WBD Turkish drama partnership with Doğuş targets global HBO Max distribution

This partnership signals a strategic shift for Warner Bros. Discovery as it leverages Turkey's high-output production market to feed its global HBO Max pipeline. By utilizing Star TV for initial linear reach and HBO Max for international scale, WBD reduces its financial risk through co-financing while securing exclusive digital windows. This move places WBD in direct competition with other global streamers who have heavily invested in Turkish content to drive subscriber growth in EMEA and Latin American markets. The success of this hybrid model will likely determine if WBD expands similar co-production frameworks into other high-growth creative hubs. Watch for the international viewership metrics of Tuzlu Kahve to gauge the cross-border appeal of this specific co-financing structure.

Warner Bros. Discovery is not alone in pursuing Turkish scripted content for global distribution. Netflix has been the most aggressive buyer of Turkish originals, commissioning over 20 series since 2018 and announcing in early 2025 that it would expand its Turkish slate with new productions from local studios including OGM Pictures and Ay Yapım. That investment has made Turkey one of Netflix's top non-English content markets, with Turkish titles consistently ranking in the platform's global top-10 non-English lists. The WBD and Doğuş deal enters a space where Netflix already has deep relationships with Turkey's leading production houses, raising the competitive stakes for exclusive streaming windows.

The business model of co-financing with linear broadcasters before streaming exclusivity mirrors structures other platforms have tested in Turkey. Disney+ launched its Turkish original series strategy in 2023 with a slate of exclusive titles produced for the platform, but the service later pulled back from the Turkish market entirely, exiting the country in 2024 as part of a broader international retrenchment under Disney's cost-cutting mandate. That withdrawal left a gap in the Turkish streaming market that HBO Max and other platforms are now competing to fill. The Doğuş partnership gives WBD a structural advantage by sharing production costs with a domestic broadcaster while retaining international streaming rights, a model that reduces the capital exposure that contributed to Disney's retreat.

Turkish drama exports have grown into a significant economic force, with Turkey's television export revenue reaching approximately $1 billion annually by 2024, making it the world's second-largest TV exporter after the United States. The sector's growth is driven by demand across Latin America, the Middle East, and Southern Europe, where Turkish series consistently outperform local productions in ratings. For HBO Max, which operates across Latin America and Europe, access to proven Turkish IP with built-in audience familiarity in those regions represents a lower-risk content acquisition strategy compared to commissioning untested local originals. The first title under the WBD and Doğuş deal, Tuzlu Kahve, will serve as an early indicator of whether the hybrid Star TV-to-HBO Max window can replicate the cross-border success that Turkish dramas have achieved through traditional syndication.