Turkey television industry faces crisis as advertising revenues drop

The Turkish television industry is experiencing a significant crisis driven by a sharp decline in advertising revenues. Reports indicate that in October, advertising income for television channels fell to its lowest level in 30 years. Currently, only about 60 percent of the usual 12 minutes of advertising time per hour is being filled.

This financial downturn has forced national broadcasters to implement drastic cost-cutting measures. Television channels have reportedly requested a 25 percent discount on production costs from production companies. To mitigate expenses, industry leaders are discussing reducing episode durations from 140 minutes to a fixed 110 minutes and potentially eliminating second crews on sets.

The economic pressure has already impacted programming, with several popular series, including “Muhtemel Aşk”, “Halef: Köklerin Çağrısı”, “Sevdiğim Sensin”, “Kızılcık Şerbeti”, “Başkalarının Hayatı”, and “Güller ve Günahlar”, facing delays or temporary removals from the air. The high cost of production, with episodes ranging between 350,000 and 550,000 euros, makes the current revenue gap particularly difficult for the sector to sustain.