Mega adds foreign daily dramas

Paramparça (Broken Pieces) is heading to Mega

Greece’s Mega Channel has picked up daily dramas from Cyprus and Turkey for its autumn access-primetime schedules.

Endemol Turkey’s Paramparça (Broken Pieces), written by Yıldız Tunç, directed by Cevdet Mercan and starring Nurgül Yeşilçay and Erkan Petekkaya, will air daily at 17.40 under the Greek title Ragismenes Kardies.

The show revolves around the lives of two women from different backgrounds who accidentally take home each other’s baby after giving birth in the same hospital.

A first 55×120’ season premiered on Turkey’s Star TV in December 2014. The second series aired last month and is planned to run until June 2016.

Over the past two years, Turkish dramas have become less popular in Greece due to the rise of Cypriot dramas.

Mega is the only Greek broadcaster sticking with its Turkish acquisitions, but it has also moved for a Cypriot series.

To Daktylidi Tis Fotias (The Ring of Fire) was produced by Mega Cyprus and filmed in Santorini, Athens and Cyprus with a mixed Greek and Cypriot crew and cast. Mega will air it daily at 18.50.

The romantic drama is written by Kostas Vazakas and Elena Christoforou and directed by Christos Dimas, Christos Georgiou and Spyros C.

Star Channel has also bought a drama from Mega Cyprus for its daily lead-in this season, while Antenna TV airs its own Cypriot dramas, Brusco and Roua Mat.

With the decline of Turkish drama on Greek free-to-air channels, local fans of the genre have the option to turn to online VoD platform ilovetv.

Mega has faced problems in addition to the liquidity crisis and financial collapse that plagued all Greek broadcasters during the summer.

The broadcaster is tackling funding issues and has had to appeal to shareholders for extra cash injections twice in the past two years.

Last Monday, the management announced salary cuts from 10-20% depending on the level of pro tax earnings of the employees. The staff went on a six-hour strike the same evening.