Scalable and budget-friendly formats for everyone

Sera Film Services is one of the oldest independent production and distribution companies in Turkey. They satisfy Turkish audiences with long-running formats, but they also have shows to offer internationally. "We distribute high-quality scripted and unscripted formats in Turkey. We also produce unscripted content ourselves in the country, and we have some original titles that we distribute internationally," said Idil Belli, CEO of Sera Film Services, to Señal News.

The company participated in NEM Dubrovnik for the first time, presenting two scalable and budget-friendly formats: the popular word-based game show "Think" and the fun game show "QUP".

"Think", which first premiered in Turkey in 2009 and is owned by Bavaria Entertainment, has maintained its success with its fun structure and fast pace ever since. To date, the format has been commissioned in six territories, including Turkey, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, and for Kurdish-speaking audiences. "It has been in Turkey for more than 10 years, airing daily. It's very addictive. We don't even give a high prize money, but still, everybody wants to be on the show all the time," asserted Belli.

"QUP", created and developed by Sera Film, has aired daily in Turkey and is now optioned in Spain. "It's a fun game show where families compete. There are physical challenges as well. It looks very simple, but there is very clever gameplay," said the executive. "In Turkey, teenagers play the game in their schools. It's a phenomenon," she described.

YEARS OF EVOLUTION
Established in 1988, Sera Film Services has adapted to the production and distribution changes in the industry over the decades.
"Being able to include scripted formats in our catalog was a milestone, because that didn't exist before," recalled Belli.

Another significant challenge noted by the executive is inflation. "We have hyperinflation in Turkey, which is putting stress on many industries, including production. So we try to be quick while producing, because you have a budget, and in six months that budget will be meaningless. Because of the inflation, all the costs will increase," she described. "Currently, we don't have an opportunity to plan for the long run, but this is not the first time Turkey has experienced something like this. We are accustomed to it and know how to deal with it. We are very flexible; we do whatever it takes, and we always find a solution," she highlighted.

UPCOMING STEPS
Sera Film Services will be present at MIPCOM under the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce umbrella and will bring new, interesting formats.

The CEO also expressed interest in Latin America: "Latin American and Turkish audiences have similar tastes, so if we can see our formats happening there, reaching audiences, that would be great. We believe that they would be very satisfied," she concluded.