MediaHub Bets on Cultural Diversity and Strong Commercial Potential
Founded in 2021, MediaHub has quickly turned into one of the fastest growing and most innovative companies on the international TV scene. Founder and CEO Kerim Emrah Turna has been diversifying the business with major intiatives and international collaborations spanning distribution and co-production of content. In this interview, he talks about the latest additions to the catalog of MediaHub, the newest projects and strategies to build the company’s international presence further.
Kerim Emrah Turna, Founder and CEO
With Bitter Justice set for an exclusive first-look screening at MIPCOM 2025, can you share how this new original fits into your strategic slate for the market, and what buyer response you’re anticipating?
Bitter Justice is the next milestone in our development slate of premium, character-driven storytelling with a strong international pulse. As our second original after Alaca, it broadens our slate with a universal theme of family, love, and morality, while carrying the emotional intensity that Turkish dramas are loved for. With deals already secured we anticipate strong interest from both free-to-air broadcasters and platforms, especially in CEE, LATAM, and MENA, where appetite for long-running dramas remains high.
Your catalog now includes several recent additions—Bitter Justice, Cosmopolis, Broken Lives, Lonely Hearts, among others—how do you decide which new titles to spotlight at MIPCOM?
This year we’ve enriched our lineup with new Turkish dramas such as Roses, Lonely Hears, Take My Hand and Close to You, alongside two European limited drama series, Laura H. and Childhood Dreams. In addition, we’ve expanded with a fascinating documentary catalog crafted with genuine passion, and an excellent eye for visuals. When deciding what to spotlight, we focus on titles that best reflect shifting buyer demand—whether it’s high-volume Turkish drama, distinctive European series, or factual content with global appeal. Our strategy is to present a balanced slate that offers both cultural diversity and strong commercial potential.
Your first original drama, Alaca, has now been licensed in over 20 territories across CEE, CIS, and most recently Latin America. What do you believe are the drivers behind its broad international appeal?
Alaca has proven to be a true global success story. Its universal storyline—love, secrets, and sacrifice—resonates with audiences everywhere, while its classical Turkish drama elements provide the emotional depth and intensity that define traditional Turkish storytelling. Broadcasters have seen the results: Alaca has secured strong primetime slots and carried them into leadership, delivered consistently high ratings, and generated loyal fanbases across multiple regions. By blending the essence of Turkish drama with polished production values and a compelling long-form structure, Alaca offers timeless appeal and continues to win over partners and audiences worldwide.
Following the Latin America debut with Alaca in Ecuador, which new territories are emerging as key targets for expanding your content distribution?
We’re seeing growing momentum in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, alongside continued opportunities in Europe. Broadcasters in these regions are actively seeking cost-effective, high-volume content with proven success, which positions our catalog strongly.
MediaHub has launched Globalsphere Studios in partnership with Geophil, and is co-producing Bitter Justice with India’s Shemaroo Entertainment. How do such co-production ventures align with your broader growth and creative goals?
Strong partnerships are key to our strategy. At Globalsphere Studios, we place great importance on working with high-profile local partners who bring unique creative strengths and market knowledge. By seeking win-win solutions, we not only share risks and resources but also create content that is truly global in scope while remaining locally authentic. These collaborations are essential for building sustainable growth and delivering stories that travel well across multiple regions.
Turkish dramas are known for their emotional depth and narrative longevity—how does MediaHub cultivate these qualities into lasting global sales, especially for high-episode series like Alaca?
As Globalsphere, we maintain full control over the creative process. Our Drama Director and showrunner works carefully on every detail in collaboration with MediaHub, ensuring that each storyline captures the emotional depth and classical elements audiences expect from Turkish drama. This meticulous approach allows us to deliver series that not only perform strongly at home but also sustain long-term success internationally, especially in high-episode formats like Alaca.
What are the key challenges you’re navigating in international distribution, such as cultural adaptation or platform competition? Conversely, where do you currently see the greatest opportunities for a Turkish content exporter like MediaHub?
Challenges include navigating platform fragmentation, evolving windowing strategies, and cultural nuances in scripting. Yet, these challenges also create opportunities. Broadcasters and platforms increasingly value ready-made, high-quality Turkish content as a cost-efficient alternative to originals. Our opportunity lies in being agile and offering both volume and flexibility.
Your catalog also includes content from Malaysia, India, the Philippines, South Korea, the Middle East. Content from which other territories are you interested in representing?
We’re keen to expand into Latin America and Southern Europe, as both regions produce strong local dramas with export potential. Formats and factual entertainment from Northern Europe are also of interest, as they complement our scripted portfolio.
MediaHub also offers a compelling non-scripted desk—titles like Stop! Border Control, Amazing Hospital, and others. How are these unscripted offerings performing, and what new markets or buyers are showing interest? Unscripted has been gaining traction, particularly in CIS, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Buyers are attracted to Stop! Border Control for its evergreen, returnable structure, while medical factual titles like Amazing Hospital have resonated in markets seeking family-friendly, reality-driven content. Our latest editions to our unscripted catalog like Transcending Waves, and Land of Patagones bring in a new angle, focused on cause oriented long form documentaries with striking visuals and character driven narratives, appealing to more artistically oriented broadcasters.
With global trends leaning toward shorter-form content, is MediaHub exploring micro-dramas or bite-sized storytelling formats? If so, how might these be positioned alongside your longer-running series?
Yes, we’re actively exploring micro-drama concepts. Rather than replacing long-form, these shorter formats serve as complementary entry points for digital-native audiences and can act as marketing feeders for full-length dramas. They also open new opportunities with AVOD and social platforms.
In July 2024, MediaHub secured a deal as the exclusive Turkish content aggregator for Canal+’s Thema. How has this partnership influenced your sales strategy and reach into new platforms and territories?
