Melis Hamamcıoğlu: “We already know that in MENA we have a very good track record with premium Turkish dramas” – Exclusive Interview

In our DICM 2024 issue, Eccho Rights’ Director of Digital Media Acquisition & Content Sales, Melis Hamamcıoğlu, shares insights on the international journey of their new English drama Safe Harbor and the Turkish hit The Cost of Lies, both generating significant interest at MIPCOM.

Hamamcıoğlu highlights the themes of love, family, and loyalty that resonate deeply with MENA audiences, driving the success of Turkish series like Golden Boy and I Am Mother. She also shares her expectations for DICM, noting the growing demand for Turkish dramas in the MENA region, and discusses Eccho Rights’ plans to expand further into Western Europe, where interest in Turkish content continues to rise.

Melis Hamamcıoğlu: Love and sacrifice, family and loyalty, revenge and redemption, class conflict and social issues, identity and transformation, definitely speak to audiences in MENA.

At MIPCOM, Eccho Rights launched its new English drama series, Safe Harbor. How was the interest in your new series?

We had a fantastic launch for the title, and it created a wonderful buzz at the market. We were joined by three of the leading actors, Game of Thrones star Alfie Allen, Colm Meaney, who is a legend from productions like Star Trek and Con Air, and upcoming Dutch actor Martijn Lakemeier, who is gaining great international recognition from his role in Maxima, which has been doing very well worldwide. We had a screening at the market, as well as having hosted some exclusive one-to-one screenings with buyers before MIP, and the reception so far has been great with people excited by the thrilling opening episode, and hungry to see more!

The Cost of Lies has become one of the most captivating series of the new season, widely loved and followed in Türkiye. One of the Turkish series you introduced at MIPCOM was The Cost of Lies. Could you share with us how this series started its global journey?

It is always a bit of a nervous time when launching a series during the market, knowing that the ratings will be published and our clients will know immediately whether or not it is likely to be a success! So we were delighted that The Cost of Lies premiere went so well, scoring great ratings, and backing up our belief that we have a very special series on our hands.

In your opinion, what aspects of The Cost of Lies do you think will resonate most with viewers worldwide?

Immediately the international buyers have been intrigued by this unconventional family story, that feels very modern but also consists of the key elements that we count on for a successful Turkish drama series: love and sacrifice, family and loyalty, revenge and redemption, class conflict and social issues, identity and transformation.

At MIPCOM, CJ ENM, 03 Medya, and DASS Yapım signed an agreement for a Turkish adaptation of Queens of Tears. And Eccho Rights is handling its international distribution. Could you provide details about this agreement and the storyline of the series?

We are extremely excited about the prospect of this series. The original from South Korea has been a phenomanel hit, and its final episode was the top rated drama of all time for broadcaster tvN, watched by more than 6 million people, also making it the second most watched television series in Korean cable TV history.

The series is a deeply emotional rollercoaster ride following the highs and lows of a couple from different worlds who fall in love, get married, but slowly drift apart as their differences become more apparent, before finding each other again when they realise what they might lose.

Eccho Rights has a rich catalog that also includes Turkish series. Which of your titles have generated the most interest in the MENA region in recent years?

Without doubt the two most important titles for us lately have been Golden Boy, from OGM Pictures, and in the last year, I Am Mother from O3 Medya. Both titles have seen huge success with MBC in MENA, as day-and-date broadcasts, this is a very complex delivery process, particularly given the tight production timelines in Türkiye, and the fact that the series must be dubbed for MENA audiences, but the success of the series makes it all worth it!

Are there specific themes that you consider a priority for broadcasters in the MENA region? In some parts of the world, family dramas or crime-action series generate more interest, while in others, romantic comedies stand out. As someone who understands the region’s preferences well, we would like to hear your insights.

Those principal themes that we mentioned before; love and sacrifice, family and loyalty, revenge and redemption, class conflict and social issues, identity and transformation, definitely speak to audiences in MENA. Another hugely important thing is the talent attached to a project, the Turkish actors are so well known in the region, so if we can promise a high-profile line up onscreen, as well as familiar writers, directors and producers, it makes the job so much easier for the buyer to commit to an acquisition!

Melis Hamamcıoğlu: MENA we have a very good track record with premium Turkish dramas, and that when we bring a new title with an A-list cast we can often quickly secure a deal.

Following MIPCOM, we’re at DICM. What are Eccho Rights’ goals for the MENA region in the upcoming period, and what are your expectations from DICM?

Based on the above, we already know that in MENA we have a very good track record with premium Turkish dramas, and that when we bring a new title with an A-list cast we can often quickly secure a deal. Our next hope is that we can bring more daily drama series to MENA. We understand that there is a rich history of Arabic productions in this space already, but we found that for example, in South America, after an initial resistance to importing competition to the traditional telenovela, once Turkish dailies came over, the market really opened up and we have enjoyed a lot of success selling series such as Elif, The Promise, and now newer titles like Winds of Love into these territories. We absolutely believe we can see a similar pattern across the MENA region.

At Eccho Rights, you’re also responsible for the sales of Turkish series to Western Europe. In recent years, we’ve seen growing interest in Turkish series in Western and Central Europe. What are your observations on this, and what are your expectations for Turkish series in the near future?

We have been very proud to be at the forefront of breaking a number of new territories for Turkish drama, and we hope to continue this work. After seeing the amazing success of Turkish series in Spain, neighbouring countries like France and Italy in particular have been watching very closely and there is an obvious rekindling of activity in these territories. In northern Europe we brought Golden Boy to Finland, after having several Turkish series air in Sweden going back over 10 years, and we are delighted to say that this has been a big success, with MTV (Finnish broadcaster) having just aired the second season finale. Which territory is next? We don’t know, but we don’t see any signs of the growth in Turkish series slowing down!

*This interview with Melis Hamamcıoğlu was featured in Episode Magazine’s DICM 2024 issue.