Turkey will provide financial support of up to $100,000 per episode to production companies for television series broadcast abroad under a new scheme aimed at boosting cultural influence and tourism revenue, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on Wednesday.
Speaking at an event titled “Support for Turkish TV Series Contributing to Tourism Promotion Worldwide” held at the Atatürk Cultural Center in İstanbul, Ersoy said the government will back productions that contribute to the promotion of Turkey and meet specific export and viewership criteria.
Yeni nesil tanıtım vizyonumuzun lokomotifi yaptığımız dizilerimiz 170 ülkede yaklaşık 1 milyar izleyiciyle küresel ölçekte güçlü bir etki alanı oluşturuyor. 🎞️
Yurt dışında Türkiye'nin tanıtımına büyük katkı sağlayan ve uluslararası alanda geniş izleyici kitlesine ulaşan Türk… pic.twitter.com/b9CdwBaCVJ
— Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (@MehmetNuriErsoy) February 18, 2026
The support will be extended through the General Directorate of Cinema and the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA).
The minister said Turkish series currently reach nearly 1 billion viewers in some 170 countries, making Turkey one of the world’s top three television drama exporters in terms of sales volume.
The sector has surpassed $1 billion in export revenue, he added, describing the industry as a “locomotive” of Turkey’s broader promotion and tourism strategy.
Under the new model, series that are broadcast in at least 10 countries across three continents and that contribute to the promotion of Turkey and the Turkish language will be eligible for support.
Authorities will also consider the number of countries where the series is sold, total sales revenue, ratings performance and whether the target markets align with Turkey’s tourism priorities.
Ersoy said although episodes typically run around 120 minutes domestically, they are edited into 40–45 minute installments for international markets.
The financial support will be calculated based on the domestic episode format, meaning that for each exported segment aired abroad, producers could receive the equivalent of roughly $33,000 in Turkish lira.
Turkish series are now widely regarded as one of the world’s top exporters of scripted content, ranked alongside the United States and the United Kingdom in global export power.
The dramas have gained global popularity over the past decade, particularly in the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe and parts of Asia.
Series such as “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century), a historical fiction series revolving around life and intrigue during the reign of Suleiman I, also known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent, were sold to more than 100 countries and helped expand Turkey’s cultural footprint abroad.
More recently, titles including “Diriliş Ertuğrul,” a reinvention of the Ottoman Empire’s founding era, and “Yargı” (Family Secrets) have continued to draw international audiences and streaming deals.
Ersoy said the government sees “screen tourism” — travel inspired by television productions — as a growing strategic field used by many countries as a form of soft power.
He cited examples of foreign viewers learning Turkish phrases, naming children after characters and visiting filming locations as evidence of the sector’s long-term impact.
“People want to become part of a story and experience a feeling on site,” Ersoy said, claiming that rapidly expanding exports and international demand require a policy framework that moves beyond traditional cultural funding models.