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“TV series “Magnificent Century” becomes a phenomenon in Bulgaria” – Cumhuriyet

“Several Turkish tv series which have been on air have also become a phenomenon on the internet in Bulgaria.

A number of Turkish tv series such as “Unforgettable (Unutulmaz)”, “Autumn (Son Bahar)”, “Little Women (Kucuk Kadinlar)”, “Under the Linden Trees (Ihlamurlar Altinda)”, “An Istanbul Tale (Bir Istanbul Masali)” and “Little Secrets (Kucuk Sirlar) and notably “The 1001 Nights (Binbir Gece)” and “The Fall of Leaves (Yaprak Dokumu)” have made their private channels rating champions.

“The Magnificent Century (Muhtesem Yuzyil)” has also been the most viewed tv series on the internet in Bulgaria.

Turkish tv series Magnificent Century is being watched on Bulgarian internet pages with the subtitles translated by volunteer fans a few hours later it was broadcast in Turkey. Later, tv series’ Bulgarian fans share their opinions over events and the private life of the leading cast.

The Magnificent Suleyman, Hurrem Sultan, Ibrahim Pasha, Malkacoglu and Mother of Reigning Sultan are the main topics of the forums. Bulgarian tv channels have already taken action to buy this tv series’ copyrights.

Yet, the Magnificent Century is not the only Turkish tv series that attracts the highest audience viewership in Bulgaria. “I Named You Feriha (Adini Feriha Koydum)”, “Modesty (Iffet)”, “What Is the Fault of Fatmagul? (Fatmagul’un Sucu Ne?)”, “North-South (Kuzey-Guney)” and some other popular series are also still being watched excitedly by Bulgarian fans.”

Source : Cumhuriyet

Reports : RATEM

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SOME QUOTES FROM RATEM REPORT

Televizyon

– 2009 ylna göre toplam televizyon reklam yatrmlar içindeki dalmda 2010 ylnda bölgesel televizyon kanallar dnda tüm yayn lisans türleri alannda reklam girdisi art olmutur. Bir önceki yla göre televizyon lisans türlerinin tümünde ortalama % 43 bir art olmasna karn, bölgesel televizyon reklam yatrmlarnda % 66.92 gibi çok yüksek bir oranla düüyaanmtr.

– 24 ulusal televizyon 1 milyar 611 milyon TL’nin üzerinde bir reklam yatrmn paylarken, 15 bölgesel televizyon 2.36 milyon TL’lik bir pazar payn paylamakta ve yine 210 yerel televizyon kanal 8.73 milyon TL’lik bir reklam yatrmn almaktadr.

– Televizyon yayncl pazarnda ulusal kanallarn baskn bir etkinlii bulunmaktadr. 24 ulusal kanaln toplam televizyon reklam yatrmlar içindeki pay geçen yla göre yükselerek % 88.39’a ulamtr. Buna karlk 15 bölgesel ve 210 yerel yaynn toplam televizyon reklam pay 0.61’e gerilemitir. Bir önceki yl bu pay % 1.20 seviyesindeydi.

– Küresel televizyon reklam yatrmlar bakmndan ABD 50 milyar dolarn üzerinde ürettii gelirle dier ülkelerle kyaslanamayacak bir düzeye sahip bulunuyor. Almanya, Fransa, ngiltere ve talya gibi ülkeler 4 milyar ABD dolarnn üstünde reklam yatrmlaryla öne çkan Avrupa ülkeleri. Türkiye ise 932 milyon dolar televizyon reklam yatrmlarna sahip. Kii ba televizyon reklam yatrm bakmndan ABD, Japonya, Avustralya, talya gibi ülkeler öne çbarken, ngiltere, Fransa ve Almanya gibi ülkelerde 60 ABD dolarnn üstünde bir rakam olumakta, Türkiye’nin TV reklam yatrmlar kii bana 12.85 olarak gerçeklemektedir.

“Endemol Turkey launches drama unit” – C21 Media

“Endemol Turkey has set up a drama unit and has appointed an executive from one of the country’s biggest free-to-air broadcasters to head it.

Hulya Vural, who was head of drama at ATV and previously held the same post at Turkey’s Star network, started in the newly created head of drama role at Endemol Turkey in January.

The company now aims to launch a drama project in the next 12 months, as it aims to cash in on the country’s booming scripted market, Endemol Turkey MD Ansi Elagoz told C21.

“Turkish dramas are selling everywhere as ready-mades right now. Magnificent Century sold to over 60 countries as a ready-made, but our aim is not to only look for ready-mades but also formats,” said Elagoz, referring to the TIMS Productions-made Turkish hit.

“Endemol Italy, Endemol Spain, Endemol Netherlands, Endemol UK are very strong in drama, because the trend all around the world is tending towards it, so as a company we take it very seriously.

“Once you make a big hit, then you’re set for life with drama, whereas with formats, in the competitive markets, you have to work harder in my opinion to sell them and be successful.”

