27–40 Million Lira an Episode: Why Turkish TV Wants 25% Off
Up to 40 million lira for a single episode of a Turkish drama – and now the channels want a quarter of it back. According to Turkish TV journalist Birsen Altuntaş, broadcasters asked dizi producers for a 25% discount at a meeting on 4 November, after October advertising revenue fell to what the industry calls a 30-year low. Within 48 hours the cuts were visible on screen and on set: Most Production’s Halef: Köklerin Çağrısı is ending with episode 43, and the cast of Bozdağ Film’s new atv drama Evlat has been asked to accept lower fees. Here is what the Turkish TV price war means for producers, talent and international buyers of Türkiye’s series.
In brief
- 25% off: Turkish channels asked producers to cut the price of series by a quarter after October ad income hit a 30-year low (Birsen Altuntaş, 5 November).
- 27–40 million TL per episode: that is what producers say some dizi now cost to make.
- 140 → 110 minutes: producers answered with a plan to cap episodes at 110 minutes, drop second crews and stop paying top fees of up to 5 million TL.
- First casualties: Halef (NOW, Disney+ MENA) ends at episode 43; Evlat (atv) changed director and asked actors for fee cuts.
- For buyers: fewer, shorter and cheaper Turkish episodes are coming – and more pressure to pre-sell abroad.
Why are Turkish channels suddenly asking for a 25% discount?
Because advertising, the only real revenue line of free-to-air drama, collapsed in October. Birsen Altuntaş reports that October ad revenue was the lowest in 30 years and that the losses keep piling up for broadcasters. At a meeting on 4 November, channel representatives put a number on the problem: they want producers – their biggest cost and, in ratings terms, their biggest asset – to cut prices by 25%.
The squeeze did not start this month. On 31 October TRBW Creative reported how seven dizi were pulled in three nights as channels cleared expensive slots. The 25% demand is the next stage: instead of cancelling shows one by one, broadcasters are trying to reset the price of the whole genre.
How expensive has a Turkish drama episode become?
Producers told the channels that some series now cost between 27 and 40 million Turkish lira per episode. A 25% cut would take 6.75–10 million TL out of each episode (our calculation), bringing the range down to roughly 20–30 million TL.
| Item | Today | Under the proposals |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per episode (top series) | 27–40 million TL | ≈20–30 million TL if the 25% discount is applied |
| Episode length | up to 140 minutes | max 110 minutes |
| Production units | main crew + second crew | one crew |
| Highest actor fees | up to 5 million TL | no longer paid |
| Actors who refuse cuts | – | producers discussing not working with them |
Source: Birsen Altuntaş (5 November 2026); calculation by TRBW Creative. The measures are proposals, not a signed industry agreement.
What did producers offer in return?
A shorter, leaner dizi. The headline proposal is a 110-minute cap on episodes that today run up to 140 minutes, so that an episode ends before the final ad break. Turkish broadcasting rules set by the regulator RTÜK allow 12 minutes of advertising per hour, so a shorter episode also means a tighter, more saleable ad inventory instead of long blocks that advertisers no longer fill.
A shorter episode also removes the need for a second crew – the parallel unit that many productions run so that a 2.5-hour episode can be finished within a week. On talent, producers say fees of up to 5 million TL per episode would no longer be paid, and the sector is discussing not working with actors who refuse to lower their fees.
Which series are already paying the price?
Halef: Köklerin Çağrısı (“Halef: The Call of the Roots”). Produced by Most Production for NOW, the Şanlıurfa-set family drama starring İlhan Şen and Biran Damla Yılmaz led Thursday-night ratings for much of last season. In October it became the first Turkish title licensed to Disney+ MENA, through distributor Inter Medya, announced at Disney+’s launch event in Riyadh. That was not enough: after its latest episode drew 4.07 in total audience (7th place), 2.87 in AB and 3.37 in ABC1 (9th), the series is ending with episode 43.
Evlat (“The Child”). Bozdağ Film’s 1970s-set drama was first planned for Star TV and then moved to atv. Before it has even premiered, director Neslihan Yeşilyurt has left and M. Çağatay Tosun has taken over, and the cast – Hazal Subaşı, Birkan Sokullu, Turgut Tunçalp, İpek Tuzcuoğlu and Doğu Balkay – has been asked to accept lower fees, as is now happening across the industry.
