Warner Bros Discovery Strikes Turkish Scripted Deal With Local Media Giant Dogus

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Doğuş Media Group are teaming to supercharge Turkish scripted shows. A new strategic partnership will see them co-finance and co-broadcast shows, with the upcoming romantic comedy-drama series Tuzlu Kahve (Salted Love) the first to come through the pact. The Poll Films-produced show will premiere on free-to-air network Star TV before joining HBO Max in Turkey and international 24 hours later. Turkey has been a key streaming market for WBD, with the company buying popular streamer BluTV at the end of 2023 and subsequently rebranding it as HBO Max. WBD has spent heavily on Turkish originals and this new deal shares the cost while still providing fresh content to subscribers, though this will not be exclusive. Similar to the deal Disney struck today, this is another example of a legacy studio’s global streamer striking a pact with a local broadcaster to gain access to new TV shows and films. For the Turkish network, its programs are newly minted and can take more risks. Watch on Deadline Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, GVP, Local Original Productions Lead Turkey, Italy and Spain and Channels & Ops Lead Turkey at WBD, said: “Turkey is one of the world’s most dynamic production markets, with a wealth of creative talent and stories that resonate well beyond the country’s borders. “Our partnership with Doğuş Media Group brings together the strengths of Star TV’s established broadcast reach and Warner Bros. Discovery’s production and streaming capabilities, creating a model designed to support the growth and wider distribution of Turkish content. We are very pleased to begin this collaboration with Tuzlu Kahve, a series that captures the warmth, humor and emotional depth that audiences value in Turkish storytelling.” Şebnem Aksoy Açıkalın, Content Director at Star TV, added: “This partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, through which our series will become available on HBO Max, creates a valuable opportunity to achieve this. I hope viewers on the platform will enjoy watching Tuzlu Kahve and that this first step marks the beginning of a long-lasting collaboration.”