TURKEY / Netflix commissions its first original series in Turkish

The American giant Netflix has contracted O3 Medya to produce an original series in Turkish.

After creating its SVOD platform (subscription video on demand) in Turkey in mid-2016, Netflix is now starting to offer original Turkish-language content.

The group has commissioned a 10-episode series from the Istanbul-based company O3 Medya, and this is scheduled to be broadcast worldwide in 2018. Onur Guvenatam, already noted for his successful adaptation of the American series “Pretty Little Liars” for the Turkish audience, will be the series’ executive producer.

Netflix has given the first details of the scenario: it is a fantasy drama, inspired by legends of the Ottoman Empire. The hero is a young man who discovers he has supernatural powers and uses them to defend Istanbul and humanity against the forces of evil.

The announcement confirms the dynamism of the SVOD sector in Turkey. Last January, the Turkish platform BluTV launched the first Turkish series available only on the Internet: “Masum”, an 8-episode police drama adapted from a stage-play by Berkun Oya.

At the same time it is now confirmed that Turkey is the world’s 2nd best exporter of television series, after the United States. In 2016, 150 series were sold to some 100 countries (mainly in the Middle East and Central and Eastern Europe), yielding just over $300 million.

Sources: Variety, New York Times, Hollywood Reporter