AVOD, SVOD, and FAST platforms have expanded the opportunities for Turkish distributors across CEE, Canan Koca at OGM UNIVERSE tells ScreenMDM ahead of heading to NEM Dubrovnik.
Koca, sales executive for CEE, Baltics, and Europe, is part of a significant delegation of distributors making their way to Dubrovnik from Istanbul, with Turkish content continuing to resonate across the region.
How has your CEE business evolved over the last year?
We’ve seen the CEE market evolve from a traditionally linear-focused landscape into a much more platform-diverse ecosystem. While free-to-air broadcasters remain key partners for OGM UNIVERSE, there is a rapidly growing appetite from AVOD, SVOD, and FAST platforms looking for premium Turkish drama with strong emotional storytelling and cinematic production value.
What’s particularly exciting for us is seeing how titles like Deep in Love, The Fall of the King, and Six of Us continue to resonate across different audience segments in the region. Broadcasters are no longer simply acquiring long-running dramas to fill schedules; they are actively looking for distinctive, conversation-driving titles with a clear identity.
At OGM UNIVERSE, we focus on building long-term value for each title by carefully positioning the right series on the right platform and at the right moment. The goal is not just reach, but cultural impact.
Do you see differences in the types of dramas being acquired in CEE versus other parts of Europe?
CEE audiences still have a very strong connection to emotionally rich, character-driven storytelling, which naturally aligns with the DNA of OGM UNIVERSE productions. However, what has changed in recent years is the increasing demand for more premium, visually sophisticated, and psychologically layered dramas.
This is also the direction we are currently exploring with newer titles like The Gentleman, which combines universal themes such as identity, power, revenge, and transformation with a highly stylized cinematic world set in Istanbul. At the same time, series like Deep in Love, which became the number one show on Friday nights for 24 consecutive weeks, demonstrate that emotionally powerful stories can also become major mainstream successes.
Compared to some parts of Western Europe, where shorter formats dominate, CEE still offers space for large-scale premium storytelling with long-term audience engagement, something that remains one of the biggest strengths of OGM UNIVERSE.
What do you see as being the biggest challenges in doing business in CEE, and what are the greatest opportunities?
Like every region, CEE has become more competitive and economically cautious, which naturally extends decision-making timelines. Buyers today are much more selective and focused on projects that feel event-level and internationally positioned.
For OGM UNIVERSE, this actually creates an opportunity. Backed by the production power of OGM Pictures, we are able to offer premium, high-performing dramas with strong visual identity and proven audience engagement.
In a crowded marketplace, distinctive storytelling matters more than volume. Titles such as The Fall of the King, Deep in Love, and Six of Us continue to perform because they combine universal emotional themes with high-end production quality. Buyers increasingly want titles that feel both local and globally relevant at the same time.
What potential is there for remakes of your shows in this region?
We believe the remake potential for OGM UNIVERSE titles is extremely strong because our stories are built around universal emotional conflicts and deeply human themes.
Many of our productions, whether it’s the psychological intensity of The Fall of the King or the emotional relationships in Six of Us, can naturally travel across cultures while still allowing local adaptation.
We are already seeing increasing interest in format-based collaborations across several territories. As streaming platforms continue investing in locally adapted premium content, we believe the demand for emotionally grounded but globally appealing stories from OGM UNIVERSE will continue to grow.
How are you looking at the vertical video space in CEE?
We see vertical video as an increasingly important discovery and engagement tool, particularly for younger audiences across CEE. While long-form premium drama remains at the core of OGM UNIVERSE, short-form and vertical content have become essential for how audiences first connect with a title.
For us, the vertical space is not simply about repurposing scenes for mobile. It is about translating the emotional intensity, visual identity, and cinematic atmosphere of our productions into a format that feels native to digital audiences.
As viewing habits continue to evolve, we believe vertical storytelling will play a growing role in building awareness, extending audience engagement, and creating stronger digital communities around premium titles from OGM UNIVERSE.
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