After a great first semester of 2024 thanks to the local success of Secret of Pearls, Kanal D International has high hopes for the title’s international distribution, while also working with other powerful dramas like Father’s Promise, Three Sisters and the recently premiered The Family Burden.
The last Thursday of May, Secret of Pearls (İnci Taneleri) closed its very successful first season, which captivated Turkish audiences and showcased all the talent of its cast, led by the multifaceted Yılmaz Erdoğan.
“The ratings are a key element in buyers’ decision-making mechanisms, but they also want to hear about the story,” points out Elif Tatoğlu, Kanal D International’s Distribution Strategy & Sales Director. “The subject of the drama is very important to them.”
As writer, director and leading character of the title, Erdoğan put a lot of pressure on himself to make the most of this unique story, one that distinguishes itself by the pen of the poet -another of Erdoğan talents- and by a narrative that follows a man who is trying to put his life back together after being imprisoned for many years, wrongfully convicted of killing his wife.
The show, still going through its dubbing process, leads the catalogue of Kanal D International (KDI) at Natpe Budapest 2024, alongside its newest title, The Family Burden (Yalan), which premiered at the end of last month, and has another very good cast that includes names like Aslıhan Güner, Serra Pirinç, Feyyaz Duman, Eylül Tumbar, Yeşim Ceren Bozoğlu, Özge Borak, Emir Benderlioğlu, Atakan Hoşgören, Renan Bilek, Kubilay Tunçer and Zeynep Eronat.
At the same time, KDI is showcasing titles like A Father’s Promise and Three Sisters, while their library also presents a great opportunity for local adaptations, like the current example of the upcoming Circo de Feras, SIC Portugal’s version of Ruthless City.
How much does Secret of Pearls success in the ratings fuels the interest of potential buyers?
Some of the buyers are interested in current dramas and current shows, and the ratings are a key element in their decision making mechanisms, but they also want to hear about the stories. The subject of the drama is very important to them.
With such a deep library and the past examples of titles like Alba an adaptation of Fatmagul, how are formats doing at the moment in Europe?
In CEE formats are not really a hot topic at the moment, they are more interested in finished dramas, but in [Western] Europe, for example, we recently had a deal with SIC Portugal and they are adapting Ruthless City, originally titled ‘Zalim Istambul. They are producing it now and I they will start airing at the end of June.
What about the rest of the world?
We have been asked about formats from many territories, especially from Europe and Asia. In the Middle East, we are discussing a few format adaptations too.
Focusing on finished versions, can you share an overview of KDI’s business at the moment in different key regions?
The classical regions like Latin America and CIS, the Russian market, are very strong for us at the moment. We are now entering the Asian market; we are about to close some deals, its a new market for us with new opportunities. CEE is very strong because they have a lot of channels and is a great opportunity for us to show our dramas; they are buying the current ones and also library titles.
How have you been adapting to the new trends in the industry?
What we are trying to do is to explore new revenue streams, other than free-to-air TV sales, such as AVOD platforms, SVOD platforms and even YouTube partnerships in some regions.
What regions present a distinct potential regarding YouTube partnerships?
Africa is very creative and has a lot of potential because it has a lot of languages. YouTube is a good platform to explore those languages. Also, FAST channels are really important in the African market.
What role does Kanal D Drama play in all that?
We have Kanal D Drama for Latam and we are also in discussion with FAST platforms to get our channels, or use some of our contents available in Kanal D Dramas, on the FAST side of those AVOD platforms. We are trying to see what is going to work and what isn’t. We are very much aware that in territories like the US, Pay TV is declining and we need to find a way for Kanal D Drama to keep operating.