Endemol Turkey has previously experimented with local drama, adapting an Argentinian series called The Successful Mr and Mrs Pells for the local market.

Though this ran for only one season on Kanal D, Elagoz said the adaptation confirmed the need for Endemol Turkey to make a push into the local scripted space, “because that’s what drives the market.”

Endemol is responsible for dramas such as Hell on Wheels and Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which was recently picked up by Chilean public broadcaster TVN for a Latin American remake. However, the firm is best known for entertainment formats such as Big Brother, Total Wipeout, Deal or No Deal and Fear Factor.”

Source : C21 Media

“Istanbul becomes favorite setting for films and TV shows” – Hürriyet Daily News

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Istanbul looks to become a hub for TV series, film, documentary and commercial shoots. The city is like an open plateau with its cultural heritage sites

Istanbul became the setting for filming many series, documentaries, commercials and movies during the past two years.

The city boasted a total of 1,600 shoots for television series, films, documentaries and commercials in 2010 and 2011. Istanbul is like an open air plateau, according to Culture and Tourism Provincial Manager Ahmet Emre Bilgili.

Istanbul also hosted many international films and documentaries. The Culture and Tourism provincial manager said there were many recent developments in terms of film, series and documentary works in Istanbul.

While international teams visited Istanbul for daily and monthly broadcastings, international commercials and films also took place in Istanbul.

Permissions need to shoot at cultural site

“People come to us to ask permission to shoot a scene of a commercial or a series or a film on the Bosphorus Bridge,” said Bilgili. “The team should also get permission from the road managerial team to shoot the scene,” he added, noting that there was also another kind of permission that covered historical places, streets and venues.

Noting that Istanbul has a very exclusive place among the world cities, Bilgili said “Istanbul has a perfect potential to serve as a setting for series, documentaries, movies and commercials.”

With its historical sites, the Bosphorus and cultural heritage, the city was like an open air plateau, according to Bilgili. “We are trying to present the city with its exclusive historical heritage,” he added.

It was very important to present the city in foreign countries, Bilgili said. “If people get to know Istanbul in a positive way with its beautiful cultural heritage sites, they would visit more. For us, all the places should be presented in the best way we can,” he added.

Each cultural site has an exclusive fee

People who shoot commercials, series and films in cultural heritage sites pay a fee for this service, he said.

“Take for example Topkapı Palace. If someone would like to shoot a scene in Topkapı Palace, they have to pay a fee, which was determined by the ministry earlier,” said Bilgili.

Bilgili said people usually ask for permission to shoot a scene at mysterious and old historical places. “Istanbul is a mysterious city with its open air venues and it attracts visitors. Usually bridges, palaces, coastal shores and libraries become the setting for series, commercials and films,” he added.

Noting that usually teams from abroad prefer to shoot movies and documentaries in the old places of Istanbul, Bilgili said because of love for the old, “The teams from abroad love to shoot documentaries, series and films in Istanbul.” Bilgili said they do not give permission to shoot movies in every old venue of Istanbul. “Our first aim is to protect our heritage and history, and this is possible only by protecting the cultural heritage sites in Istanbul. “We are still continuing the project to preserve the historical places in Istanbul. If there is a danger of damage we do not give permission for shootings,” he added.

The historical movies should be shot in a studio, some say, added Bilgili. “However, it is impossible to sustain a real original historical venue with the studio environment,” Bilgili said.

Bilgili also said if there were a possibility to damage the historical venues then the Culture and Tourism Ministry does not give permission. “We would like to use Istanbul as an open plateau, because there is not another city that contains a sea through it.” The Bosphorus and historical venues give an exclusive attraction to the city, according to Bilgili.

“That’s why we can say that there is no city like Istanbul anywhere in the world,” he said.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

 

“TPG, News Corp, Time Warner bid for Turkey’s Çalık media” – Today’s Zaman

Photo : Cihan. Source : Today's Zaman

“TPG Capital, News Corp and Time Warner have placed bids for the media assets of Turkey’s Çalık Holding, which also has interests in energy and finance, three sources close to the matter told Reuters on Monday.

“TPG, (News Corp’s Rupert) Murdoch and Time Warner placed bids. I know TPG is very aggressive,” said a source close to the deal, adding the submitted bids were around $1 billion, near the asking price.

He said the sale process could be completed in February.

Çalık bought ATV-Sabah for $1.1 billion in 2007 from the Savings, Deposits and Insurance Fund (TMSF). Çalık took on $750 million of bank debt in April 2008 to finance that acquisition.”

Source : Today’s Zaman

Reports : RTÜK

 
SOME QUOTES FROM RTÜK REPORTS
(RADIO AND TELEVISION SUPREME COUNCIL)

“Radyo ve Televizyon Üst Kurulu özürlü vatandaşların televizyon izleme eğilimlerini belirlemeye yönelik olarak, örneklemi Türkiye genelini kapsayan bir kamuoyu araştırması yaptı.

