In the 90’s Mexican soap operas were the hits in Greece. Today is all about the Turkish soaps; they seem to be the new fashion. “Life lessons, love and intrigue set amid the magnificent Bosphorus Bridge and glittering limousines of Croesus Turks; the Turkish soap opera production is perhaps the most “hot” export of Turkey to Greece”. The “recipe” includes series of Turkish family values and taboos of the Arab world, presented in a modern way. This is how the Greek News describe the invasion of Turkish soaps in their country.
The high view-rating and low cost are a temptation to the leaders of the channels and Broadcasting (ESR) since, in order to operate a Greek station must be proportional to 80% Greek production and 20% foreign. At the same time the Greek actors are seeking jobs in Turkey and other countries, due to rising unemployment and increase in the living standards.
Through the recent production of Turkish serials, there is also strong political propaganda on a very large scale. The Turkish soap operas not only export to the Middle East and Greece, but in recent years, they have been running in many other European countries. The political propaganda is that through these productions Turkey wants to bring a cosmopolitan attitude, not lacking in anything from any country in the West.
In recent years, production of Turkish serials has grown into a large and rich industry that relies not only in its eight million of Turkey’s population, and revenues from sixty countries, from India to Germany.
