’s average worldwide, according to Parrot Analytics.

Deniz Gurgen Atalay, assistant professor of film and TV at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul, says the industry will generate a billion dollars in 2023 from exports abroad and has an important impact on tourism, especially in Istanbul.

“The TV series sector has a huge role in this. The image of Istanbul presented by the series, the food eaten here, the drinks consumed, the music listened to, the living standards and the culture here offer a very pleasant place of appreciation within the scope of the series.” Atalay said.

Mert Yazicioglu, another star of “Red Roses”, whose second season is scheduled to premiere at the end of September, was dressed as his character, a member of an Islamic sect, when he took a break from filming to talk.

The series propelled the soft-spoken 31-year-old to stardom, with Turkish media following his every step.

“We introduce Turkish culture abroad. This makes us very happy,” he said, wearing the character’s beige baggy pants and matching vest.

——

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