11-27 Eylül 2007 tarihleri arasında, Türkiye genelini temsilen 20 ilde 15 ve daha yukarı yaştaki toplam 2488 özürlü/engelli kişinin katılımıyla gerçekleştirilen “Özürlü Vatandaşların Televizyon İzleme Eğilimleri Araştırması” ile araştırmaya katılan 78 kişiyle yapılan derinlemesine mülakat sonuçlarına göre, özürlüler hafta içi günlerde ortalama 4.3 saat televizyon izliyor/dinliyor. Özürlü vatandaşlarımız tarafından en çok izlenen/dinlenen kanallar, Kanal D (% 54), Show TV (% 50,3), ATV (%50), TRT Kanalları (%42,1), Star (%37,3) ve Samanyolu (% 21) olarak sıralanmakta. TRT’nin beğenilme nedenlerinin başında yayınlarının kaliteli olması ve haber programlarının iyi olması gelmekte. Kanal D, ATV ve Show TV’nin beğenilme ratingini yükselten ise kanallarında yayınlanan diziler.”

Hafta içi 3 saat olan televizyon izleme süresi %20.5’e, 2 saatlik TV izleme oranı ise %17.2’ye çıkmıştır.

– Hafta içi kadınlar 4,5 saat, erkekler ise 4,1 saat TV izlemektedirler.
– Hafta içi en çok TV izleyen yaş grubunun 41+ olduğu ve 4,5 saate ulaştığı görülmektedir.
– Hafta içi evliler 4,4 saat ile en çok TV izleyen grubu oluşturmaktadır.
– Eğitim düzeyi azaldıkça TV izleme oranının arttığı görülmektedir.
– Hafta içi emekli ve işsizlerin 5 saat TV izlediği görülmekte, bu grubu ev hanımı ve çiftçiler takip etmektedir.
– Hafta içi 5,2 saat ile Akdeniz Bölgesinin en çok TV izleyen bölge olduğu görülmektedir.
– Hafta içi TV izleme saatleri incelendiğinde %70,9 ile 18:01-21:00 saatlerinin en çok izlenen saatler, %15 oranı ile 12:01-15:00 saatlerinin ise en az izlenen saatler olduğu gözlenmektedir.
– Hafta sonu TV izleme sürelerine bakıldığında 6 saatlik TV izleme süresinin %15,8’i, 4 saatlik TV izleme süresinin %15,7’yi oluşturduğu görülmektedir.
– Hafta sonu erkekler 4,6 saat, kadınlar ise 4,5 saat TV izlemektedirler.
– Hafta sonu evlilerin 4,6 saat TV izlediği görülmektedir.
– Hafta sonu 5,5 saat ile Akdeniz Bölgesi en çok TV izleyen bölgeyi oluştururken, Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi 4 saat ile en az TV izleyen bölgedir.
– Hafta sonu TV izleme saatleri incelendiğinde % 68,7 ile 18:01-21:00 saatlerinin en çok izlenen, % 14,8 oranı ile 09:01-12:00 saatlerinin ise en az izlenen saatler olduğu gözlenmiştir.
– Televizyon programlarının izlenme sıklığı verilerine bakıldığında %93,7 ile haberler, %86,2 ile yerli diziler ve %61,8 ile dini programlar sıralanmaktadır.
– Televizyonlarda yayınlanması istenmeyen program türleri sıralaması şu şekildedir: %63 ile kadın kuşak-izdivaç programları, %50,3 ile magazin programları ve %22,7 ile spor programlarıdır.
– Araştırmada deneklerin %60,3’nün reklamları gördüğünde kanal değiştirdiği sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
– Araştırmaya katılan deneklerin iletişim araçlarına duydukları güven düzeyi incelendiğinde %47,1 ile en çok radyoya güvendikleri, %42,2 ile ise en az televizyona güvendikleri görülmektedir. İnternete olan güven düzeyinde artış olduğu da gözlenmektedir.

 

p.41-42

[…] Televizyon dizileri, günümüzde Türk televizyonlarında en çok rastlanılan ve televizyon ile en çok bağdaĢtırılan tür olarak görülmektedir. Mutlu‟ya göre, bu türün alt kategorileri, genellikle ana karakterlerin mesleklerine göre ayrıĢabilir. Bu duruma, polisiye ve dedektif dizileri, avukat veya doktorlar üzerine kurulu olan diziler örnek verilebilir. Bunlar içerisinde en popüler olanı da polisiye türünde olanlardır.

