More Turkish TV series to meet Arab audiences

By Serdar Bitmez and Ekrem Biceroglu

DOHA, Qatar

A Turkish television series about the establishment of the Ottoman state will soon be seen by Arab viewers.

The Arabic streaming service, Noor Play, recently signed contracts with producers of new Turkish series viewed by millions, particularly in Arab countries, and obtained the rights to feature them on its platform.

The contract was signed for Establishment: Osman and Mendirman Jaloliddin (Jalaluddin Khwarazm Shah), as well as the movie, The Turks Are Coming: Sword of Justice.

"The contract we signed is a great achievement for our team. We have been working for a long time to be able to present beloved Turkish series to Arab audiences," Abdullah bin Ahmed al-Hashimi, owner of Noor Play, told Anadolu Agency.

"Turkish series are followed with great interest in 146 countries, especially in Arab countries," he said while stressing the international popularity of Turkish productions.

He said the series contributes to the close relations between countries and they would be presented to Arab nations after translations are completed.

Hashimi underlined that after signing the contract with Mehmet Bozdag, the producer of Establishment: Osman, and with the Turkish TV channel ATV about a month ago, the service started to air the series which tells the story of the founding of the Ottoman state by Osman I, the son of Ertugrul Gazi, a critical turning point in Islamic history.

He said Noor Play was also the first platform to air Mendirman Jaloliddin, a Turkish-Uzbek joint production by Bozdag Film, illustrating the life of the Khwarazmian sultan who defeated the Mongols in numerous battles.

The Turks Are Coming: Sword of Justice, tells of the rise of the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Istanbul by Mehmed the Conqueror, and his orientation toward Rome, which was seen as the capital of Europe in the 15th century.

Noor Play was also the first official platform to present Resurrection: Ertugrul, one of the most popular series in the Arab and Islamic world, to Arab audiences after a contract with the TRT channel.

Stressing that there was a jump in interest in Noor Play after the contract was signed for Establishment: Osman, Hashimi said Noor Play would continue cooperating with Turkish channels to present additional Turkish series to Arab viewers.

Turkish television series is watched by around 700 million people in 146 countries.

*Writing by Sena Guler