Turkey’s BluTV to take a global approach to commissioning post-WBD acquisition

CONTENT AMERICAS: Turkish streaming service BluTV is looking to expand its programming remit to focus on dramas that have more international resonance in the wake of its acquisition by Warner Bros Discovery (WBD).

Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz

The takeover deal, which closed at the end of 2023, saw WBD fully acquiring the SVoD platform after previously buying a 35% stake in 2021.

BluTV CEO Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz said that while the acquisition is still very new, one of her top priorities is to formulate an original commissioning strategy that creates shows that can also attract audiences to WBD-owned platforms beyond Turkish borders.

“For [WBD], this investment means not only getting access to a subscriber base in Turkey but also getting access to a production hub, because we have access to storytellers, talent, actors and actresses,” Şaşmaz Oflaz said at C21’s Content Americas here in Miami.

“So, while we are choosing our new shows, what we’re trying to do is understand how we can focus not only on our core market but also how [a show] can have a good return outside of Turkey on other platforms or linear channels owned by WBD.

“That is my challenge now: to find the right correlation for our content to be successful inside and outside Turkey.”

BluTV was the first local SVoD to launch in the Turkish market when it debuted in 2016. The following year, it premiered its first original, crime drama Innocent, and it has since released 26 originals, as well as expanding into several territories in the Middle East and North Africa and building a FAST channels business.

Initially, its goal was to compete directly with the global streamers entering (or thinking about entering) the local market. As a result, its commissioning strategy was focused squarely on local content for domestic audiences.

While the post-acquisition programming vision will mean its original shows are developed with an eye on resonating with international audiences, the goal is not to deviate from its focus on the Turkish audience, said Şaşmaz Oflaz.

In the coming months, BluTV will also be adding more international content from the WBD catalogue, including content from Discovery+, HBO, Warner Bros, kids’ content and news. It has been doing this gradually since the minority acquisition in 2021, but this year will see far more content from across the WBD portfolio joining the service, added Şaşmaz Oflaz.