From the historic drama sets employing 800 costume designers to the over 15,000 extras filling Istanbul's streets each month, the Turkish dizi industry is a sprawling, multi-billion dollar powerhouse that has captivated over 700 million weekly viewers worldwide with its unique blend of epic storytelling and relentless production.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Turkey produced 45 new TV series seasons, averaging 120 episodes per series
- The average production cost per episode of a Turkish dizi in 2023 was 1.5 million Turkish Lira, up 25% from 2021
- Turkish TV series production involved over 500 studios in Istanbul in 2023
- Exports generated 350 million USD for Turkish TV series in 2019
- Domestic ad revenue from dizis reached 2.5 billion TL in 2022
- Turkish dizi industry contributed 1.2% to national GDP in 2021
- Dizi industry created 150,000 indirect jobs in 2022 economy
- Over 5,000 actors employed annually in Turkish TV series by 2023
- 2,500 directors and crew worked on dizis weekly in 2022
- Turkish dizis reach 700 million viewers worldwide weekly in 2022
- Dirilis Ertugrul averaged 30 million views per episode globally 2020
- Sen Cal Kapimi topped with 7.2 rating in Turkey 2020 summer
- Turkish series exports viewed in 155 countries by 2022 end
- Latin America imported 120 Turkish dizis by 2023
- Middle East sales accounted for 40% of dizi exports revenue 2022
Turkey's TV industry is massive, producing countless hours of popular shows for a huge global audience.
Economic
- Exports generated 350 million USD for Turkish TV series in 2019
- Domestic ad revenue from dizis reached 2.5 billion TL in 2022
- Turkish dizi industry contributed 1.2% to national GDP in 2021
- Overseas rights sales hit 600 million USD in 2022
- 2023 streaming deals added 150 million USD to dizi revenues
- Pay TV subscriptions boosted by dizis generated 800 million TL in 2022
- Merchandising from top dizis earned 50 million USD globally in 2021
- Turkish series production costs totaled 15 billion TL in 2022
- Sponsorship deals for dizis averaged 5 million TL per season in 2023
- International syndication brought 250 million EUR in 2020 despite pandemic
- BluTV invested 300 million TL in original dizis for 2023
- Dizi exports grew 20% YoY to 500 million USD in 2023 projections
- Domestic box office from dizi-derived films hit 100 million TL in 2022
- Gain platform's dizi content ROI was 300% in 2022
- Turkish dizis generated 1 billion TL in tourism revenue indirectly 2021
- Netflix Turkey spent 200 million USD on local dizis in 2022
- PuhuTV ad revenue from dizis up 40% to 120 million TL 2023
- Dizi actor salaries averaged 100,000 TL per episode in 2023 top tier
- International licensing fees per episode averaged 10,000 USD in 2022
- Exxen platform's dizi investments returned 180 million TL in 2022
- Turkish dizis boosted FMCG brand sales by 15% in export markets 2021
- 2023 dizi sector taxes contributed 3 billion TL to state revenue
- Co-production investments from Qatar totaled 50 million USD in 2022 dizis
- Domestic streaming wars drove dizi budgets up 30% to 2 billion USD total 2023
- Dirilis Ertugrul generated 120 million USD in exports alone by 2020
- Turkish dizis ad spend per minute was 50,000 TL in prime time 2022
- Sen Cal Kapimi international deals worth 40 million EUR in 2021
Economic Interpretation
While Istanbul may have once conquered with swords, today its most lucrative export is a calculated blend of captivating glances, family drama, and product placement, generating a multi-billion dollar empire where every tear shed on screen is neatly accounted for on a balance sheet.
Employment
- Dizi industry created 150,000 indirect jobs in 2022 economy
- Over 5,000 actors employed annually in Turkish TV series by 2023
- 2,500 directors and crew worked on dizis weekly in 2022
- Scriptwriters guild reported 1,200 members active in dizi sector 2023
- Costume designers numbered 800 in Turkish TV industry 2022
- 15,000 extras hired monthly for Istanbul dizi shoots in 2023
- Makeup artists employment surged 25% to 1,500 in 2022 dizis
- Location scouts and managers: 400 full-time in sector 2023
- VFX specialists grew to 900 in Turkish dizi post-production 2022
- Stunt coordinators: 250 licensed for TV series work in 2023
- Camera operators employed 1,800 across 50 major productions 2022
- Editors in dizi post-prod: 1,200 freelancers in 2023 Istanbul
- Sound engineers: 600 active in Turkish TV series audio 2022
- Producers numbered 350 independent in dizi market 2023
- PR and marketing staff for dizis: 900 in agencies 2022
- Catering crews for shoots: 2,000 daily workers in peak season 2023
- Transport logistics employed 1,000 drivers for dizi equipment 2022
- Legal advisors in production: 200 firms serving dizis 2023
- Child actors regulated under 500 active in family dizis 2022
- Animal handlers for series: 150 specialists nationwide 2023
- Prop masters: 400 employed across major studios 2022
- Script supervisors: 700 on payroll in 2023 season
- Boom operators and sound techs: 450 in 2022 surveys
Employment Interpretation
Behind every extravagant on-screen melodrama lies a sprawling, meticulously coordinated army of over 150,000 professionals, from the 400 scouts who find the perfect cliff for a lover's leap to the 2,000 caterers who feed them, proving that Turkey’s real dizi masterpiece is its remarkably robust and intricate production economy.
