Turkish dizi momentum is still climbing fast, and 2023 production alone averaged 1.5 million Turkish Lira per episode, up 25% from 2021. At the same time, the industry is exporting its stories to more than 150 countries and turning them into real economic weight at home, including 1.2% GDP contribution in 2021 and 2.5 billion TL in domestic ad revenue by 2022. Let’s look at what that global reach and rising production cost are doing to jobs, viewership, and the business behind the dramas.
Key Takeaways
- 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 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
- 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
- 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 dizi exports and ad revenues are booming, boosting jobs and global audiences across 155 countries.
Related reading
01 · Category
Economic27 stats
01
Exports generated 350 million USD for Turkish TV series in 2019
02
Domestic ad revenue from dizis reached 2.5 billion TL in 2022
03
Turkish dizi industry contributed 1.2% to national GDP in 2021
04
Overseas rights sales hit 600 million USD in 2022
05
2023 streaming deals added 150 million USD to dizi revenues
06
Pay TV subscriptions boosted by dizis generated 800 million TL in 2022
07
Merchandising from top dizis earned 50 million USD globally in 2021
08
Turkish series production costs totaled 15 billion TL in 2022
09
Sponsorship deals for dizis averaged 5 million TL per season in 2023
10
International syndication brought 250 million EUR in 2020 despite pandemic
11
BluTV invested 300 million TL in original dizis for 2023
12
Dizi exports grew 20% YoY to 500 million USD in 2023 projections
13
Domestic box office from dizi-derived films hit 100 million TL in 2022
14
Gain platform's dizi content ROI was 300% in 2022
15
Turkish dizis generated 1 billion TL in tourism revenue indirectly 2021
16
Netflix Turkey spent 200 million USD on local dizis in 2022
17
PuhuTV ad revenue from dizis up 40% to 120 million TL 2023
18
Dizi actor salaries averaged 100,000 TL per episode in 2023 top tier
19
International licensing fees per episode averaged 10,000 USD in 2022
20
Exxen platform's dizi investments returned 180 million TL in 2022
21
Turkish dizis boosted FMCG brand sales by 15% in export markets 2021
22
2023 dizi sector taxes contributed 3 billion TL to state revenue
23
Co-production investments from Qatar totaled 50 million USD in 2022 dizis
24
Domestic streaming wars drove dizi budgets up 30% to 2 billion USD total 2023
25
Dirilis Ertugrul generated 120 million USD in exports alone by 2020
26
Turkish dizis ad spend per minute was 50,000 TL in prime time 2022
27
Sen Cal Kapimi international deals worth 40 million EUR in 2021
Interpretation
Economic Interpretation
From an economic standpoint, Turkish TV series are showing strong growth and export momentum with overseas rights sales rising to 600 million USD in 2022 and streaming deals adding another 150 million USD in 2023, supported by rising domestic revenues of 2.5 billion TL and pay TV boosts of 800 million TL in 2022.
02 · Category
Employment23 stats
01
Dizi industry created 150,000 indirect jobs in 2022 economy
02
Over 5,000 actors employed annually in Turkish TV series by 2023
03
2,500 directors and crew worked on dizis weekly in 2022
04
Scriptwriters guild reported 1,200 members active in dizi sector 2023
05
Costume designers numbered 800 in Turkish TV industry 2022
06
15,000 extras hired monthly for Istanbul dizi shoots in 2023
07
Makeup artists employment surged 25% to 1,500 in 2022 dizis
08
Location scouts and managers: 400 full-time in sector 2023
09
VFX specialists grew to 900 in Turkish dizi post-production 2022
10
Stunt coordinators: 250 licensed for TV series work in 2023
11
Camera operators employed 1,800 across 50 major productions 2022
12
Editors in dizi post-prod: 1,200 freelancers in 2023 Istanbul
13
Sound engineers: 600 active in Turkish TV series audio 2022
14
Producers numbered 350 independent in dizi market 2023
15
PR and marketing staff for dizis: 900 in agencies 2022
16
Catering crews for shoots: 2,000 daily workers in peak season 2023
17
Transport logistics employed 1,000 drivers for dizi equipment 2022
18
Legal advisors in production: 200 firms serving dizis 2023
19
Child actors regulated under 500 active in family dizis 2022
20
Animal handlers for series: 150 specialists nationwide 2023
21
Prop masters: 400 employed across major studios 2022
22
Script supervisors: 700 on payroll in 2023 season
23
Boom operators and sound techs: 450 in 2022 surveys
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
As Turkey’s dizi employment grows steadily, the industry generated 150,000 indirect jobs in 2022 and by 2023 hired over 15,000 extras each month for Istanbul shoots, showing that work opportunities across the TV ecosystem are scaling fast beyond just on screen talent.
