February 2014 14 Middle East’s Viewers But the threat of a region-wide boycott is still real since countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been displeased with Erdogan’s support of Egypt’s former Islamist Government of Mohammed Morsi. According to Turkish-American TV veteran Deniz Ziya Temeltas, Erdogan’s policies have antagonized not only Egypt but almost the entire MENA region, including Israel, Gaza and Lebanon. Another country threatening to boycott Turkish companies is Iraq, but that’s over oil exports from its Kurdish region and it is all-encompassing, not affecting TV companies alone. Even though the Turkish TV series are produced independently without the involvement of the Turkish government, Egypt hopes that such a boycott could put some pressure on Ankara. Reportedly, Turkish soaps have brought more Egyptian tourists to the country and the boycott could result in the loss of some tourism business. Recently, Syrian actor Abed Fahd went public about his rejection of Turkish dramas and expressed regret that Syrian actors dubbed those dramas into Arabic. Conversely, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan has been vociferous against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. Deniz Ziya Temeltas reported that so far the boycott has not resulted in canceled sales contracts, but it has created delayed payments. However, he added, “even though the boycott is bound to hurt Turkish producers in the short run, in the long run it will sharpen the appetite of Arab viewers for Turkish drama,” considering that people tend to crave desirable product in short supply. One issue that remains unclear is the definition of what constitutes a “Turkish production.” Content distributors that VideoAge contacted in Istanbul have not yet received any official note or a description of what is subject to embargo. One aspect that particularly troubles Turkish content distributors is the sublicensing issue, since in some cases, Middle Eastern broadcasters who licensed Turkish TV series retained the right to sell them to other territories. However, because of the embargo, these sublicensing sales have now stopped, further depriving Turkish producers of additional shared revenues. However, one distributor in Istanbul who is preparing to attend DISCOP predicted that this situation will force them to develop their own local sales structure that will cover every MENA territory. Many of the Turkish content distributors VideoAge contacted for this story were freely willing to provide information, but asked not to be quoted by name for fear of potential retaliation or simply to avoid creating further tension for an issue that is considered temporary. By Dom Serafini In addition, not all Turkish series are affected, rendering the embargo more of a case-by-case situation, rather than a blanket requirement. In effect, if a Turkish distributor sold to a MENA territory a series that was dubbed in Spanish with some post-production done in Lebanon and re-edited by a person in Germany who takes the producer’s credit, technically it might not constitute a Turkish TV show. In a sense this loose description of what constitutes Turkish content could represent an opening to quickly resolve the issue, and it is considered one of the loopholes utilized by such organizations as the Dubai-based free-to-air satellite service Middle Eastern Broadcasting Company (MBC), to continue showing Turkish drama. MBC first introduced Turkish TV shows to the Arab world, and for many years now Turkish dramas have been among the most-watched and popular TV hits in the region. A MBC spokesperson was quoted in Today’s Zaman, one of three English-language dailies based in Turkey, as saying, “We have not felt the need to make any change in our broadcasting strategy for Turkish drama because Arab audiences still want to watch them.” Caracol’s Complicated Women Caracol Television is bringing strong — and slightly scary — women to DISCOP Istanbul. The Dark Widow (La Viuda) (pictured) tells the tale of Griselda Blanco, a scary but beautiful woman who has killed off her former lovers and serves time in jail for drug trafficking. But when her son is kidnapped, Griselda escapes from prison on the day of her execution. She overcomes the many hardships life throws her way until the day she dies on a street in Medellin. Thanks to mounting debt, Martin Guerrero must quit the racetrack and take a job driving Natalia Toledo, an important executive. Despite her countless demands and his habit of breaking the rules, the two discover they are perfect for each other inThe Sweetest Love (Dulce Amor). After her U.S. talk show falls prey to a scandal, Victoria Maldonado returns to her native country to work on her successful wedding gown company. But she quickly discovers that the company has been ruined and that her lover is now dating her best friend. To win back her love and her power, she forces everyone to live under one roof inThe Mother In Law (La Suegra). Football Dreams: A World of Passion (La Selección) provides a peek into the hectic and exciting lives (both on and off the field) of four players from the Colombian National Football Team: Carlos Valderrama, Freddy Rincón, René Higuita and Faustino Asprilla. The Voice of Freedom, Helenita Vargas (La Ronca de Oro) tells the story of a Colombian singer who longed to be free during the 1950s, when women were expected to be only wives and mothers. Helena found that her music was a way to express her deep desire for freedom, overcoming all obstacles in a prejudiced society. She understood that during times of violence, her unsurpassable voice would be capable of uniting an entire nation. Aurelio Casillas’s goal was to become the leading — and only — drug lord in Mexico in the 1990s, taking Pablo Escobar’s place in the region. After the appearance of his picture in the press, Casillas, whose fleet of 27 aircrafts earns him the nicknameThe Lord of the Skies(El Señor de los Cielos), decides to undergo risky plastic surgery to change his face and disappear without a trace. An original Caracol Television format, The Dance Floor (La Pista) is a revolutionary dance talent competition in which 16 dance groups led by 16 experienced Colombian singers will make the audience dance to well known choreographies belonging to favorite and memorable songs. It’s a mega production with more than 200 people working on a stage where more than 180 original shows will be presented for audiences to enjoy. www.caracolinternacional.com Stand S-25 (Continued from Cover) (Continued from Page 8) Can the 78-episode TV series that Turkish filmmakers Muharrem Gülmez and Serdar Akar produced at Nu Boyana, the largest film production studio in Bulgaria, shown above, be subject to the boycott? Istanbul: East meets West
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