The third day of panels at VS Next programmed one of the top sessions of LA Virtual Screenings:the “Turkish Showcase: The Golden Age of Drama”, which brought together the representatives from Inter Medya, Calinos, MADD, Eccho Rights, Kanal D International, Global Agency and MITSCO for the fourth year in a row.
Moderated by Professor Carolina Acosta-Alzuru from College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia it had as guests Ekin Koyuncu, executive director, Kanal D International; Özlem Özsümbül, Head of Sales, MADD Entertainment; Iván Sánchez, Sales Director, Global Agency; Beatiz Cea Okan, VP and Head of Sales and Acquisitions, Inter Medya; Jose Luis Gascue, EVP, Calinos Entertainment; Fredrik Af Malmborg, managing director, Eccho Rights; and Maria Espino, sales manager, Latin America, MISTCO.
Acosta-Alzuru began the session by commenting that Turkish dramas continue to ‘consolidate themselves as the most watched content in various markets,’ adding: ‘In some territories, these titles are not exactly in primetime slots, and yet they still manage to raise outstanding ratings. The formula is that they are universal stories that work very well both linearly and digitally’.
Kanal D’s Koyuncu strongly highlighted Sureç Film’s Three Sisters, a drama that premiered last February and is currently airing in prime time in Turkey, and which she cataloged as one of the ‘series with the best performance this season on Kanal D’, with a second season confirmed. ‘We are also pushing Twist of Fate and Love Traps. And on the other hand, we announce that our development unit D Production it is working on Love and Hate, our first production for a long time’. The executive also reported that they are continuing to carry Rustless City in their international catalog, and that today there are already 55 territories where the series has arrived.
Eccho Rights’ Af Malmborg announced that he is in conversations for several new series, whose deals will be announced soon: ‘For the fall we’ll have six or seven new week dramas coming up and we have two summer series coming in July-August’. He also announced that OGM Pictures’ hits Crysalis, Legacy and The Promise, are returning for new seasons.
As for Global Agency, Sánchez emphasized that its current catalog is made up of series that have strong and brave female characters: ‘The game of my destiny is one of our season titles. The series has been a trendy topic not only in Turkey, but also in Russia, Chile, Argentina and Peru; also, The Phoenix, released on FOX Turkey in 2020; and The Redemption, a super series that aired in 2021 on FOX’.
Praising the short history of MADD, Özsümbül highlighted the company’s three years of growth, and listed some of its most successful titles among them, My Little Girl, calling it ‘a really big hit in various countries’; Miracle and A Woman Scorned, which also had good ratings in the countries where it was broadcasted. ‘This season we start with two new big hits, one of them is Family Secrets and Hidden Truth, both titles are very dynamic and do not touch the traditional themes of Turkish series, and also have high production values. The executive also announced that for the summer they have three new series that will be announced soon.
Focusing on her super dramas, Inter Medya’s Cea Okan talked about their highlights Aziz, Scorpion, and The Trusted. ‘Our contents have been standing out because we resort to the classic melodrama that is so popular in international markets’, she said.
Likewise, Gascue spoke about the success they continue to have with Forbidden Fruit, a series that is now in its third season. ‘We are in various agreements for new products, but our hits continue to attract buyers from all over the world, who want to replicate the success of audiences in Latin America and Turkey’. Among the most recent titles, alo mentione Yesilcam, and Ilk ve son.
Lastly, Espino presented the news from MITSCO, The Blackboard and The Town Doctor: ‘Both titles stand out for their high production values and for touching on topics not so common in Turkish society, which is why they are perfect content for digital platforms.’ Finally, the executive took the opportunity to express her emotion for the good numbers of Melek and Hold My Hand in Latina Peru’.
