The Timeless Drama Channel (TDC) is a new venture from multinational group SPI International, which is headquartered in New York City, and operates a total of 16 offices around the world, including Israel, Poland, Tokyo, and Mexico City.
This December, TDC will begin broadcasting Turkish TV dramas worldwide, because, explained Berk Uziyel, the Istanbul-based managing director of SPI International, “Turkish television dramas are now watched by more than 400 million people in some 140 countries.” He also pointed out that “Turkey is globally the second highest exporter of TV series internationally, after the U.S.”
To further drive the concept home, the logo chosen for TDC is the color turquoise because the greenish-bluish hue is the national color of Turkey, where the over 400 hours a year of premium Turkish drama series and movies will be coming from. The channel is aimed at women 20-plus years old, and each series will average 40 episodes, with content coming from Turkish producers such as Ay Yapim. But, added Uziyel, “While Ay Yapim is definitely a major supplier for TDC content, we are currently finalizing a number of acquisition deals with other key studios and distributors.”
Uziyel went on to say that while “the channel’s original language is naturally Turkish… there are four subtitle options: Turkish, English, Arabic, and Spanish, with more languages to be added soon.”
Uziyel further explained the new channel’s technical and business characteristics: “TDC will be broadcast by a U.K.-based company and its programming team is also in the U.K. However, the channel’s uplink will be in France.” SPI also maintains an office in Paris.
By the end of this year, TDC is expected to launch in 10 countries with three feeds: Europe, MENA/APAC, and U.S./LATAM as a premium pay channel, meaning it’ll be free of commercials. The “all screen” channel will be available as both a linear service and a streaming service. “TDC will broadcast in HD and is now available for distribution in DTH platforms, cable networks, mobile, and Smart TV, as well as OTT services around the world,” said SPI in a press release.
The broadcast day will be divided into six blocks. Of those, four blocks will be repeated in a 24-hour period, with five new series premiering each week.
“TDC features some of the greatest new dramas released in Turkey along with record rating television series, which have been widely popular among audiences in Europe and Asia,” said Uziyel, pointing out that, “the productions presented on TDC star some of the most famous Turkish television talent who have also been enjoying a strong following abroad.”
TDC is a product of SPI, a group founded in New York City in 1990 by Turkish-born Loni Farhi, as a content company selling movies for video release in Turkey. Eight years later, SPI began releasing theatrical movies in Poland, and in 2003 started launching TV channels. Today, SPI operates 35 channels, of which 12 have worldwide distribution.
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