Müge Akar
Müge Akar was recently named Head of Sales for Europe, Asia, Africa at ATV. Managing regions with different content needs and tastes, the executive is expanding the company’s brand through the power of Turkish drama. To describe the challenges and goals of her new position, Akar spoke with Señal News.
▸ What are the main challenges of your new position at ATV?
“An extensive catalog and three continents to work with is not an easy task. However, Europe has been one of our major and most loyal territories throughout the years. Asia and Africa are rather new markets for Turkish content. Turkish shows are rising as a specific genre, becoming more popular in these regions, and the distribution channels are evolving. So, the main challenge in these territories is finding the right content for the right business model.”
▸ How would you define ATV's positioning in those territories?
“ATV is top positioned in European markets, working with biggest TV and OTT platforms. We have deals with Atresmedia, Mediaset, RTL, Nova Broadcasting Group, TV2 Media Group, Sia All Media, Antena TV Group, and Kanal D Romania, to name a few. All our bestseller series such as ‘Hercai,’ ‘Lifeline,’ ‘For My Family,’ and ‘The Ottoman’ have traveled to this region and received top results in local broadcasters.”
▸ What are the main programming needs around European broadcasters and platforms?
“European clients usually look for long-running and family-orientated dramas. Niche genres such as historical, period, and action-based series also find specific homes.”
▸ How have the Asian and African markets evolved for ATV business?
“We expanded into Asia and Africa in 2021-2022, improving the number of key clients and countries we have entered so far. Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Angola, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Botswana are the countries we work with actively”.
▸ What type of Turkish content is more prevalent in each of these territories?
“Strong dramas, historical series, and shorter series are on demand in general. Since Africa and Asia are very diverse, the content selection is more based on cultural preferences. In some countries such as Malaysia and India, we see a pattern where shorter and lighter dramas are being picked up. Whereas in Africa, stronger titles are on demand.”
▸ What specific new shows will you offer at MIPTV?
“ATV’s catalog is expanding each season. This MIPTV, we have a great line-up of drama series, suitable for all content demand. ‘Destan,’ the high-end premium historical drama played by Ebru Sahin (Hercai), is the flagship of our new line-up. Moreover, ‘Hidden Wings’ and ‘Lone Wolf’ are brand new series which has just met the local audiences in Turkey. The Turkish adaptation of ‘Your Honor’ is also in our pipeline, and it will be introduced during this MIPTV. It already has earned huge attention from our key markets.”
By Diego Alfagemez
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