Free at Home, Paid Abroad: Inside tabii’s New 2026 Season

15 million members, more than 70 original productions and viewers in over 50 countries – that is the scale TRT’s streaming platform tabii brought to the stage on 2 November 2026, when it unveiled its new season under the slogan “4 Dörtlük Sezon”. The tabii new season line-up mixes a 30-episode retelling of the Arabian Nights, a spy thriller led by the star of Diriliş: Ertuğrul, a fantasy series about dragons, a literary drama set after the 1980 coup and the final season of the black comedy Gassal, which lands on 19 November. For distributors, broadcasters and brands watching Türkiye’s drama export machine, the announcement says a lot about where public-service money is going in a year when commercial TV is struggling with advertising.

In brief

• Scale: tabii reports more than 15 million members, 70+ originals and reach in 50+ countries, according to the season launch reported by Birsen Altuntaş.
• Flagship: Binbir Gece Masalları (One Thousand and One Nights) with Cansu Dere and İbrahim Çelikkol – 30 episodes, produced by Bozdağ Film, postponed from last season.
• Finale: the fourth and final season of Gassal with Ahmet Kural premieres on 19 November 2026.
• New genres: espionage (Espiyonaj), fantasy (Ejderhan), period literary drama (Eve Dönemezsin) and an Aegean mystery (Modern Doğu Masalları: Sessiz Gemi).
• Sports: UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League matches stream on tabii Spor this season.

Why does a free platform matter so much to the business?

Because tabii is TRT’s shop window for Turkish drama abroad, and it is free at home. When TRT launched the service in May 2023, it opened with around 30 original series. By its first anniversary, trade press reported more than 4 million subscribers in Türkiye alone. In December 2024 the platform announced its global roll-out: the full service stays free in Türkiye, while international audiences reach it through third-party platforms, YouTube and Roku, with dubbing and subtitles in Turkish, English, Spanish, Arabic and Urdu.

That model is different from the commercial channels that dominate Turkish dizi exports. Private broadcasters such as Kanal D, Show TV or atv earn first from domestic advertising and then sell finished series to foreign buyers. tabii, backed by the public broadcaster, can commission without depending on prime-time ad revenue – a real advantage in autumn 2026, when several private channels have been pulling episodes because of weak advertising income. We covered that slump in detail in Seven Dizi Pulled in 3 Nights: Inside Türkiye’s TV Ad Crisis.

What is in the tabii new season line-up?

Eight drama titles, three highlighted documentaries and European club football. Here is the full slate as announced.

Documentaries singled out at the launch are Beş Şehir, Kültür Şeyleri and Zihnime Bir Bilet. On the sports side, tabii Spor carries matches from all three UEFA club competitions.

Can a 30-episode Arabian Nights epic travel like Magnificent Century?

That is clearly the bet. Binbir Gece Masalları retells the story of Scheherazade (Şehrazat) and Sultan Shahriyar (Şehriyar) – a tale known across the Middle East, Central Asia, the Balkans and Latin America, which are exactly the markets where Turkish period drama sells best. Cansu Dere plays Şehrazat and İbrahim Çelikkol plays Şehriyar, with Nazan Kesal, İpek Arkan, Erdem Kaynarca, Fatih Ayhan, Nazlı Senem Ünal, Hakan Vanlı and Sevinç Kıranlı in the supporting cast.

The producer is Bozdağ Film, the company behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Kuruluş: Osman, two of the most widely watched Turkish series in the Muslim world. Director Metin Günay and writer Atilla Engin lead the creative team. Filming of all 30 episodes has been completed, according to Turkish media, after the project slipped from last season’s schedule. A finished, complete season is attractive for international licensing: buyers can see the whole run before they commit, and dubbing can start immediately.

Why is the Gassal finale a test case for streaming-first comedy?

Because Gassal proved that a tabii original can become a national talking point. The black comedy follows a man who washes the dead for a living – a premise that sounded risky for a public broadcaster. Written by Sümeyye Karaarslan and produced by Zera Medya, the first season (directed by Selçuk Aydemir) premiered on 21 December 2024. Its first episode, posted on YouTube, drew close to 6 million views within days, according to Euronews. Season two followed on 24 May 2025, and season three dropped all ten episodes at once on 10 April 2026.

The fourth and final season arrives on 19 November 2026. Ending a hit after four short seasons is a typical streaming decision – compact runs of around ten episodes are easier to sell as box sets abroad than the 100+ episode runs of a classic Turkish weekly dizi.