Mutlu‟nun da belirttiği gibi, televizyon dizileri ve seriyaller, televizyonun en ayırt edici türleridir. Dizi ve seriyaller birbirinden farklı türler olarak ortaya çıkmıĢlardır. Diziler, ortak karakterlerin ve genellikle ortak mekânların kullanıldığı, anlatılan hikâyenin genellikle aynı bölüm içerisinde çözüme kavuĢtuğu, televizyon oyunlarına benzeyen bir yapıya sahiptir. Oysa seriyaller, merak unsuruna dayalı, devamı izleyici merak ettirilerek sağlanan bir program türüdür. Seriyalleri oluĢturan bölümlerin her birinde, daha büyük bir hikâyenin parçaları verilmektedir. Dolayısıyla, ana bir olay dizisi sonucunda tamamlanan hikâyenin içinde aynı zamanda, yan olaylar da yer almakta, bu nedenle seriyaller çok uzun sürmektedir. Ġçinde drama barındıran bu tür izleyicide bağımlılık da yaratır. Seriyal ne kadar uzun sürerse, o kadar izleme alıĢkanlığı yaratır. Bu izleme alıĢkanlığı sürdüğü müddetçe dizinin baĢarı ölçüsü artmaktadı.

Günümüzde ise dizi ve seriyal arasındaki sözü geçen anlatı farklılıkları bulunmamaktadır. Her iki tür de anlatı yapısı olarak birbirlerinin özelliklerini göstermektedir. Ġzleyicinin sonraki bölümü izlemek için merakta bırakılması her iki tür için de ortak bir özellik olarak göze çarpar. Televizyon dramasında öykünün eksenindeki iliĢki ağı, karakterler ve formata bağlı olarak değiĢen alt türlerden söz edilebilir. Bu alt türler arasında dedektif dizileri, polisiyeler, hastane melodramları, bilim kurgu ve fantezi diziler, televizyon filmleri, soap operalar ya da pembe diziler ve durum komedileri sayılabilir. […]

See also : 

“Denizli becomes center for film costumes” – Hürriyet Daily News

Costumes for some historical film and TV series are produced in Denizl, which is famous for its textile productions. It is an important source of income in the city. Source : Hürriyet
“Historical films and TV series have recently become important sources of business for weaving sector. Denizli, best known for its textile products, is the center of production of costumes and accessories used in these types of productions. Costumes for some historical film and TV series are produced in Denizl, which is famous for its textile productions. It is an important source of income in the city.

The Aegean province of Denizli, which is known for its home textile products, has also become a center where costumes and accessories, especially needed for historical Turkish and foreign films and TV series, are being produced.

“We have shown it in the costumes that we have prepared for ‘Troy’ and ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean,’” Abdülkadir Uslu, the mayor of the town of Kızılcabölük in Denizli’s Tavas district, said.

Uslu said the town’s textile products were appreciated all over the world thanks to authentic weaving. The most important feature of Kızılcabölük was that it could mix its cultural and historical richness with world history, he said.

Turkey and world

The quality of dresses produced in weaving looms in their town was not only approved by the film industry, Uslu said. They have also weaved for statesmen and famous hotels. “We have so far created Turkish bath sets for the Bush family and British Royal family.”

Costumes for well-known Hollywood productions have been produced in the province so far. More recently Denizli has been weaving for the film “Fetih 1453,” which tells of the conquest of Istanbul and will be released next month. Popular Turkish TV series “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (Magnificent Century), “Japon Gelin” (Japanese Bride) and “Çocukluğumun Bağ Bozumu” (Grape Harvest in my Childhood) have also made use of local textile crafts.

Hollywood taking note

Kadir Açar, who is working as a weaver in Denizli’s Buldan district, said people living in the palace in the Ottoman period had their underwear needs met with fabrics weaved in Buldan, and the same tradition of weaving was used today in historical films. Lingerie worn in “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” and items used in “Fetih 1453” were produced in Buldan’s weaving looms, he said.

“It makes us very pleased that our costumes reach them [film and television producers] thanks to intermediary firms. Also, we are very proud of seeing a trace of our products in every historical TV series,” Açar said.

Historical productions had become an important source of income for weavers, he said. “The interest in Denizli of costume buyers working for films is increasing. I hope we will work for these productions more.”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

Reports : TUIK

SOME QUOTES FROM TUIK REPORTS

There are 12 parts in the publication: cultural heritages, archives, libraries, newspapers, periodicals and books, art galleries, theaters, operas and ballets, orchestra, choir, group, cinemas, cultural and scientific activities, participation in and time spent on cultural activities and religion. Published in the cultural heritage in museums, the current work, the museum and the ruins of public information such as number of visitors and receipts are included. Archives section, research related to open archives to statistics are available. Libraries section; National Library, university libraries, public libraries, formal and non-formal education institutions belonging to the library information is available. In the print media, newspapers and magazines, according to the number of broadcast area, circulation, such as the frequency of publication statistics are also included. Publications also, art galleries, theater, opera and ballet and cinema with the information to the cultural and scientific activities, and participation in cultural activities and religious issues of time allocated to the various statistics are included.
Data on the number of enterprises, employment and payments, number of hours worked by employees, total purchases of good services, turnover, production value, value-added at factor costs, change in stocks, fixed-capital investments and sales given by Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community. (NACE Rev.1.1) and Classification of Statistical Reginal Units (SRE).
This publication, broadcasting institutions data, economic activities, number of persons engaged, size of broadcasting, current expenditures, revenues of institution, type of programmes, broadcasting times of programme etc. related to institutions and values for variables such as production value and value added data are presented to use.
In this publication, there is information about participation level, participation frequency in cultural activities by sex and socio-economic characteristics, average time spent for cultural activities are given by main cultural activities. In addition, internet use, and entertainment activities which are closely related to cultural activities are given as separate parts in the publication.