The wider list. Since September, A.B.İ., Aşk ve Taht, Çirkin, Mercan Köşk and Sevdam Karadeniz have also ended, according to Birsen Altuntaş.
| Series | Producer | Channel | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halef: Köklerin Çağrısı | Most Production | NOW (Disney+ MENA abroad) | Final at episode 43 |
| Evlat | Bozdağ Film | atv (moved from Star TV) | New director, cast fees cut |
| A.B.İ., Aşk ve Taht, Çirkin, Mercan Köşk, Sevdam Karadeniz | various | various | Ended since September |
Why does a Turkish ad slump matter outside Türkiye?
Because Turkish drama is one of the country’s best-known cultural exports. The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) has reported that Turkish series have been sold to some 152 countries and that Türkiye ranks second only to the United States in foreign demand for TV series; in 2022 İTO’s chair Şekib Avdagiç expected exports to exceed $600 million that year. Almost all of that catalogue is first financed by Turkish free-to-air channels. When their ad income shrinks, the pipeline of new titles for MIPCOM, Dubai and Latin American buyers shrinks too.
The domestic ad market is large but shifting. The Deloitte study commissioned by the Advertisers Association (Reklamcılar Derneği) and partner bodies put Türkiye’s media and advertising investment at 140.69 billion TL in 2023, of which television took 24.9 billion TL while digital took the largest share. Every lira that moves from TV to digital is a lira that no longer pays for a 140-minute dizi.
How did the crisis unfold in two weeks?
Fast. The timeline below shows how an advertising problem turned into a pricing negotiation in less than a fortnight.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Late October | Channels pull several series from the schedule in a matter of nights; October ad income heads for a 30-year low |
| 4 November | Channel representatives meet producers and ask for a 25% discount |
| 5 November | Producers’ counter-proposals are reported: 110-minute cap, no second crews, no fees up to 5 million TL; Halef airs a “make-or-break” episode |
| 6 November | Halef confirmed to end at episode 43; Evlat changes director and asks the cast for lower fees |
What to watch next: whether the large groups behind the main channels announce new episode formats for January, whether more series are given early finales before the winter break, and whether talent agencies accept fee cuts collectively or project by project. Each of these will shape how many new Turkish titles reach international markets in 2027.
Our take: what should buyers, platforms and partners do now?
Our take. The 25% demand is a negotiation, not yet a rule – but the direction is clear, and it creates openings as well as risks.
- International buyers and distributors: expect fewer long-running titles and earlier finales. Shorter Turkish episodes also mean fewer international (45-minute) episodes per season, so check volume assumptions in pre-buy and output deals.
- Streaming platforms: a cheaper Turkish market is a buyer’s market. Co-financing or pre-buying a dizi now gives more leverage on rights, windows and episode length than a year ago – the Halef deal with Disney+ MENA shows platforms are already shopping.
- Brands and advertisers: ad slots around top dramas are likely to be renegotiated; product placement and sponsorship inside productions become more attractive for producers who need to close a budget gap.
- Service companies and co-producers: without second crews, productions need efficiency – post-production, VFX, dubbing and subtitling partners who can deliver faster and cheaper will be in demand.
- Talent agencies: the era of 5-million-lira episode fees is under pressure; international projects and platform originals may become the main route to top fees.
FAQ
Have Turkish channels and producers agreed on the 25% cut?
Not according to the available reports. Channels asked for it on 4 November; producers answered with cost-cutting proposals. No final agreement has been announced.
How much does a Turkish TV episode cost in 2026?
Producers say some top series cost 27–40 million TL per episode to make.
Why are Turkish episodes so long?
Prime-time dizi traditionally run up to around 140 minutes to carry more advertising blocks within RTÜK’s 12-minutes-per-hour rule. Producers now propose a 110-minute cap.
Is Halef: Köklerin Çağrısı cancelled?
It is ending with its 43rd episode. Internationally it is distributed by Inter Medya and was licensed to Disney+ MENA.
Will Turkish series exports fall?
Existing catalogues will keep selling, but fewer and shorter new seasons may reach the market if the ad slump continues.
Sources
- Birsen Altuntaş – Kanallar yapımcılardan yüzde 25 indirim istedi (5 Nov 2026); Halef Köklerin Çağrısı final yapıyor (6 Nov 2026); Evlat dizisinin yönetmeni değişti (6 Nov 2026)
- Señal News – Disney+ MENA licenses Inter Medya’s Halef as first Turkish title
- Hürriyet Daily News – Türkiye’s series exports to exceed $600 mln this year (2022)
- Marketing Türkiye – Medya ve reklam yatırımları 2023 (Deloitte / Reklamcılar Derneği)
- TRBW Creative – Seven Dizi Pulled in 3 Nights: Inside Türkiye’s TV Ad Crisis
This article is for information only and is based on industry reports; figures on costs and discounts are as reported and may change as negotiations continue. It is not investment or legal advice.
