A World of Drama

Broadcasters across CEE have demonstrated a varied taste for international drama, licensing titles from the U.S. to Turkey to the Philippines—and everywhere in between.

A large contingent of rights holders will be showcasing their wares at NATPE Budapest International this year, including a raft of drama distributors eager to tap into the seemingly endless appetite for compelling scripted series from around the world. While content from established scripted suppliers like the U.S. and the U.K. remains in high demand, Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) has long been open to a diverse range of sources, with Turkish series, in particular, finding a solid foothold in the region.

“Turkish dramas have been on air for more than ten years in this region,” reports Can Okan, founder and CEO of Inter Medya. “Buyers have a high level of awareness about the story­lines, casts and performance of all Turkish programs. Since the beginning of their popularity in the international market, there has been strong demand for Turkish series in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkans, where many of our series and feature films have been exported.”

Kanal D International has also established a robust trade in the region, reports Ekin Koyuncu, the company’s regional sales executive. “Our penetration in Central and Eastern Europe has been and still is in great shape. We are constantly working on expanding our reach and maintaining our long-standing relationships with leading TV stations, pay-TV platforms and telcos. Buyers have a high level of awareness of and excitement for Turkish dramas. The production quality is always something that we are proud of, and when it is combined with our unique but relatable storytelling, the buying decision comes very quickly. We are working closely with almost all CEE territories and lately, we also managed to increase our penetration in Poland and the Czech Republic.”

For ATV, Bosnia, Greece, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia have become key markets, according to Müge Akar, deputy manager for content sales. “Our latest deals include Lifeline’s sale to Slovenia last year. In addition to Slovenia, Romania acquired one of ATV’s new big hits, Hercai, right after its third episode release in Turkey.”

One of Calinos Entertainment’s top sellers in the region has been its recent hit Woman, based on a Japanese scripted format. Asli Serim Guliyev, international sales director, notes that the drama has secured slots in Croatia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia, while Forbidden Fruit was recently sold into Poland.

While Turkish content is well established in CEE, new opportunities are emerging for Asian series, including shows from India and, more recently, the Philippines. “There is strong interest in our content from Greece, Macedonia, Ukraine and Russia because of how the stories relate to their viewers,” reports Laarni Yu, the sales head for EMEA at ABS-CBN Corporation. “We are setting foot in the region by offering stories with strong women leads, familial conflicts and more mature storylines.”

ABS-CBN is also eyeing opportunities with OTT platforms across Europe, Yu adds.

Similarly, Inter Medya’s Okan sees significant potential with digital platforms emerging in the region. “Europeans have usually spent less time watching TV than others around the world. This has recently changed thanks to the popularity of OTT. With many Europeans watching so much television, it is an optimal time for international media companies to enter into the region and for European broadcasters to invest resources in OTT. This clearly shows us that we have a lot of leeway in this area.”

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Selim Türkmen, the sales executive for Western Europe, MENA and Africa at Kanal D International, reflects a similar sentiment, noting, “We see how local players are trying to find the right way to compete against giants like Netflix. Cooperation and alliances seem to be a common strategy. This competition creates a huge demand for exclusive and original content. This is where we can help make a difference. OTT can be an additional window to monetize our content, and in new markets, it can help us test our content and get a better understanding of local viewing habits.”

Türkmen also mentions Kanal D’s growing business in Western Europe, an area that is opening up to Turkish distributors following the success of the country’s series in Spain. “In general, European broadcasters prefer picking regional content, [which is] less risky and more familiar. Lately, they’ve discovered Turkish content has these qualities. This is a great chance for us, since we strongly believe in the quality of our production, the strength of our stories and the talent of our actors.”

ATV’s Akar adds, “We believe that other countries will follow the Spanish case and make a domino effect for Turkish dramas.”

Inter Medya’s Black Money Love has sold into Spain, and Okan is expecting the more recent Broken Wings to fare well across Western Europe. “The Western European market has become more fruitful for us,” Okan notes. “Turkish dramas have great potential, and the success of our dramas will soon spread to more countries in Western Europe.”

Calinos Entertainment has also found Spanish success, with The Girl Named Feriha on air in the country and a recent deal on Woman. “Due to the great success of The Girl Named Feriha, we expect to license it to Portugal and Italy very soon,” Guliyev says. “Since Turkish dramas have universal themes like family and love, emotional issues with high-quality scripts and high production values, we believe more new markets will open, not only in Western European territories but all around the world.”

Drama distributors are also eager to pursue remake and co-production opportunities in Europe.

“We actually have ongoing talks for a remake of one of our narratives,” ABS-CBN’s Yu says. “We are hoping that this would set a great start to our expansion in Europe.”

“We have licensed the remake rights of our titles in recent years, and co-production seems the logical next step,” Kanal D’s Türkmen notes.

“Building joint ventures with producers in the region has been a priority for us for the past few years,” adds Calinos’ Guliyev. “We are currently working on co-production opportunities with partners from Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, to name a few.”

Pictured: Inter Medya’s Broken Wings.