“Çalık Group’s TV channels up for sale ” – Hürriyet Daily News

“TPG Capital, KKR & Co LP and Time Warner are in talks to buy media assets from Turkey’s Çalık Holding, which include Sabah newspaper and ATV television, four people familiar with the situation said, according to Bloomberg News.

Two sources said Germany’s RTL was also interested in such an acquisition, Reuters reported, adding that the initial offers will be collected through Jan. 18. “The price [Çalık] demands is nearly 15-fold of the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, which is really high,” one source said.

Çalık Holding hired Goldman Sachs Group to advise on the sale, said sources, who declined to be identified because the talks are private, Bloomerg reported.

Gavin Davis, a spokesman for TPG at public relations agency Pelham Bell Pottinger, did not return calls seeking comment. Turkuvaz Media Group, Çalık’s unit that owns daily Sabah and ATV channels, did not reply to emailed questions. Also, KKR did not answer emailed questions.

Time Warner’s chief in Turkey, Efe Onbilgin, did not respond to calls to his cell phone seeking comment. k HDN”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Year’s popular TV series and artists announced ” – Hürriyet Daily News

“A study carried out by the Media Monitoring Center (MTM) has revealed the most talked-about series in Turkey. According to the study, the year’s most popular show was ‘The Magnificent Century’ while the most popular actor was Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ

Turkey’s Media Monitoring Center (MTM) has announced the results of a study to determine the country’s most popular TV series and actors, declaring the Ottoman-themed “Magnificent Century” and heartthrob Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ as the big winners.

According to the report, which was prepared by monitoring all articles that appeared in newspapers and magazines throughout the year, the most popular TV series of 2011 was “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century), followed in second place by “Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman ki” (As Time Goes By). Actress Beren Saat, the most popular screen artist last year, gave way to Tatlıtuğ this year.

“Muhteşem Yüzyıl,” Show TV’s most popular production, was mentioned in more than 8,000 news and articles in 2011. The series, exploring the reign of one of the most important Ottoman sultans, Süleyman the Magnificent, has been criticized by many political figures for reportedly failing to accurately depict the period.

Kanal D’s production of the nostalgic “Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman Ki” was the second most popular TV series in 2011. Set in the 1960s and starring Erkan Petekkaya and Ayça Bingöl, the TV series was mentioned in more than 5,000 articles in newspapers and magazines.

“Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne?” (What’s Fatmagül’s Crime?), another series on Kanal D, ranked third in the report. In its second season, the production appeared in nearly 4,000 news articles and magazines throughout the year. […]

Turkish TV series such as “Magnificent Century” and “Forbidden Love” have broken viewer records in the Middle East and North Africa, bringing in much-needed foreign currency while raising Turkey’s clout in the region through the promotion of a Turkish lifestyle, the Hürriyet Daily News recently reported.

Turkey earned more than $60 million just this year from exporting TV series, and more than 100 Turkish TV series have been watched in over 20 countries this year.

“We began to broadcast in the Balkan countries this year,” Fırat Gülgen, chairman of Calinos Holding, which handles 80 percent of the TV series exported from Turkey, told Anatolia news agency Dec. 10.

Gülgen said TV series were exported to many Central and Eastern European countries including Serbia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and Hungary. In the Far East, buyers include Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam.

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“AGB founder sold TV ratings company in face of network pressure” – Today’s Zaman

Hilmi Köksal Alişanoğlu (Photo: AA). Source : Today's Zaman

“A businessman who was one of the founding partners of the AGB television ratings company, which is currently at the heart of a ratings scandal, has said he and his partners were forced to sell the company in the face of pressure from network owners and producers to present ratings for their stations and shows higher than they actually are.

Hilmi Köksal Alişanoğlu, who founded AGB with his partners in 1984, said he faced great pressure from broadcasters. “We resisted for a long time, but it wasn’t enough. When we couldn’t anymore, in 1994, we transferred the company ownership for a meager sum.”

Ratings takers have been in the spotlight since police launched a major investigation into ratings fraud. In the course of the probe, it became evident that some networks had obtained a list of households where ratings measuring devices had been installed and bribed residents to watch their shows in order to manipulate their ratings.

