The Secret of Global Success: Turkish TV Series in the International Press

Abstract

Turkish TV series have reached millions of viewers worldwide in recent years, particularly since the 2008s, through both traditional and new communication channels. Turkey, with its TV series, has been breaking rating records in almost every country and ranks second in the world in terms of TV series exports, following only the United States. When examining news articles in the foreign press and various research studies about Turkish TV series, it is evident that Turkish TV series are being watched with extraordinary affection by foreign audiences. The fact that foreign audiences are watching Turkish TV series with a unique interest, rather than the series from other countries, has become easily observable worldwide. For the first time in Turkish history, Turkish-made media content is captivating a universal audience on a mass scale, which has had numerous positive effects such as increasing Turkey's soft power, boosting its tourism potential, contributing to the Turkish economy through various means, and promoting the widespread use of the Turkish language. The purpose of this article is to investigate the reasons behind the success of Turkish TV series. In the research, the roots of this success have been explored by analyzing news articles about Turkish TV series in the foreign press using content analysis methodology. According to the research findings, Turkish TV series are liked and followed primarily because of the themes they address and the culture they convey.