03 · Category
Exports23 stats
01
Turkish series exports viewed in 155 countries by 2022 end
02
Latin America imported 120 Turkish dizis by 2023
03
Middle East sales accounted for 40% of dizi exports revenue 2022
04
Spanish-speaking markets bought 25 top Turkish series in 2021
05
Pakistan broadcast 50 Turkish dizis dubbed in Urdu by 2023
06
Balkans region aired 80% of top 20 Turkish exports 2022
07
MBC Group acquired 30 new Turkish series for Ramadan 2023
08
Turkish dizis sold to 42 African countries by 2022
09
Univision USA dubbed 15 Turkish series for Hispanic audience 2021
10
Indonesia's SCTV aired 12 Turkish dizis weekly in 2023 slots
11
2022 saw first Turkish dizi deals in Japan with 5 titles
12
Greece imported €50 million worth of Turkish content 2021
13
Albania's Top Channel runs 8 Turkish dizis daily 2023
14
Turkish exports to Russia hit 100 episodes monthly 2022
15
Brazil's Globo bought 10 Turkish formats for adaptation 2023
16
UAE's Shahid platform streams 200 Turkish episodes monthly 2022
17
Turkish dizis penetration in Bulgaria at 60% household reach 2021
18
35 deals signed at MIP TV 2023 for Turkish series to Europe
19
North Africa exports grew 30% to 15 titles in Tunisia 2022
20
Turkish content licensed to 20+ Asian markets including S Korea 2023
21
Former Yugoslavia countries imported 90 Turkish dizis total by 2022
22
USA's Telemundo aired 7 Turkish adaptations 2021
23
Romania's ProTV slots 6 Turkish primetime dizis weekly 2023
Interpretation
Exports Interpretation
By the end of 2022 Turkish TV series were viewed across 155 countries and by 2023 markets across regions were actively buying them, with Middle East sales driving 40% of export revenue and the Balkans airing 80% of the top 20 exports in 2022, showing that Turkish content is expanding its global export footprint through regional demand.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production29 stats
01
In 2022, Turkey produced 45 new TV series seasons, averaging 120 episodes per series
02
The average production cost per episode of a Turkish dizi in 2023 was 1.5 million Turkish Lira, up 25% from 2021
03
Turkish TV series production involved over 500 studios in Istanbul in 2023
04
In 2021, 35 Turkish series were greenlit for international co-production
05
The longest-running Turkish series, Arka Sokaklar, has produced over 700 episodes by 2023
06
Turkish dizis typically film 90-120 minute episodes weekly, requiring 4-5 days of shooting per episode in 2022 data
07
28 historical dramas were produced in Turkey between 2018-2022
08
In 2023, 15 romantic comedies entered production in the Turkish TV market
09
Turkey's TV series scriptwriters numbered over 2,000 active in 2022
10
Animation integration in Turkish series rose to 12 projects in 2023
11
2022 saw 40 crime thrillers scripted for Turkish TV
12
Family dramas constituted 35% of all new Turkish series productions in 2021
13
Istanbul hosted 85% of all Turkish dizi filming locations in 2023
14
22 fantasy series were in development in Turkey by end of 2022
15
Turkish TV series episode length averaged 138 minutes in prime time slots 2022
16
18 youth-oriented series launched in 2023 summer season
17
Co-productions with Middle East rose to 12 in 2022 for Turkish dizis
18
2021 production peak hit 2,500 total episodes aired
19
Medical dramas increased to 8 series in production pipeline 2023
20
30% of Turkish series productions used green screen tech in 2022
21
Turkish TV exported format rights for 15 series in 2022
22
