Warner Bros. Discovery‘s rebrand of its streaming service BluTV to Max in Turkey is official and live as of today Tuesday, as the Hollywood giant underlined its “commitment to increasing its investment in local content” and “bringing a compelling slate of new local stories” to its streamer in the country.
“Existing direct subscribers in Türkiye can sign in to the advanced global platform with enhanced features and functionality to watch thousands more hours and hundreds more titles than previously available on BluTV,” the company said. Among them are the second season The Last of Us and the final season of The Handmaid’s Tale, both premiering on the service on Tuesday.
Also coming to Max in the country “soon” are three new Turkish originals unveiled during a Tuesday launch event: Anatomy of Chaos, a corruption revenge drama, Jasmin (Jasmine in Turkish), a drama about a young woman living between extremes, and adult animation series Feride. They will join previously announced Turkish originals First Göktürk, a period drama fantasy series, satire Prince season 3, and drama Çekiç ve Gül: Bir Behzat Ç. Hikayesi season 3.
“We are bringing together the successful BluTV local content with the global [WBD] content for a broader offering” designed to enable continued subscriber growth and increased engagement, Jamie Cooke, general manager, Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Turkey at WBD, told THR. “And we are committed to increased spending on Turkish original productions long term.”
There are no specific spending targets though. “We are focusing on developing the right amount and mix of originals for our platforms in Turkey. And we can then also license them to our own or other platforms elsewhere,” he explained. “Turkish content travels well across the Middle East, Latin America and increasingly in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.”
Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, WBD’s vp local original productions, local channels and streaming operations lead for Turkey, echoed that. “The country has a vibrant storytelling tradition and a thriving entertainment industry,” she said. “With Max, we are not only bringing our world-class content to Turkish audiences, we are also increasing our investment in local talent and productions that celebrate Türkiye’s unique culture and stories.”
She told THR that the basic value proposition of BluTV will be underlined and multiplied with the Max rebrand. “It’s very important to assure our loyal fan and subscriber base that our editorial will not drastically change,” she explained.
Of course, U.S. Max or HBO shows have also been successful on WBD’s Turkish streamer. “It’s the usual suspects,” Şaşmaz Oflaz said. “Titles such as The Last of Us and Game of Thrones are successful on our platform. But we are also still seeing a lot of subscribers watching The Sopranos all over again or Sex and the City, and other older titles. And now The White Lotus is, of course, among the really popular ones. Our biggest movie franchises, such as Harry Potter, also get watched a lot on our platform.”
Cooke, in a statement, touted Turkey’s treasure trove of tales. “Türkiye has an incredibly rich storytelling heritage, and with Max, we are delivering a premium streaming experience that combines the best of global and local content,” he said.
First Göktürk will bring a new dimension to the streamer. “It’s our biggest period drama and one of the first shows that relates to Turkish history, the story of Turks,” Şaşmaz Oflaz explained to THR. “But we’re not telling the story educationally, but in a Western way of storytelling. So, we will be watching something more in the vein of Kingdom of Heaven and The Lord of the Rings. We will be following the journey of these real characters from history. We are very excited about this show. Hopefully, it will bring a lot of subscribers to Max and will continue for many, many seasons.”
Concluded Şaşmaz Oflaz: “It’s a bit similar to Game of Thrones, where, once you are successful, you can spin off projects out of it. And I think it’s very important and significant for us as Max Turkey to be able to tell the story of Turkish people because that’s something that we don’t see a lot on screen. That is very local and at the same time also feels very global.”
Here is a closer look at some of the originals coming to Max Turkey.
Prince
This comedy series is “centered around the youngest and least loved son of the founder of the fictional Kingdom of Bongomia, so neglected that he wasn’t even given a proper name so eventually his title, ‘Prince,’ simply became his name,” says a synopsis. “The story revolves around this arrogant, lucky, and indifferent young man and his absurd family.”
Behzat Ç.
“A hard-hitting and realistic crime drama about a chief inspector caught between love, revenge, and conscience as he battles crime in the dark streets of Ankara while confronting his own inner demons,” Max explains.
Anatomy of Chaos
An organized crime boss and a young doctor seeking revenge for his sister’s death join forces after meeting in prison. “Together, they fight against a corrupt system that pitted them against each other,” notes a series description.
Jasmin
Get ready for this synopsis of a series about a young woman “caught between extravagance and hardship, luxury and misery, life and death.” Jasmin, or Jasmine in Turkish, “lives a luxurious and glamorous life with her wealthy clients, is secretly saving money for a heart transplant. Her already complicated life becomes even more tangled when her stepbrother, Tufan, falls in love with her. Jasmine, tells the story of a young woman
First Göktürk
Max Turkey promises “epic conflict and the mythological peppering of Turkic and nomadic history” for what it calls “the most anticipated new cinematic franchise for Turkish and Eurasian markets.” It adds: “With an untapped and rich story world, unforgettable characters and a multilingual release, the series and film tells the story of friendship, liberty and historic struggle.”
Feride
A woman living alone in Istanbul “sometimes finds herself caught between traditional and modern life in an absurd, and humorous way,” according to a show description. “As an independent, strong, yet emotionally drained woman, she tries to balance her work and love life, but she won’t always be able to maintain her optimism and kindness.”
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