Exports
- Turkish series exports viewed in 155 countries by 2022 end
- Latin America imported 120 Turkish dizis by 2023
- Middle East sales accounted for 40% of dizi exports revenue 2022
- Spanish-speaking markets bought 25 top Turkish series in 2021
- Pakistan broadcast 50 Turkish dizis dubbed in Urdu by 2023
- Balkans region aired 80% of top 20 Turkish exports 2022
- MBC Group acquired 30 new Turkish series for Ramadan 2023
- Turkish dizis sold to 42 African countries by 2022
- Univision USA dubbed 15 Turkish series for Hispanic audience 2021
- Indonesia's SCTV aired 12 Turkish dizis weekly in 2023 slots
- 2022 saw first Turkish dizi deals in Japan with 5 titles
- Greece imported €50 million worth of Turkish content 2021
- Albania's Top Channel runs 8 Turkish dizis daily 2023
- Turkish exports to Russia hit 100 episodes monthly 2022
- Brazil's Globo bought 10 Turkish formats for adaptation 2023
- UAE's Shahid platform streams 200 Turkish episodes monthly 2022
- Turkish dizis penetration in Bulgaria at 60% household reach 2021
- 35 deals signed at MIP TV 2023 for Turkish series to Europe
- North Africa exports grew 30% to 15 titles in Tunisia 2022
- Turkish content licensed to 20+ Asian markets including S Korea 2023
- Former Yugoslavia countries imported 90 Turkish dizis total by 2022
- USA's Telemundo aired 7 Turkish adaptations 2021
- Romania's ProTV slots 6 Turkish primetime dizis weekly 2023
Exports Interpretation
From Turkey to the world with compelling stories, these statistics reveal a dizi diplomacy so potent that from Pakistan's dubbed passions to Brazil's format adaptations, Turkish series have become the unexpected but undeniable connective tissue of global pop culture.
Production
- In 2022, Turkey produced 45 new TV series seasons, averaging 120 episodes per series
- The average production cost per episode of a Turkish dizi in 2023 was 1.5 million Turkish Lira, up 25% from 2021
- Turkish TV series production involved over 500 studios in Istanbul in 2023
- In 2021, 35 Turkish series were greenlit for international co-production
- The longest-running Turkish series, Arka Sokaklar, has produced over 700 episodes by 2023
- Turkish dizis typically film 90-120 minute episodes weekly, requiring 4-5 days of shooting per episode in 2022 data
- 28 historical dramas were produced in Turkey between 2018-2022
- In 2023, 15 romantic comedies entered production in the Turkish TV market
- Turkey's TV series scriptwriters numbered over 2,000 active in 2022
- Animation integration in Turkish series rose to 12 projects in 2023
- 2022 saw 40 crime thrillers scripted for Turkish TV
- Family dramas constituted 35% of all new Turkish series productions in 2021
- Istanbul hosted 85% of all Turkish dizi filming locations in 2023
- 22 fantasy series were in development in Turkey by end of 2022
- Turkish TV series episode length averaged 138 minutes in prime time slots 2022
- 18 youth-oriented series launched in 2023 summer season
- Co-productions with Middle East rose to 12 in 2022 for Turkish dizis
- 2021 production peak hit 2,500 total episodes aired
- Medical dramas increased to 8 series in production pipeline 2023
- 30% of Turkish series productions used green screen tech in 2022
- Turkish TV exported format rights for 15 series in 2022
- Biopics accounted for 10 new productions in 2023
- Nightclub scenes required 50+ extras per episode on average in 2022 action dizis
- 2023 saw 25 sci-fi elements in mainstream Turkish series scripts
- Costume budgets for historical dizis averaged 200,000 TL per episode in 2022
- 16 political thrillers produced amid 2023 elections
- Drone shots used in 70% of outdoor Turkish series scenes 2023
- Turkish TV series had 1,200 hours of content produced in Q1 2023 alone
- 2022 winter productions focused on 20 indoor mystery series
Production Interpretation
While Turkey's TV industry is a prolific, well-oiled machine churning out enough epic, weekly drama to drown a small nation, it's also a high-stakes, multi-million-lira-a-week gamble where 500 Istanbul studios, 2,000 writers, and an army of extras in nightclub scenes race against the clock to keep a globe-spanning audience hooked.
Viewership
- Turkish dizis reach 700 million viewers worldwide weekly in 2022
- Dirilis Ertugrul averaged 30 million views per episode globally 2020
- Sen Cal Kapimi topped with 7.2 rating in Turkey 2020 summer
- Kizilcignin Krali rated 8.5 AB group in Istanbul 2023
- Turkish dizis garnered 200 billion minutes watched on Netflix 2022
- Istanbullu Gelin finale drew 12 million domestic viewers 2019
- Ask Laftan Anlamaz achieved 6.8 rating average across 40 episodes
- Mucadele Street rated top 1 in Europe exports 2021 with 15m views/ep
- 70% of Turkish households tuned into dizis weekly in 2022 surveys
- Kara Sevda won 50 million international streams in first year 2016
- Yargi series premiere hit 9.1 rating total Turkey 2021
- Camdaki Kiz averaged 7.5 rating over 2022 season
- Alev Alev peaked at 8.2 AB rating during wildfire storyline 2021
- Turkish dizis dominate 40% of MENA region prime time viewership 2023
- Baba series finale 10 million views on YouTube premiere 2022
- 25% YoY growth in global dizi streams to 300 billion mins 2023
- Erkenci Kus social media buzz hit 2 billion impressions 2019
- Kaderimin Oyunu rated 6.9 average in family demo 2022
- Turkish dizis 15% of YouTube global top TV charts 2023 Q1
- Adi Cinayet average 7.8 rating across 8 episodes 2021
Viewership Interpretation
The Turkish TV industry has mastered the art of global emotional blackmail, holding 700 million viewers weekly in a state of addictive devotion, from historic epics conquering continents to contemporary romances dominating prime time, proving that when it comes to crafting irresistible drama, the Ottomans may have fallen but their storytelling heirs have absolutely conquered the airwaves.
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