After the, due to politics, the market shifted a lot,” he says. “Turkish dramas have always been a soft power of Türkiye. In fact, examination of both Arab and Turkish dramas demonstrate that the shows can act as vehicles for change, or, perhaps, an imagination of what social landscapes could look like, with dramas often centering the roles of women, and helping to normalise otherwise taboo topics.Īs popular as Turkish dizi may be in the Arab world, their ability to be televised is equally precarious.Īccording to Pinto, the shows are a form of Turkish soft power that can easily be affected by ever-changing political currents. “Since there is a huge living standard gap in Türkiye, many combine the rich life of Türkiye, and the poor life of Türkiye, which Arabs can definitely understand,” he says.
“In terms of dramatic plot lines, from family feuds to drawn-out love triangles… people here love that stuff,” says Ghali.įor Pinto, similar tales of inequality between Türkiye and the Arab world are another reason for the popularity of dizi. It has been lauded as a mirror of the real-life dynamics of such border towns, which are often ruled by families with close ties to Lebanese militias. It bears a striking similarity to Lebanon’s hit show Al Hayba, wherein a young widow returns to a Lebanese-Syrian border town to further understand the mafia family of her late husband. According to IMDB, the drama revolves around a ‘noble mafia family’ whose youngest son must return home when the family risks losing control of their territory. Take, for example, Cukur, one of Türkiye’s most popular dizi, which, according to Forbes, grossed over USD 4 million in 2019. Maghie Ghali, an arts and culture journalist and commentator based in Beirut, says the dramas are even quite similar to what is produced locally in Lebanon. “When we look at American series, they’re usually based on fiction, but Türkiye is very much experienced with real, family stories. He says it's a primary reason Arabs would choose Turkish shows as opposed to American ones. It doesn’t look like fiction,” says Pinto. “When look at Türkiye, they admire the modern way of living, but it's never edgy, always traditional, which makes the story appealing and true. Many in the West even consider Türkiye to be part of the Middle East, which has no politically-defined borders, for similar reasons. Religion, culture, and the handling of social justice issues see a lot of overlap.
When shows are sold to the Arab world, they’re often dubbed into the Syrian dialect of Arabic-one of the most widely understood across the region-allowing viewers to feel like they’re watching any other local show.īut the relationship is a little more complicated than that.Ī top reason for the success of Turkish dramas in the Middle East is the cultural proximity between Türkiye and several Arab nations. There’s also the fact that Turkish dramas are longer by the number of episodes, and seasons than other comparable shows, meaning viewers are generally able to enjoy a daily broadcast schedule, and buyers are getting more for their buck.Īmong his top broadcast markets are the Middle East and North Africa, two regions that have loyally consumed diz i for decades. For him, it’s the “combination of family stories with big talents and directors, and great music” that attract audiences so widely, and Turkish culture as a whole, which he calls both “modern, but also very traditional”. Already one of the leading exporters of dramas, if the figure is reached, Türkiye would position itself to further bridge the gap with the top producer, the United States.Īccording to Izzet Pinto, the head of Istanbul-based powerhouse distributor Global Agency, it's no coincidence that dizi are internationally acclaimed. Turkish dramas-or dizi, as they are called in Turkish-have long been a popular choice for television aficionados across the world.Īvailable and adored in over 150 countries, it is estimated that the export of the dramas rakes in nearly $500 million per year, a figure the Turkish government hopes to grow to $1 billion by 2023. She makes friends with a rich girl, Deniz, but faces difficulties when Firat, her first love, reappears in her life, engaged to Deniz's sister.Common history and cultural proximity make Turkish dramas all the rage in the Arabic-speaking region, surpassing the Western entertainment industry by a massive margin. Through dedicated study she becomes a successful lawyer. Struggling against family pressure to quit school, she escapes to the big city. Narin is a girl from a poor family with an abusive alcoholic father.
Set in 1996, it tells the story of Narin, who is a lawyer in Istanbul. It stars Özgü Namal and İbrahim Çelikkol. Merhamet (English: Compassion) is a Turkish drama television series, adapted from Hande Altaylı's novel Kahperengi.
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