Alişanoğlu, author of “The Communist Businessman” — a humorous book which recounts the author’s memories as a businessman, told Today’s Zaman that networks have been pressuring ratings companies to manipulate viewer ratings for the past 20 years. “There are so many agencies, so many producers involved,” he said, reiterating that this was the only reason he and his partners sold their company.

He also indicated he was sure that AGB had not leaked the identities of families with ratings measuring boxes, noting that producers have been able to acquire lists of households in the ratings program through intimidation for years.

He recalled that a similar incident had taken place earlier. “In 1992, a television network tried to strong arm us because its overall ratings were low. They told us to ‘correct their ratings.’ After a short while, the [then-state-owned telephone and postal company] PTT raided our office and demanded the list. We gave the list to the PTT. However, after a while, the same company started complaining again that their ratings were falling. They said our viewer lists were being leaked and they showed a list that was exactly the same copy we had given the PTT — it had my handwriting on it. We had to suspend ratings measurement operations for that year.”

Alişanoğlu added that the AGB suffered major to its reputation after it was sold in the face of pressure from networks. The businessman detailed in his books the tricks carried out by broadcasters and producers to manipulate their ratings. Alişanoğlu has held managerial positions in various media companies, including Bileşim, Bileşim Media and AGB — three companies he helped establish.”

Source : Today’s Zaman

“Prosecutor demands arrest of three suspects in TV ratings fraud case” – Today’s Zaman

The İstanbul Police Department's Organized Crime Bureau raided the offices of several production and ratings-measurement companies and detained seven people on Wednesday in a ratings fraud probe case. (Source and photo: Today's Zaman)

“An İstanbul prosecutor on Friday referred three out of seven people who were detained earlier this week as part of a probe into allegations that some TV producers bribed viewers to manipulate TV rating after rating agency AGB Nielsen leaked a confidential list, including details about families given devices to measure ratings, to court, demanding their arrest.

A major ratings fraud probe was launched following suspicions of manipulation of the ratings of a number of popular Turkish series. Seven people were detained on Wednesday when the İstanbul Police Department’s Organized Crime Bureau raided the offices of several production and ratings-measurement companies, including AGB Nielsen, www.uçankuş.com, Ay Yapım (Productions), Med Yapım and Tims Yapım, and detained six individuals in İstanbul and Ankara over claims alleging that lists with the names of families whose homes have so-called “people meters” — boxes hooked up to TVs to measure ratings — were leaked to several television producers.

The detainees include AGB Production Director Hilmi Berköz, former AGB employee Cemal Orçun Köktuna, who is now the financial affairs director of TNS; another rating measurement company; Uğur Akkuş, the owner of an IT company called Bilişim İnovasyon; Selçuk Aklaş, an employee of the IT company Uyumsoft and Producer Selçuk Çobanoğlu.

Two of the suspects were released following their questioning at the police station on Thursday night. The prosecutor released two others on Friday, but referred the remaining three, Çobanoğlu, Berköz and Köktuna to a court demanding their arrest.

Five of the suspects were taken to the Üsküdar Courthouse on Friday morning to testify to Prosecutor Akif Özgün, who is conducting the investigation into the probe. The suspects were later arrested under orders from a judge.

TV critics, politicians and even ministers have voiced their support for the probe. Television journalist Uğur Dündar also commented on the allegations on Friday, saying he supports the operations into alleged rating riggers. “This has been hovering above the sector like a dark cloud.” He also congratulated the police force for the raids. “This was important to make sure that the sector is cleaned, and also that rating measurements can be taken correctly after this.”

Investigators suspect that a highly confidential list of the 2,500 families given people-meters — devices for tracking how long and how often a program is viewed — was leaked to the TV producers. Producers gave expensive gifts and paid TL 200 a month to each of these families in order to manipulate the TV-program ratings in their favor, investigators claim.

Television Audience Research Committee (TİAK) President Hidayet Karaca late on Wednesday testified at the İstanbul Police Office as a witness in the ratings probe.

Another person who testified in the probe was Can Tanrıyar, head of the entertainment news website www.uçankuş.com. After talking to the prosecutors on Wednesday, he clarified to journalists outside the courtroom that he wasn’t summoned as a suspect, but the investigators called him to testify to provide information. Tanrıyar said a surefire method to see whether the rating measurements of a particular show were being manipulated was to see the rating shares for the show during commercial breaks. “When the commercials start, a program loses most of its rating shares. For example, a share of 10 falls to four during the commercial break. But if the share for a particular show rises to 15 during a commercial break, this makes it clear as day that there is some sort of manipulation involved.

Tanrıyar said he was assisting the police with the investigation, adding that there was a network behind the rating fraud scheme. Investigators have a large quantity of evidence pointing to the relationship between the trial families and producers, mostly acquired during the technical monitoring, such as wiretapping, of the suspects.

