Turkish TV series exports top $1 billion
On August 29, 2026, at the program "The Global Narrative of the Türkiye Brand: Turkish Series" (Türkiye Markasının Küresel Anlatısı: Türk Dizileri), organized by the Communications Directorate of the Turkish Presidency, its head Burhanettin Duran stated that exports of Turkish TV series have surpassed 1 billion dollars. In the early 2000s, the figure stood at around 10 million dollars.
Duran stressed that Turkey ranks among the world's top three exporters of TV series, and that this is no coincidence but the result of years of hard work. According to him, the rise of Turkish series was never an attempt to establish "hegemony" — the country is simply demonstrating its ability to create its own stories and bring them to different societies.
The head of RTÜK (the Radio and Television Supreme Council), Mehmet Daniş, said that around a billion people worldwide watch Turkish series, adding that the industry should not be viewed solely through the lens of exports. At the same time, he acknowledged a problem: with the rise of digital platforms, TV channels' advertising revenues have dropped sharply, and this is affecting series production.
A step to support the industry had already been taken in February 2026: Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced an incentive of 100 thousand dollars per episode for series broadcast abroad. The mechanism is to run through the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) and aims to integrate Turkey's historical, natural and gastronomic assets into storylines through product placement. Ersoy noted at the time that Turkish series are available in roughly 170 countries and reach nearly a billion people.
Despite the record figures, the industry is going through a difficult period: rising costs, international competition and financial difficulties are creating pressure. The shrinking of domestic advertising revenue is forcing channels to cut series budgets, while international digital platforms are entering the market with short seasons and big budgets, straining the traditional broadcast model. It is worth noting that officials also cited the 1-billion-dollar mark in February, so the August statement repeated that figure.