Following the break-up of the state monopoly on audiovisual media in Turkey in 1990, the commercial television industry quickly became aware of the audience’s demand for domestic productions and home-made dramas. Throughout the 2000s, a television drama sector emerged, supplying a substantial amount of dramas not only to the domestic market, but also to a regional audience in the Middle East, Central Asia and Balkan countries. Although the lively market fosters an expanding “drama economy”, it still has some structural problems and weaknesses. Yet, the actors of the sector and the authorities are becoming more aware of what the market promises, culturally and politically, in addition to its economic value. Now, the drama industry is often assessed in terms of its “geo-cultural” significance or “soft-power.” Big producers even argue that the sector has become a global actor competing with Hollywood and Bollywood. It is a fact that Turkish dramas affect masses in neighbouring regions, reinforcing the “image” of the country and stimulating regional tourism. However, the claim that Turkish drama industry has become a competitive power in the international media market needs further and thorough research.
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12
TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND
Cem Pekman, Kocaeli Üniversitesi
Selin Tüzün, Marmara Üniversitesi




  Abstract

                                                                                      -
  tic productions and home-made dramas. Throughout the 2000s, a television drama sector




  Big producers even argue that the sector has become a global actor competing with Holly-

  reinforcing the “image” of the country and stimulating regional tourism. However, the claim
                                                                                             -




and discuss the dynamics of this emerging industry. Firstly, we set a brief history to show the rel-
evance of such an emergence with deregulation and commercialization of the audio-visual media
                                                                                                   -



political, cultural and diplomatic dimensions, where we stress the need for deepening the analyses
on the industry’s various dimensions. A survey of the still limited literature as well as in-depth
interviews with different actors of the industry is conducted for the purpose of this study.



CINÉMA & CIE, vol. XII, no. 19, Fall 2012                                                        93
CEM PEKMAN, SELIN TÜZÜN

History and overview


                 1

to a very limited number of viewers in the city and to curious groups visiting the studio to watch
the programs. Its purpose was predominantly to educate students at the electronics department in
                                                                                                    -
vision staff, but also introduced television and its culture to the middle-class. This service lasted

was founded and its television broadcasts became widespread in the early 1970s. In the meantime,
                                                                                               -

However, dramas were live studio replays of popular stage plays and were not in a serial form

   For another 20 years until the end of the 1980s, television broadcasting remained under the pub-
lic monopoly of the TRT. The corporation was established in 1964 and started its trial television
broadcasts in 1968. However, in the 1970s television increased its reach and became a popular and


                                                                                                -
mas began to appear on the screens. Imported serials such as Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Shir-
ley’s World and The Fugitive                                                 Hayattan Yapraklar
(Pages of Life) in 1973, and in 1974-1975 by several others, some of which were adapted from
                                                 2
                                                   Among them,                (Forbidden Love),


                                                3
                                                                                                     -
                                                                th
                                                                     century setting, was broadcast on

story in terms of domestic viewing and exports.

whereas in the 1980s, the neo-liberal policy and its stronger governments were in dominance.
In any case, the TRT has always been subject of political struggle and pressure. Nevertheless,
by and large the corporation stayed in line with the principles and quality standards of the public
service broadcasting during its monopoly (1964-1990). The TRT television also switched to co-

drama programming was dependent on foreign and heavily on American sources, the TRT itself
                                                  4
                                                    A strategic move towards commercializing
broadcasting came from the government in the second half of the 1980s, with amendments to the

monopolies.5 In accordance with the amendment, the TRT could begin to buy or commission in-
dependently produced programs, which lead to the emergence of a commercial production sector.6

94
                                            TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND

Eventually, some larger producers from this sector became associates or program providers of the
private broadcasters soon to become operational.

television (and radio) stations by the beginning of the 1990s. Tens of national and hundreds of

a few years. A new law abolishing the monopoly of the TRT and legitimizing and regulating the de
facto situation eventually came into effect in 1994. In the meantime, and for a couple of years after

In terms of programs other than news and sports, and less costly studio programming, the new



was not compliant with the rapidly growing commercial television sector in these years; however
it is hard to claim that there was a substantial demand from the sector for domestic drama pro-
ductions. The commercial broadcasters preferred the ready-made and safe in the 1990s immature
                                                                                              -
ular serial dramas too, some transferred from the TRT and some commissioned to independent or

                                                                             7

  In compliance with the cultural proximity theory8
regional programming over imported competing programs, and the commercial sector became
aware of this soon. The warm welcome from the audience for countless screenings and re-screen-