TV critic and journalist Bekir Hazar said the ratings-fraud probe is a belated but welcome move, adding that prosecutors should have taken action about fraud allegations in ratings long ago. He said the lists of the families with people meters were circulating by email and even singer İbrahim Tatlıses once said he had these lists.

Allegations of ratings fraud were frequently raised by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), beginning in 2008.

Last year, the corporation announced that its channels will no longer be included in audience measurements provided by AGB. TRT last year noted that while ratings for TRT 1, the corporation’s most-watched channel, rose from the beginning of 2008 through March 2009, they began to fall systematically in April 2009 for no apparent reason. TRT criticized the audience measurement system managed by AGB.

The recent investigation is the culmination of a six-month probe silently carried out by police. Sources said the investigation was likely to expand, noting more detentions could follow.”

Source : Today’s Zaman

“Wave of fraud raids spreads to TV world ” – Hürriyet Daily News

Targeting the offices of several production and a rating firms, police conduct raids as part of an investigation launched after a complaint from the state-owned broadcaster. DHA photo . Source : Hürriyet Daily News

“Hot on the heels of Turkey’s massive match-fixing case, the country’s TV world has also been shocked by a huge fraud case, with Istanbul police raiding more than 20 locations on allegations of irregularities in the rating measurements for certain channels.

Seven suspects, two of whom are women, were taken into custody yesterday in connection with the allegations, according to Doğan news agency. The suspects were accused of giving gifts to television viewers with measurement devices to keep the ratings of particular shows high.

The raids, which targeted the offices of numerous production firms and the AGB Nielsen company, which measures ratings, were part of an investigation launched following a complaint from the state-owned broadcaster Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) for alleged tampering with television ratings. Computer hard-disks, five cell phones and large volumes of digital materials and documents were seized by the police during the raids, Anatolia news agency reported. […]

Ratings measurements in Turkey are done by AGB Nielsen Turkey and TİAK, a company that brings together TV stations and advertisers. There competition in the TV market is very fierce as channels are constantly striving to gain a bigger share of Turkey’s $1.5-billion TV ad market.

TRT had already dropped out of the rating measurements in January 2010 on the grounds that the results of the measurements were of dubious reliability. A written statement issued from the TRT at the time also indicated that the ratings they received were inconsistent with the improvements they had been making over the past two years.

Other leading broadcasting stations have also decided to withdraw from viewer rating measurements, including NTV, Habertürk, CNBC-e and BloombergHT.

At the moment, only seven broadcasting stations are still subscribing to the system, namely ATV, Flash TV, Fox TV, Kanal 7, Kanal D, Show TV, Star TV and Samanyolu TV. There are devices in 3,500 to 4,000 houses to measure the TV ratings, according to the information available on Nielsen Turkey’s website.[…]”

Source : Hürriyet Daily News

 

“Major ratings fraud probe strikes popular Turkish TV series” – Sunday’s Zaman

by FAZLI MERT and KAZIM PIYNAR. Source Sunday’s Zaman

“The Turkish TV world has been shaken by the launch of a major ratings fraud probe that raised suspicions about the manipulation of ratings for some popular Turkish series and resulted in the detention of six individuals.

The probe has received much support from politicians and figures in the TV world. On Wednesday the İstanbul Police Department’s Organized Crime Bureau raided the offices of several production and ratings-measurement companies including AGB Nielsen, the www.uçankuş.com, Ay Yapım (Productions), Med Yapım and Tims Yapım and detained six individuals in İstanbul and Ankara over claims alleging that lists with the names of families whose homes have people meters -– boxes hooked up to TVs for ratings measurements –- were leaked to several television producers. 

[…] The searches were made at the ABG offices and many production companies which produce popular and record-breaking TV series such as “Fatmagül’ün Suçu Ne,” “Muhteşem Yüzyıl,” “Aşk-ı Memnu,” “Yaprak Dökümü,” “Adını Feriha Koydum,” “Ezel,” “Kavak Yelleri,” “Kuzey Güney,” “Bir İstanbul Masalı,” “Doktorlar,” “Karadağlar,” “Arka Sokaklar” and “Binbirgece.”

In İstanbul, Celal Orçun Köktuna, a finance official from TNS and a former AGB employee, and producer Selçuk Çobanoğlu were detained. In Ankara, four individuals were detained but their names were not revealed. Six other individuals, including AGB’s production manager Hilmi Berköz, were also called to testify to the prosecutor.

According to reports, the highly confidential list of the 2,500 families with people meters was leaked to the TV producers. Producers gave TL 200 monthly and expensive gifts to each of these families in order to manipulate the TV-program ratings in their favor.

It is claimed that AGB production manager Berköz is among the partners of OTS, a company that determines the list of families whose homes will have people meters.

Allegations against Çobanoğlu, the producer of the TV series “Ayrılık,” is what prompted the İstanbul probe. According to claims, Çobanoğlu obtained a list of the families with people meters to increase the ratings of the series in İzmir, and he allegedly gave money these families. A probe was launched into the allegations against Çobanoğlu after a notice at the prosecutor’s office.