Biopics accounted for 10 new productions in 2023
23
Nightclub scenes required 50+ extras per episode on average in 2022 action dizis
24
2023 saw 25 sci-fi elements in mainstream Turkish series scripts
25
Costume budgets for historical dizis averaged 200,000 TL per episode in 2022
26
16 political thrillers produced amid 2023 elections
27
Drone shots used in 70% of outdoor Turkish series scenes 2023
28
Turkish TV series had 1,200 hours of content produced in Q1 2023 alone
29
2022 winter productions focused on 20 indoor mystery series
Interpretation
Production Interpretation
For the Production category, Turkey scaled up its TV series output with 45 new seasons in 2022 and a typical weekly 90 to 120 minute format, while production costs rose to 1.5 million Turkish Lira per episode in 2023 and industry activity expanded across more than 500 Istanbul studios.
05 · Category
Viewership20 stats
01
Turkish dizis reach 700 million viewers worldwide weekly in 2022
02
Dirilis Ertugrul averaged 30 million views per episode globally 2020
03
Sen Cal Kapimi topped with 7.2 rating in Turkey 2020 summer
04
Kizilcignin Krali rated 8.5 AB group in Istanbul 2023
05
Turkish dizis garnered 200 billion minutes watched on Netflix 2022
06
Istanbullu Gelin finale drew 12 million domestic viewers 2019
07
Ask Laftan Anlamaz achieved 6.8 rating average across 40 episodes
08
Mucadele Street rated top 1 in Europe exports 2021 with 15m views/ep
09
70% of Turkish households tuned into dizis weekly in 2022 surveys
10
Kara Sevda won 50 million international streams in first year 2016
11
Yargi series premiere hit 9.1 rating total Turkey 2021
12
Camdaki Kiz averaged 7.5 rating over 2022 season
13
Alev Alev peaked at 8.2 AB rating during wildfire storyline 2021
14
Turkish dizis dominate 40% of MENA region prime time viewership 2023
15
Baba series finale 10 million views on YouTube premiere 2022
16
25% YoY growth in global dizi streams to 300 billion mins 2023
17
Erkenci Kus social media buzz hit 2 billion impressions 2019
18
Kaderimin Oyunu rated 6.9 average in family demo 2022
19
Turkish dizis 15% of YouTube global top TV charts 2023 Q1
20
Adi Cinayet average 7.8 rating across 8 episodes 2021
Interpretation
Viewership Interpretation
For the viewership category, Turkish TV’s reach is scaling fast, with total international consumption hitting 700 million weekly viewers in 2022 and even Netflix delivering 200 billion minutes watched that same year.
report visual · Key figures
Turkish TV exports and international monetization keep climbing
Exports and overseas rights sales show sustained international momentum across recent years.
350
Exports generated 350 million USD for Turkish TV series in 2019
600
Overseas rights sales hit 600 million USD in 2022
20%
Dizi exports grew 20% YoY to 500 million USD in 2023 projections
120
Dirilis Ertugrul generated 120 million USD in exports alone by 2020
1.2%
Turkish dizi industry contributed 1.2% to national GDP in 2021
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Sophie Moreland. (2026, February 13). Turkish Tv Series Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/turkish-tv-series-industry-statistics
MLA
Sophie Moreland. "Turkish Tv Series Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/turkish-tv-series-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Sophie Moreland. 2026. "Turkish Tv Series Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/turkish-tv-series-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level