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Turkish TV dramas have taken an unexpected global journey
SHARE YOUR SCIENCE: Turkish TV dramas have already travelled to over 140 countries around the world. Could Scandinavia be the next destination?
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Breathtaking natural landscapes, extravagant mansions, good-looking actors, emotional soundtracks, intense expressions of feelings, and almost endless family dramas. This 'endlessness' means episodes stretching to 120 minutes and seasons that go on as long as audience ratings are high.
This is an accurate description of Turkish TV dramas (or dizi in Turkish), which have reached audiences in 146 countries worldwide and positioned Turkey as the third biggest exporter of scripted series behind the US and the UK.
A young TV industry that is growing quickly
The global phenomenon of Turkish dramas is quite new compared to other television industries. The Latin American telenovelas, which could be considered the older sister of Turkish dramas, have been exported since the 1970s.
Regardless of the controversies, it is estimated that 85 million people watched the final episode of 'Silver'.
Meanwhile, Turkish dramas started to be produced on a larger scale by the end of the 1990s, and exports only became more prominent by the early 2000s. Despite being an emerging industry, Turkish dramas expanded quickly and are even replacing telenovelas in Latin America and Spain.
How did Turkish drama exports begin?
At first, Turkish dramas were produced solely for domestic audiences, and although there were some exports to Central Asian countries, the Turkish industry did not seem to have global ambitions. However, this changed when the pan-Arab TV network MBC bought Silver (Gümüş) in 2008.
Silver presented a modern Muslim society that was both relatable and desirable for young Arab audiences, generating a moral panic among authorities due to the depiction of less conservative gender relations and social values by Arab standards.
Regardless of the controversies, it is estimated that 85 million people watched the final episode of Silver.
Cultural proximity as an explanation for the success of Turkish dramas
In 2009, Turkish dramas reached the Balkan countries, where they experienced similar popularity and backlash.
The Balkans were under Ottoman rule for almost five centuries, so the sudden invasion of Turkish dramas caused fear of a new 'Turkification' of the region. At the same time, the historical ties made audiences relate to the cultural aspects and lifestyles depicted in Turkish dramas.
Ultimately, Turkish dramas helped improve relations between the Balkan countries and Turkey.
In Sweden, SVT has been broadcasting Turkish dramas since 2013.
Explanations for the success of Turkish dramas in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as in Central Asia and the Balkans, are often related to the 'cultural proximity theory.' According to this theory, audiences tend to prefer national content or content from countries with a similar culture.
Although not always in a positive way, all these regions share some degree of historical, religious, geographic, and cultural similarities with Turkey. Therefore, audiences can relate more to Turkish dramas than to Anglo-American content.
Turkish dramas travel even further
Turkish dramas entered the Latin American market in 2014. Chilean TV network Mega, to reduce expenses during the economic crisis that television in Chile was facing, decided to stop producing telenovelas and broadcast the Turkish drama 1001 Nights (Binbir Gece).
While each episode of a telenovela would cost an average of $40,000, each episode of a Turkish drama cost around $1,600. The money-saving strategy, although risky, proved to be successful, and 1001 Nights was the most-viewed TV show in Chile that year.
In 2015, Turkish dramas were also aired in Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay, and Brazil.
What explains the popularity of Turkish dramas so far away from Turkey?
Latin America is very distant from Turkey both geographically and culturally, so the cultural proximity theory does not explain the success of Turkish dramas.
Arguments point to genre proximity, which refers to the ubiquitous familiarity with the structure and rules of the melodrama genre, and value proximity, which is related to shared values across cultures.
Turkish dramas present universal plots of love, family, and revenge using the melodramatic formula that audiences are already familiar with since these elements are common in telenovelas.
Additionally, Turkish dramas tend to be more conservative compared to local dramas, which is often welcomed by audiences longing for traditional love stories. At the same time, Turkish dramas add some novelty to the viewing experience as they introduce a different culture and highlight Turkey’s exotic landscapes.
Broadcasters seem reluctant to acquire Turkish dramas as well as Turkish formats such as reality TV shows.
As Turkish dramas reach countries in South Asia, Africa, and Southern Europe, their popularity is yet to be fully understood. In Spain, where audiences also have a tradition of watching telenovelas, genre proximity and value proximity seem like possible explanations.
A cosmopolitan interest for different cultures and people, combined with the possibility of imaginative travel through Turkish dramas, might also contribute to the appeal of these productions.
Further research might confirm these hypotheses or reveal other elements that play a role in the reception process. On the other hand, investigating why Turkish dramas have not entered certain markets is also relevant.
Turkish dramas in Scandinavia
In Sweden, SVT has been broadcasting Turkish dramas since 2013. Some of the titles include The End (Son), 20 Minutes (20 Dakika), Broken Pieces (Paramparça), Brave and Beautiful (Cesur ve Güzel), and Mother (Anne).
Turkish dramas are also available on global streaming services like Netflix, and more dedicated fans can find episodes on social media. However, the presence of Turkish dramas in Scandinavia is not as significant compared to other markets and seems to mostly reach diasporic audiences.
Turkish dramas are increasingly moving away from the tear-jerking formula with 2-hour-long episodes.
According to distributors of Turkish content, entering the Nordic market is a challenge. Broadcasters seem reluctant to acquire Turkish dramas as well as Turkish formats such as reality TV shows.
Distributors have a few hypotheses to explain this: Scandinavian audiences are not used to watching this type of long-running melodramatic content, they prefer more educational content, or Turkish dramas look 'too foreign.'
Potential to reach Scandinavian audiences
However, Turkish dramas are increasingly moving away from the tear-jerking formula with 2-hour-long episodes. For instance, dramas produced for local and global streaming services tend to be shorter and introduce more narrative experimentation compared to dramas produced for television.
Examples of innovative Turkish dramas produced for streaming services include Ethos (Bir Başkadır), which discusses socio-cultural divides in contemporary Turkey, and The Club (Kulüp), a historical drama that approaches the discrimination faced by Turkey’s Jewish community.
These Turkish productions would work better for audiences not familiar with melodrama and have the potential to reach Scandinavian audiences who have never watched a Latin American telenovela or a Turkish drama.
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