Dogan’s OTT service BluTV has built its success on local content, according to Alptug Copuroglu, the company’s CFO & head of business development.
In a wide-ranging presentation at the OTTtv World Forum in London, Copuroglu said that OTT giants such as Amazon and Netflix had approached it in the last year to secure rights to its library. However, it turned them down and has built up an SVOD platform that currently has 1.5 million registrations, 11,000+ hours of Turkish and foreign movies and over 30 live channels.
Copuroglu identified unique local content, access to a high quality library (very important for retention), access to customers, experiencing in streaming technologies and a network of partners as keys to BluTV’s success. However, there was an important thing missing so it commissioned three original series, different to anything it had previously aired FTA. They were Masum, Sahipli and 7Yuz, and is currently showing one named Si Fir Bir.
Copuroglu said BluTV aims to stay the leading SVOD platform in Turkey. The MENA region is very important for Turkish content and BluTV aims to become the global platform for Turkish dramas in several languages.
Meanwhile, Alpay Guler, chief digital officer, Dogan Broadcasting Group, said that there has been unbelievable demand for BluTV, which was launched earlier this year.
He added that the service has now also been soft launched in the Middle East and the company is talking with different partners to make it more effective. Furthermore, it is open to media and well as telco partnerships.
Interestingly, Guler said that Turkish content is viewed as local content in the Middle East. It is also popular in Latin America. Indeed, Turkish content now amounts for 25% of all TV show transactions around the world.
