Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz has been named Warner Bros Discovery’s Vice President of Local Original Productions, Local Channels and Streaming Operations Lead for Turkey. Oflaz was previously CEO of streamer BluTV, which WBD acquired at the end of last year.
She will remain in charge of the service, while taking on channel management for TLC and DMAX, plus development and production of local Turkish content. Grigory Lavrov, Vice President of Marketing, Local Brands & Franchise Management, Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey (MENAT), who had led TLC and DMAX since 2020, will continue to lead the trade marketing teams across CEE and MENAT and take on new responsibilities outside of Turkey.
The company described the strategy for the region as well as the executive's roles and challenges: “This leadership appointment underscores Warner Bros. Discovery’s commitment to strengthening its presence in Turkey and further integrating Warner Bros. Discovery’s and BluTV’s businesses. In her new role, Deniz Sasmaz Oflaz will retain leading the development and production of local content. As part of overseeing channel management for TLC and DMAX, Sasmaz Oflaz will also supervise the local programming and scheduling teams for these popular brands. The responsibly for networks was previously held by Grigory Lavrov, vp of marketing, local brands & franchise management Central & Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT)," they noted.
Lavrov, who has led these channels since 2020, will maintain the leadership of the trade marketing teams across the two regions and take on new responsibilities outside of Turkey.