The distributor closed a deal covering the Middle East and North Africa for O3 Medya’s new period drama at Mipcom, ahead of the start of filming. Melis Hamamcıoğlu and Barbora Suster discussed the significance of the agreement and presented a slate expanding into streaming originals and animation.
*with reporting by Carolina Mussio and Ana Paula Carreira from Cannes, France.
Eccho Rights announced the first international presale of The Hatmaker (Şapkacı Kadınlar) at Mipcom 2026. The new period drama, produced by O3 Medya and starring Pınar Deniz and Selahattin Paşalı, has been acquired by MBC Group for its Shahid streaming platform and linear channels across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), ahead of filming, which is scheduled to begin in November.
“This year we’re bringing our new show The Hatmaker to the market, and we’re very proud of it. Production will begin in November, it’s expected to premiere in January, and we’ve already secured a presale to the Middle East with MBC. It’s a very important sale for us,” said Melis Hamamcıoğlu, Sales Director at Eccho Rights, speaking with ttv in Cannes.
“For us, this is the news of the market. Our biggest launch is The Hatmaker, and the deal we’ve just closed with MBC is essential because the series will premiere in January. Securing a sale this early is a great success, and we’re delighted to announce it at Mipcom,” added Barbora Suster, Head of Latin America and Iberia at Eccho Rights.
Created and written by Necati Şahin, directed by Ömür Atay and produced by Suzan Sümeli for O3 Medya, The Hatmaker will comprise 60 episodes of 45 minutes each and will be available internationally both as a finished drama and as a scripted format.
Set in the early 1920s, the story follows Ayşe, a woman abandoned by her husband, Rıza, after a brutal attack. Five years later, financial hardship forces her to move to İzmir with her children, sister and mother-in-law. There, she learns the craft of hatmaking and finds an opportunity to establish her own business while providing employment for other women. However, her newfound independence comes under threat when she encounters Rıza again, now married into one of the city’s most powerful families.
“It’s a period drama with an incredible cast. Pınar Deniz, our leading actress, starred in Family Secrets, a series that is very well known across international markets. And Selahattin Paşalı has appeared in series such as Ömer and Envy, as well as Netflix’s The Museum of Innocence. So we really have an A-list cast,” Suster said.
“The story of The Hatmaker has all the elements we’re looking for. It’s about a woman who empowers herself, who takes care of her family and children on her own, and who manages to rise from terrible circumstances, move forward and build a business. She doesn’t just achieve independence for herself; she also helps other women in similar situations by giving them jobs,” she explained.
“And, of course, there are love stories, heartbreak and everything a good telenovela needs. Although it’s set in the 1920s and connected to a very specific historical context, it’s a very universal story: a woman who suffers but manages to get back on her feet and move forward despite everything. Those are stories that tend to appeal to audiences in every territory,” she added.
“We’re talking to several other clients who may decide to acquire the series even before it starts airing. Securing further presales would be a great success, and that’s one of our main objectives,” Suster concluded.
New Dramas for Free-to-Air TV and Streaming
Alongside The Hatmaker, Eccho Rights arrived in Cannes with Asiye, the new daily drama produced by Kino Film Productions for Kanal 7, scheduled to premiere in Turkey in November.
“Another title that’s really resonating with our clients and generating a lot of interest is Asiye, a daily drama being produced for Kanal 7. It’s the story of a woman who loses everything: she loses her husband, she loses her son, she’s falsely accused of a crime and ends up in prison. When she’s released, she has to rebuild her life and search for her missing son, hoping to be reunited with him,” Suster explained.
The series stars Esengül Aypek and Ferhat Işıktaş and is directed by Taner Tunç and Nuh Şen. It is the latest production in Eccho Rights’ partnership with Kanal 7, which has previously delivered international titles including Legacy, Winds of Love and Behind the Veil.
The distributor is also showcasing three productions developed for TOD, beIN Media Group’s streaming platform: Alıkara, a romantic thriller from Karga Seven Pictures; Doors of Destiny, a drama starring Esra Bilgiç and Birkan Sokullu; and The Florist, a romantic comedy from OM Content.
“Alongside those two more traditional dramas, we’re bringing three series produced for TOD. They’re shorter, slightly more premium productions, aimed at streaming platforms and regional pay-TV channels,” Suster said.
“We believe the content we’re bringing can work for linear television across different time slots, from afternoons to prime time. And, of course, with the shorter series, we’re also looking to supply streaming platforms and pay television,” she added.
Animation Opens a New Business Segment
Eccho Rights has also entered animation distribution for the first time, adding King Shakir (Kral Şakir) and Super Team (Süper Bir Takım) to its catalogue. Both Turkish franchises are produced by Grafi2000 Productions and include animated series and feature films.
“This year we’re not just bringing dramas; we’ve also expanded our catalogue into animation. We have two animated series, each with accompanying movies, that were major successes in Turkey. Animation is a genre we hadn’t worked with before, so it’s something new for us,” Suster explained.
“We need to find new opportunities, diversify and identify areas where we can continue growing within the industry and bring something valuable to the market. That’s why we’re expanding the catalogue and trying to respond to the needs of different territories,” she added.
Suster also discussed international demand for Turkish drama in an environment where broadcasters’ programming requirements continue to fluctuate.
“Demand for Turkish content remains high, although obviously it has its ups and downs. I don’t think it’s a genre that’s going to disappear. There are territories that, at certain moments, invest more in entertainment or local productions, but these things are cyclical. Eventually, fiction always finds its way back into broadcasters’ schedules,” she said. “A broadcaster might not have a slot for Turkish drama today, but six months from now it could need one again. Entertainment and local production fluctuate quite a lot, and you can’t always rely on a production being delivered on time. Producing content is also expensive. So programming slots change, and we try to respond to the needs of each individual market,” she explained.
Although she noticed somewhat lighter traffic in Mipcom’s corridors, Suster emphasized the intensity of Eccho Rights’ commercial activity during the event. “It’s true that the corridors look a little emptier, but our schedules are completely full. We’re meeting all the clients we need to see and having all the meetings we need to have. We don’t even have time to eat. So, for us, it’s been a good market,” she said.
