ATF Perspectives: Eccho Rights’ Melis Hamamcioglu

Melis Hamamcioglu, the director of digital media acquisition and content sales at Eccho Rights, talks to World Screen about the rising interest in Turkish dramas across Asia.

WS: How is the demand for Turkish drama across Asia?
HAMAMCIOGLU: Turkish drama is at the center of the interest of audiences from all over the world, including Asian territories. There is an increasing demand for Turkish content in Asia, especially Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Contrary to other regions, lighter Turkish dramas and dramedies are preferred in Asia, whereas heavy dramas are in higher demand throughout the rest of the world.

WS: How is the market responding to your expanded slate of Western drama?
HAMAMCIOGLU: We have been receiving great feedback for our Western dramas since there are various digital platforms and linear TV channels across Asia that have a demand for high-end, fast-paced fiction and procedural miniseries.

WS: What new markets are opening for you in the region?
HAMAMCIOGLU: Our catalog includes a wide range of content, including long-running and short-running Turkish series and short-form Western dramas. This allows us to meet our customers’ diverse drama demands. As a result, we can quickly reach regions where some content may not have been available before and open up new markets for such specific types of series. For instance, the Japanese market is slowly opening up for Turkish series. Additionally, we have been active in the Indian subcontinent market, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam for a long time, but we are now beginning to attract the interest of new players in the region with our content.

WS: What are your goals for your distribution business in AsiaPac in 2024?
HAMAMCIOGLU: We aim to strengthen our presence in key markets by expanding our portfolio of content offerings, including Turkish and Western drama series. This includes a mix of popular genres and culturally relevant productions tailored to each market’s preferences. Additionally, we will continue to open new markets for our content that have not been available before.