How Turkey’s creative professionals see their TV drama industry: In-depth interviews with actors, producers, directors, scenarists and distributors

Abstract

Turkey’s TV drama industry has made a quantum leap in the past decade and exported many of its dramas (dizis) to more than a hundred countries. Turkey has become the world’s second-biggest TV drama exporter after the USA in 2016. The dizi industry’s transnationalization is attributable to the tireless efforts and unique features of its associated creative industry. However, the industry has some deep problems. This paper seeks to shed light on the challenges that the Turkish TV drama industry faces. The author has conducted in-depth interviews with Producers, Directors, Scenarists, Actors and Distributors. Their replies reveal the basic characteristics and difficulties of the dizi industry and provide clues as to what needs to be done to sustain and build upon the Turkish TV drama industry’s export success.