                                                                                               -
ly obtained: the average number of television dramas broadcast on mainstream national television
                                                                   9
                                                                     Throughout the 2000s, this

of the 40s, due to the cost cutting strategies adapted by the channels after the global economic
crisis.10

                                                                                                    -

is right, and it is not us who found it… We used the same formula. So there wasn’t such an inven-

of view haven’t changed a lot.”11

                                                                                                 -
egory, namely Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?                                                         (Bitter
Life, 2005-2007),                                                                (Chastity, 2011-
2012) proved to be very successful. A similar strategy is evident on the other end since the early
2000s, the movie business has adapted many popular TV dramas to cinema in order to attract
loyal audiences to movie theatres. It started with the movie version of Deli Yürek (Crazy Heart)
in 2001 and continued in the following years with the movies of beloved dramas such as

                                                                                                  95
CEM PEKMAN, SELIN TÜZÜN

Konak                                  Kurtlar Vadisi                                        also had

   All of the above examples point at the ever growing symbiotic relationship between television
and cinema following the proliferation of commercial television channels in the early 1990’s,
which mutually shapes the developments in both sectors. The TV drama crews gained experience
through advertising, television and cinema sectors, and the technical sophistication of the domes-
tic TV dramas increased considerably, particularly throughout the 2000s. A number of production

movies and/or
1996-2005, counted that companies operating solely in the cinema sector could produce only 3 of
                         12
                            For instance the movie       (The Bandit, 1996) which heralded the

the advertisement sector. Casting has been the site for the highest amount of interaction between

                                                                                            -
tween 2006 and 2009 and found out that the percentage of acting personnel in cinema who often
                                                    13




Facts and figures, problems and prospects

                                                                                            The14

two most preferred program formats, almost on equal terms, are news bulletins and domestic dra-
mas. This explains the dominance of the two over prime time television. Almost all of the larger
mainstream channels prefer to broadcast a television drama episode following the evening news

talent or quiz shows. Daytime dramas or daily soaps are rare, and some of the existing ones are the
re-screenings of older productions or repetitions of the prime time series. A gradual decrease in

seems to have internalized a “serial culture” in time, based on a certain level of quality, production
value and star glamour, besides “dramatic” expectations. The local television dramas matching
such criteria qualify for prime time and naturally for more advertising income. In recent years, the
duration of an episode in prime time has increased considerably, reaching up to 90-100 minutes,
and the screening durations can be elongated even to twice of that including a long “summary”


advantage of longer episodes for broadcasters is avoiding the need for scheduling a second drama


broadcasters’ needs as well as satisfying the audience’s expectations.


never had a good record of providing social security rights and fair payment. This receives criti-

96
                                              TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND

cism from the sectorial, artistic and academic circles, and even prompts protests from actors, writ-

                         15

also criticized for monitoring only the advertising side and not intervening in the scheduling and


regulating bodies prefer to “watch” the outcome for now.
   According to a sector-based research, the number of people employed in TV drama production
reached up to 150.000 in 2008, and was about 100.000 in 2010 due to the economic turbulence.16
                                                                                              -
tive to economic conditions. Fluctuations in the economy result in sudden adjustments of adver-

decade of the 21st                                                     17
                                                                          in 2007 and dropped to 2,7
billion in 2009, afterwards managing to recover with 3,6 billion in 2010 and 4,3 billion in 2011.18
This is good news especially for television, since it gets the lion’s share from the advertising pie,
with over 50% every year, up from 53% in 2007 to 56,6% in 2011. Also given the persistent de-
mand from the audience, one can expect further increase in the number of productions and level

and fees (apart from well-paid stars) remains to be seen.
  Sponsorship and product placement agreements are also major sources of income for broad-
casters and producers. Although sponsorship is quite an established practice now since it has
been regulated by law since 1994, product placement was legalized recently by the amended
radio-television law of 2011. The long awaited amendment lead to a rush of brands towards the
popular dramas and larger broadcasting companies instantly establishing their product placement
divisions. Media planning and emerging product placement agencies also help to manage the traf-

and unsound placements; and the brands are now becoming more selective with their integration
strategies and spending.19 Undoubtedly, product placement is a very promising business, however