Producer Erol Köse on Wednesday also lodged a criminal complaint at the İstanbul Prosecutor’s Office over allegations that some ratings-measurement and production companies manipulate the ratings to acquire money illegally.

Television Audience Research Committee (TİAK) President Hidayet Karaca late Wednesday testified at the İstanbul Police Office as a witness in the ratings probe.

Speaking later to reporters, Karaca said those leaking the lists of families with people meters and those who made use of these lists should certainly be revealed. “The ratings-measurement system needs to be trustworthy. It should work correctly based on trust. Advertisers should see the return of the money they spend for advertisements. The ratings system, which is the only measurement source for producers and TV channels, should be trustworthy. The advertisement pie will grow bigger if there is trustworthiness in this sector. Otherwise, advertisers, producers, we will all lose from this,” said Karaca.

Ratings probe welcomed

The launch of the probe into allegations of ratings fraud has received support from individuals in the TV world and politicians who said the move was welcome although belated.

Turkey’s EU Minister Egemen Bağış said Turkey is a democratic, social and secular state so if there is an offense in question, the judiciary will take necessary action.

“This [ratings probe] is a normal process,” he said.

TV critic and journalist Bekir Hazar said the ratings-fraud probe is a belated but welcome move, adding that prosecutors should have taken action about fraud allegations in ratings long ago. 

He said the lists of the families with people meters were circulating by email and even singer İbrahim Tatlıses once said he had these lists.

“The ratings measurement is a very sensitive issue. Even a small manipulation could lead a TV channel to lose $100 million. There are very serious accusations in question. I raised these before but I could not make my voice heard,” said Hazar. 

Samanyolu TV Group Ankara representative Abdullah Abdulkadiroğlu said he has been well aware of the manipulations in the ratings figures.

Speaking to a program on TV8, he said, “As a person working in the TV sector for 17 years, I know very well what kinds of manipulations are made in the ratings.” Abdulkadiroğlu said production companies who produce high-cost TV programs resort to ratings manipulation in order to meet the costs of the expensive programs because more ratings mean more commercials.

Allegations of ratings fraud were frequently raised by the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) beginning in 2008.

Last year, the corporation announced that its channels will no longer be included in audience measurements provided by AGB. TRT last year noted that while ratings for TRT 1, the corporation’s most-watched channel, rose from the beginning of 2008 through March 2009, they began to fall systematically in April 2009 for no apparent reason. TRT criticized the audience measurement system managed by AGB.”

Source : Sunday’s Zaman

“Feuilletons turcs – Quel succès !” – Le Petit Journal

“Les feuilletons turcs sont un succès tant national qu’international. Mais il n’est pas seulement limité à l’audimat, les produits portés par les personnages  engendrent une commercialisation. S’habiller comme une star de série, ou avoir l’un de ses accessoires, montre une envie d’obtenir une identité, selon Hüsamettin Inanç, auteur du livre Les problèmes d’identité de la Turquie. Et ce phénomène se développe de plus en plus. Ainsi l’anneau, porté par Hürrem (première favorite du sultan Soliman le Magnifique) dans la série Muhteşem Yüzyıl , est très recherché par les adolescentes qui s’identifient à leur héroine de série. S’exprimant au sujet de la tendance à acheter les accessoires de stars, Inanç souligne que les gens cherchent à imiter ceux qu’ils voient à la télévision. “Il y a une envie de devenir quelqu’un qui est déjà accepté par la société, et les adolescents aimeraient être acceptés par la société “, soutient Odabaşıoğlu, psychiatre pour adolescents.

Mais l’impact de ces feuilletons populaires ne se limite pas seulement à la Turquie. En effet, du Maroc à l’Irak, les jeunes suivent les aventures de Murat et Hasret dans Gönülçelen, la vie du harem à l’époque du sultan Soliman le Magnifique dans Muhteşem Yüzyıl ou encore le couple Şadoğlu dans Gümüş.

La popularité croissante des feuilletons télévisés turcs a coïncidé avec la montée de la puissance régionale de la Turquie dans le Moyen-Orient. Le commerce avec la région a quadruplé depuis 2002, et la Turquie ambitionne de créer une zone de libre-échange avec la Syrie, l’Irak et la Jordanie. Le gouvernement d’Ankara a été engagé dans les révoltes du printemps arabe, en appelant l’Egyptien Moubarak à quitter le pouvoir et en servant de médiateur entre les rebelles de la Libye et Kadhafi. Les séries turques sont, comme la diplomatie, un moyen d’influence, puisqu’elles présentent une société musulmane en transition vers la modernité. Elles sont le reflet des aspirations actuelles au sein du Moyen-Orient. “

Ecrit par Gabrielle Steiblen (www.lepetitjournal.com:istanbul

Source : Le Petit Journal