Canal+ has historically been an important partner for us, and our collaboration with Thema builds on that foundation. This is a growing business for them, with significant potential in the field of premium international content. Canal+ is also expanding rapidly through major acquisitions and investments in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, which creates new opportunities to reach audiences in these key territories.
Bitter Justice is the next milestone in our development slate of premium, character-driven storytelling with a strong international pulse. As our second original after Alaca, it broadens our slate with a universal theme of family, love, and morality, while carrying the emotional intensity that Turkish dramas are loved for. With deals already secured we anticipate strong interest from both free-to-air broadcasters and platforms, especially in CEE, LATAM, and MENA, where appetite for long-running dramas remains high.
Your catalog now includes several recent additions—Bitter Justice, Cosmopolis, Broken Lives, Lonely Hearts, among others—how do you decide which new titles to spotlight at MIPCOM?
This year we’ve enriched our lineup with new Turkish dramas such as Roses, Lonely Hears, Take My Hand and Close to You, alongside two European limited drama series, Laura H. and Childhood Dreams. In addition, we’ve expanded with a fascinating documentary catalog crafted with genuine passion, and an excellent eye for visuals. When deciding what to spotlight, we focus on titles that best reflect shifting buyer demand—whether it’s high-volume Turkish drama, distinctive European series, or factual content with global appeal. Our strategy is to present a balanced slate that offers both cultural diversity and strong commercial potential.
Your first original drama, Alaca, has now been licensed in over 20 territories across CEE, CIS, and most recently Latin America. What do you believe are the drivers behind its broad international appeal?
Alaca has proven to be a true global success story. Its universal storyline—love, secrets, and sacrifice—resonates with audiences everywhere, while its classical Turkish drama elements provide the emotional depth and intensity that define traditional Turkish storytelling. Broadcasters have seen the results: Alaca has secured strong primetime slots and carried them into leadership, delivered consistently high ratings, and generated loyal fanbases across multiple regions. By blending the essence of Turkish drama with polished production values and a compelling long-form structure, Alaca offers timeless appeal and continues to win over partners and audiences worldwide.
Bitter Justice
Following the Latin America debut with Alaca in Ecuador, which new territories are emerging as key targets for expanding your content distribution?
We’re seeing growing momentum in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, alongside continued opportunities in Europe. Broadcasters in these regions are actively seeking cost-effective, high-volume content with proven success, which positions our catalog strongly.
MediaHub has launched Globalsphere Studios in partnership with Geophil, and is co-producing Bitter Justice with India’s Shemaroo Entertainment. How do such co-production ventures align with your broader growth and creative goals?
Strong partnerships are key to our strategy. At Globalsphere Studios, we place great importance on working with high-profile local partners who bring unique creative strengths and market knowledge. By seeking win-win solutions, we not only share risks and resources but also create content that is truly global in scope while remaining locally authentic. These collaborations are essential for building sustainable growth and delivering stories that travel well across multiple regions.
Turkish dramas are known for their emotional depth and narrative longevity—how does MediaHub cultivate these qualities into lasting global sales, especially for high-episode series like Alaca?
As Globalsphere, we maintain full control over the creative process. Our Drama Director and showrunner works carefully on every detail in collaboration with MediaHub, ensuring that each storyline captures the emotional depth and classical elements audiences expect from Turkish drama. This meticulous approach allows us to deliver series that not only perform strongly at home but also sustain long-term success internationally, especially in high-episode formats like Alaca.
Aloca
What are the key challenges you’re navigating in international distribution, such as cultural adaptation or platform competition? Conversely, where do you currently see the greatest opportunities for a Turkish content exporter like MediaHub?
Challenges include navigating platform fragmentation, evolving windowing strategies, and cultural nuances in scripting. Yet, these challenges also create opportunities. Broadcasters and platforms increasingly value ready-made, high-quality Turkish content as a cost-efficient alternative to originals. Our opportunity lies in being agile and offering both volume and flexibility.
Your catalog also includes content from Malaysia, India, the Philippines, South Korea, the Middle East. Content from which other territories are you interested in representing?
We’re keen to expand into Latin America and Southern Europe, as both regions produce strong local dramas with export potential. Formats and factual entertainment from Northern Europe are also of interest, as they complement our scripted portfolio.
MediaHub also offers a compelling non-scripted desk—titles like Stop! Border Control, Amazing Hospital, and others. How are these unscripted offerings performing, and what new markets or buyers are showing interest? Unscripted has been gaining traction, particularly in CIS, Eastern Europe, and Asia. Buyers are attracted to Stop! Border Control for its evergreen, returnable structure, while medical factual titles like Amazing Hospital have resonated in markets seeking family-friendly, reality-driven content. Our latest editions to our unscripted catalog like Transcending Waves, and Land of Patagones bring in a new angle, focused on cause oriented long form documentaries with striking visuals and character driven narratives, appealing to more artistically oriented broadcasters.
With global trends leaning toward shorter-form content, is MediaHub exploring micro-dramas or bite-sized storytelling formats? If so, how might these be positioned alongside your longer-running series?
Yes, we’re actively exploring micro-drama concepts. Rather than replacing long-form, these shorter formats serve as complementary entry points for digital-native audiences and can act as marketing feeders for full-length dramas. They also open new opportunities with AVOD and social platforms.
Aska Mahkum
In July 2024, MediaHub secured a deal as the exclusive Turkish content aggregator for Canal+’s Thema. How has this partnership influenced your sales strategy and reach into new platforms and territories?
Canal+ has historically been an important partner for us, and our collaboration with Thema builds on that foundation. This is a growing business for them, with significant potential in the field of premium international content. Canal+ is also expanding rapidly through major acquisitions and investments in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, which creates new opportunities to reach audiences in these key territories.