  Forbes Turkey, in its latest annual report of “richest producers,” counts 39 production compa-
nies providing dramas to television stations and a total turnover of 655 million lira.20


total. The second ten receive a total of 173 million and the rest share the remaining 85 million.21
Hence the top companies nominate for the above mentioned powerful alliance more than the rest.
The top companies are more privileged and advantageous in their agreements with the broadcast-
ers, which usually impose severe clauses to producers such as rating guarantee/payment according
to ratings or holding the post-screening/sales rights of the programs. The bigger producers are

broadcaster to share the possible exporting revenues or to hold some secondary rights.22 Above
all, established producers of highly rated television dramas have the highest negotiation power

concessions in terms of their agreements.23

                                                                                                  97
CEM PEKMAN, SELIN TÜZÜN

almost impossible for small or medium size businesses to sell their projects to national channels
without becoming partners with bigger production companies or intermediary agents.24 Neverthe-
                                                                                                -

younger generations, who are positioned out of the traditional family viewing and inclined to dif-
ferent programs. In this sense, production companies refer to American television dramas which

question, one has to underline the fact that global formats or familiar soaps or sitcoms are the ma-
jor references of domestic productions. On the other hand, imitating the popular/successful within




New horizons: Exports, drama-tourism and tele-power

  The local television drama exportation started by the early 2000s, soon after the domestic com-
                                                                 Deli Yürek                     -


increased considerably. Three dramas,                                      Binbir Gece (Thou-
sand and One Nights) and
exportation.
                 , produced and distributed by Erler Film with 106 episodes in total, ran in Tur-




under the title of The Borders of Love. It is also aired in Bulgaria with the title Marriage with a
Foreigner
Al-Gharib (The Stranger).
  Binbir Gece, a melodrama produced by TMC Film, was originally broadcast on Kanal D be-

agrees to sleep with her boss, in exchange for the money she needs for the operation of her fatally




                                                                                             -
razad’s Paths.” Newborn babies in Bulgaria were given the names of characters from the series,


show’s popularity.25
                       Noor                     countries, was another program which became a


98
                                               TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND


a success. The show, dubbed in an Arabic dialect, started to be broadcast in 2008 on the Dubai-

became “an immediate sensation and one of the highest-rated television shows in the world.”26
Noor                                                                                           -
tion of the Arab world from Morocco to Iraq. It was also aired by Romanian, Bulgarian, Albanian,

residence together with a multi-generational, upper class family apparently fascinated millions,
but also irritated some. The show became the subject of angry Friday sermons in Saudi Arabia and
the country’s chief cleric issued a fatwa calling it “decadent and sinful to watch.”27 Yet, Noor pro-


by 70,000 people just from Saudi Arabia the same year.28
  Whatever the reason, be it the cultural similarities, quality, glamour, stars, plots, it has become a
                                                                        29

                                                                                                            -


reported that a total of 35.675 hours was exported to 76 countries between 2005 and 2011.30 They

not only by the broadcasters/producers/distributors but also by the authorities. The minister re-
sponsible for foreign trade has been active in providing export incentives and relaxing regulations




  At the beginning, we used to sell each episode for 300-500 US dollars. Sometimes we’d even pay them
  to buy the series – for promotional purposes. Now we have some productions that sell to the Middle East
  for more than 100,000 US dollars. There’s nothing to stop us becoming a so-called Bollywood. We have
  the potential.31

                                                                                             -
ish drama episode may vary from 150,000 to 600,000 US dollars, as well as the export prices.32

willing to pay up to 40,000 dollars per episode, which could have been bought for 600-700 US
dollars several years ago;33                                                                      -
tury, 2011-) may cost even more.                   represents the state of the art: with a pre-pro-
duction budget of 2 million US dollars and roughly half a million spent per episode, the show is
                                                                          34
                                                                             It proved to be a huge

its second season from the initial broadcaster Show TV, carrying with it an advertising revenue of
3 million US dollars.35 Abroad, it has already been sold to 45 countries.36 Following the footsteps

treated in the program, the public broadcaster TRT decided to spend around 5 million Euros on Bir

                                                                                                        99
CEM PEKMAN, SELIN TÜZÜN

                          (Once Upon A Time In The Ottoman Empire: Rebellion, 2012), a TV
drama whose story unfolds in another period of the Ottoman Empire.37
  Besides their commercial success,
                                                                                            -
                                                                                     38
                                                                                        While
                                                                                            -
                                                                     Time magazine describing

          39
               or Newsweek

Arab world,”40                                                                                         -
ever, that is not to say that the programs receive unanimous acclaim in the country. They do get
various and contrary reactions from conservative, nationalist, liberal, radical, intellectual and oth-
                                                                                                       ,
calling the series “an attempt to insult our past, to treat our history with disrespect and an effort to
show our history in a negative light to the younger generations.”41 As a matter of fact, criticisms

the content. For instance, Kurtlar Vadisi, a heavily criticized show for its violent, nationalistic and