What does Espiyonaj tell us about tabii’s action strategy?

It doubles down on a star with a proven foreign fan base. Engin Altan Düzyatan became an international name as Ertuğrul in Diriliş: Ertuğrul, a series that built huge audiences in Pakistan and across the Muslim world. In Espiyonaj he plays a skilled Turkish agent drawn into an international counter-intelligence operation. The series is planned as ten episodes, directed by Onur Tan and produced under the NetVizyon banner with producer Cemalettin Kömürcü.

Together with Operasyon Alesta – a naval rescue drama we profiled in April (read our earlier piece) – it shows tabii building a slate of high-production action titles with clear export potential in the Gulf, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Central Asia.

Where are the new genres – and why do they matter?

Fantasy and mystery broaden the catalogue beyond history and romance. Ejderhan follows a young swimmer who finds a mysterious sword while searching for his missing father and uncovers a secret tied to an ancient world of dragons – a youth-friendly fantasy format that is rare in Turkish production. Modern Doğu Masalları: Sessiz Gemi, with Caner Cindoruk and Bertan Asllani, starts when a mysterious ship washes ashore in an Aegean town.

Eve Dönemezsin, based on Selahattin Yusuf’s novel, goes in the opposite direction: a literary drama about a man named Yusuf trying to survive in a remote Eastern Black Sea village after the 1980 coup, with veteran actors Settar Tanrıöğen and Mehmet Kurtuluş. Literary adaptations are a growing segment in Türkiye – private channels are also turning to novels this autumn – and they tend to perform well at international festivals and on arthouse-leaning platforms.

How does tabii reach foreign viewers today?

Through partners rather than only its own app. The platform’s global model relies on third-party platforms, YouTube and Roku, plus deals such as the partnership with Turkish Airlines: since February 2024, 12 tabii originals – including Rumi, Free Sky, Say No More! and The Last Day – have been available in the airline’s in-flight entertainment system with subtitles and dubbing in several languages.

Our take: what should buyers and brands do with this?

Our take: tabii is becoming the most stable commissioner in Turkish scripted content precisely when commercial channels are cutting episodes over ad revenue. For international buyers, that means a steady flow of shorter, fully completed seasons (10–30 episodes) that are easier to schedule than 100-episode weekly dramas. Period and action titles such as Binbir Gece Masalları and Espiyonaj are the natural fit for MENA, Pakistan, Central Asia and the Balkans; Gassal and Eve Dönemezsin are candidates for festivals and niche streamers.

For production and post-production companies, dubbing studios and localisation agencies, the five-language model is a business opportunity: every new original needs English, Spanish, Arabic and Urdu versions. For brands, a free public platform with 15 million members and live UEFA football is a large, family-oriented audience – but sponsorship and product placement rules on a public broadcaster are stricter than on commercial TV, so partners should check formats with TRT directly.

FAQ

What is tabii?

tabii is the streaming platform of Türkiye’s public broadcaster TRT. It launched in May 2023 and is free to use in Türkiye; international viewers access it via third-party platforms, YouTube and Roku.

When does Gassal season 4 premiere?

The fourth and final season of Gassal premieres on tabii on 19 November 2026.

Who stars in Binbir Gece Masalları?

Cansu Dere plays Şehrazat and İbrahim Çelikkol plays Sultan Şehriyar. The 30-episode series is produced by Bozdağ Film.

How many members does tabii have?

At the new season launch on 2 November 2026, tabii said it has more than 15 million members and over 70 original productions, with viewers in more than 50 countries.

Can I watch tabii outside Türkiye?

Yes. TRT says the service is available globally through third-party platforms, YouTube and Roku, with content dubbed or subtitled in English, Spanish, Arabic and Urdu.

Sources

• Birsen Altuntaş – tabii yeni yayın dönemi dizilerini açıkladı (2 November 2026)
• tabii corporate – TRT’s global streaming service tabii is live
• tabii corporate – tabii and Turkish Airlines partnership
• World Screen – TRT’s tabii marks first year
• TGRT Haber – Binbir Gece Masalları: cast and episodes
• GZT – Engin Altan Düzyatan returns with Espiyonaj
• Küre Ansiklopedi – Gassal (series)
• Euronews Türkçe – Gassal first episode views on YouTube

This article is for information purposes only. Figures on members, originals and reach are as stated by tabii and reported in Turkish media; release dates may change. TRBW Creative is not affiliated with TRT or tabii.