Latin America's love affair with Turkish Dramas on screen

In 2024, Turkish dramas will mark a significant milestone of ten years in Latin America. The breakthrough came in 2014 with the launch of 1001 Nights (Las mil y una noches) on the Free-to-Air network Mega in Chile, which sparked a ratings revolution and reshaped daily schedules for local viewers but also forced local producers, broadcasters and streamers to review their lineup of telenovelas. Since then, the 'Turcomania' phenomenon has taken Latin American screens by storm. Productions such as El sultán, Amor eterno or El secreto de Feriha have even monopolized prime time television in the continent. How does Turkish drama compete with telenovelas? What Turkey produces for television are not exactly soap operas nor telenovelas or period dramas: they are called Dizis (series in Turkish). The key to their success lies in a straightforward formula: love stories with charismatic actors, delivering drama and emotion, use of Istanbul places and musical scores. Turkish Drama’s recipe for success on Latin American Free-to-Air television Turkish fiction entered the region through distribution on national Free-To-Air networks, following a very similar exhibition and consumption logic to telenovelas and occupying a high space within Chilean screens. Following the success of 1001 Nights on Mega, other Free-To-Air channels such as Chilevision and Canal 13 also acquired Turkish content. This influx substantially increased the airing hours of Turkish fiction, surpassing those of locally produced shows and securing prime-time slots, with roughly 50% of Turkish dramas airing during prime time compared to only 20% of Latin-American fiction (excluding Chilean productions). These dramas also secured exclusive licensing deals with Pay TV networks, expanding their reach and diversifying Pay TV offers. Turkish dizi have really resonated with Latin American audiences with themes of family, love, and modern experiences that co-exist in traditional ones. They share a common ground with the traditional Latin telenovelas of the 1980s in contrast to contemporary telenovelas, inspired and contaminated by genres of other formats and of global reach. Also collaborative efforts between Turkish distributors and local broadcasters have led to effective localization strategies and the shows are often dubbed in spanish. Dizi business dynamics are shifting telenovelas acquisition strategies Some specificities by country can be identified: Chile leads in the consumption of Turkish dramas by volume, while Mexico and Argentina lead in expenditure, as per OBITEL's 2023 report. Turkish dramas have enjoyed significant success on Argentine television in the past decade, boasting high ratings, lucrative profits for channels, increased advertiser interest, and minimal production costs compared to local original fiction. Despite cultural and linguistic differences, Turkish dizi contrast significantly with telenovelas in production costs. While telenovelas typically cost $50,000 to $100,000 per hour, Turkish productions range from $200,000 to $600,000 per hour but are amortized...