                                                                                                                -


“He [Polat Alemdar] made a great series about Palestine. I consider him a hero.”42 The words of
Kurtlar Vadisi


  We write here a drama, our people watch it, and 200 million people everywhere in the world watch
  it sharing the same feelings. Nobody would dream of this ten years ago. […] Turkish movies and TV
  dramas give an outstanding chance for Turkey’s promotion. Kurtlar Vadisi sells to 30 countries today.
                                                                                                            -
  structure, directing, acting and screenwriting quality, it ranks the third following the two global giants.
  We strive to outstrip.43



Conclusion


economy that necessitates a thorough analysis. Production is a complicated process: from casting
agencies to dubbing studios, post-production and animation houses to music studios, catering and


distributors, advertisers, sponsors, brands, and all of their integrated activities. It has advantag-


100
                                               TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND

from the neighbouring countries. So passionate that it attracts people culturally, effects politically,
mobilizes socially. Nevertheless, it has a soft belly: it is vulnerable to economic turbulences and
global crisis. Although it is dynamic, it still has some structural problems to solve. As such, what
is in hand is a complicated case which requires more concrete and comparative data to be fully
analysed and understood. Stating that the sector has become a global actor competing with Hol-

                           44




Although this essay was jointly elaborated by the authors, the “History and Overview” section was written




                                                                                                  Toplumsal
   Tarih, vol. 17, no. 98, 2002, pp. 50-61.
                                                                                                            -
   im, Türk Televizyon Tarihi 1952-2006




                 Türk Televizyon Tarihi 1952-2006, cit., p. 157.


                                                                                                Türk Sinema
   Tarihi
                                                                                                            -
   imity,” in Critical Studies in Mass Communication, vol. 8, no. 1, 1991, pp. 39-59.


   does not include replays in these or other regional/local channels. Also, more importantly, several dramas
   come and go throughout the broadcast season according to the ratings. So, the total number of dramas
   screened in a years time may rise up to 70-80. In the 2010-2011 season total number of dramas broad-

                NTVMSNBC, http://www.ntvmsnbc.com/id/25363998/. At the opening of the new season
   in September 2012, 6 larger national channels were continuing with 32 shows from the previous season

   on 27 September 2012.

                                                                                                   Marmara
                   , no. 12, 2007, p. 127.
                                                                                           Wide Screen, vol.
   2, no. 2, 2010, p. 4.


                                                                                                            -

                                                                                                            -


                                                                                                         101
CEM PEKMAN, SELIN TÜZÜN

17 1 TL equals to 0,55 US Dollars and 0,42 Euros as of September 2012.


                                            Forbes Türkiye

      see http://devam.hypotheses.org/485.
                                                               Bloomberg TV, 14 September 2012.

      September 2012.

                   Birikim, no. 256-257, 2010, pp. 77-84 (here p. 79).
                                                     The Balkan Chronicle, 31 December 2010, http://www.
                                                                                                       -

26 Pierre Tristam, “Noor, the Middle-East’s Frothiest TV Soap,” About.com, 6 November 2009, http://mid-
   dleeast.about.com/b/2009/11/06/noor-the-middle-easts-frothiest-tv-soap.htm.
27 Faiza Saleh Ambah, “A Subversive Soap Roils Saudi Arabia,” The Washington Post, 3 August 2008,
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/02/AR2008080201547.html.
                                                                 Gulfnews.com, 1 April 2012, http://gulf-


      that, we need to consider “regionalization” as a powerful force to explain the cultural trade in television
                                                                                                                -
                                                                                                                -
                                                                                Media In A Global Context: A
      Reader, Edward Arnold, London 1997, pp. 284-298 (here p. 285).
                                                         Zaman

                                                                         Euronews

32 “The International Scene Hit by Unexpected Powerhouses,” in VideoAge International, vol. 31, no. 5,


                                                  Habertürk

      Reuters, 8 March 2012, http://blogs.reuters.com/david-rohde/2012/03/08/inside-islams-culture-war/.


                            Hürriyet

                                                                    Ansamed, 30 March 2012, http://ansamed.


40 Owen Matthews, “The Arab World’s ‘Dallas’,” The Daily Beast, 5 September 2011, http://www.thedai-

41 David Rohde, “Inside Islam’s Culture War,” cit.


      2012.

                                                                                                                -

102
                                          TURKISH TELEVISION DRAMAS: THE ECONOMY AND BEYOND

                                 Televizyon, Temsil, Kültür
                                                                                          -

                                                                                         .),
                                                                                           -

Ahmet Uysal (eds.), Culture and Politics in the New Middle East
2012.




                                                                                       103
