TV series, which are indispensable productions on television screens, are facing an increasingly deepening financing problem. Postponement of new episodes, changing broadcast schedules and successive early final decisions made the squeeze in the industry visible. The fact that advertising revenues do not grow at the same rate in response to increasing production costs leads producers and channels to seek savings. While reducing player wages is also being discussed in this process, industry representatives point out that the problem cannot be explained only by player costs. Demirören Media TV Group President Murat Yancı's statement that even the mass cancellation of TV series was discussed revealed the extent of the crisis in the sector.
BROADCAST CALENDARS ARE DISRUPTED, PRODUCTIONS ARE FINALING EARLY
The recent changes in the broadcast schedules of TV series have become one of the most concrete indicators of the financing problem in the sector. The postponement of new episodes, the removal of some productions from the broadcast schedule and early final decisions increased the uncertainty in the television industry. The fact that some series did not appear on the screen due to the Galatasaray-Stuttgart match on November 3 revealed the fragility in the broadcast schedule.
INTERNATIONAL DEPENDENCE IS INCREASING
The contraction in the industry is not limited to changes in broadcast days. It is stated that there has been a 37 percent decrease in the number of series in the last three seasons, and the average production budget of an episode has reached 22.5 million TL. While the inadequacy of advertising revenues in the face of rising actor, crew, venue and technical equipment expenses makes the sustainability of productions difficult, the completion of a significant part of the budgets that cannot be covered by advertising revenues through foreign sales makes the industry more dependent on the international market.
37 PERCENT SHOWNING IN THREE YEARS
According to industry analyst Burak Sakar's evaluation of the 2025-2026 season, the total number of TV series broadcast in Türkiye decreased from 44 in the previous season to 36. The number of episodes decreased from 860 to 712. Thus, there was an 18 percent decrease in the number of series and a 17 percent decrease in episode production in one season.
The longer-term picture is also striking. The total number of TV series, which was 57 in the 2022-2023 season, decreased to 36 in three seasons. This corresponds to a shrinkage of approximately 37 percent. According to the same evaluation, only seven of the 24 new series that started in the 2025-2026 season were able to continue the next season. Eight productions said goodbye to the screens before reaching 13 episodes.
HOW WILL THE INTERRUPTIONS REFLECT ON THE WORKERS?
While the cost is increasing, the fact that advertising revenue does not increase at the same pace also escalates the cost sharing debate between the channel and production companies. The channels' request for budget cuts from the production companies, and the producers' reflection of this demand on the actors and set expenses, created a new area of tension in the industry. However, a common solution has not been found on which items will cut costs and how these cuts will be reflected in production conditions.
ADVERTISING GENERATIONS ARE NOT FULL
Advertisers' rearrangement of their budgets due to economic conditions, the decrease in the appeal of television advertisements, and the fact that digital channels attract more investments put a strain on traditional television broadcasting. Evaluations that October 2026 will be the period with the lowest advertising revenue of the last 30 years in terms of television also support the crisis. Cinema critic Murat Tolga Şen, “TV Series Crisis: The Effect of Opium Has Worn Off!” In his article titled, he stated that only 60 percent of the 12-minute hourly commercial slots allocated for television have been filled. Şen pointed out that in addition to the advertising slots not being filled, the channels are demanding discounts from the producers and the producers are demanding discounts from the actors.
'NO ADVERTISING TO RECOGNIZE THE COST'
The rise of digital platforms is also effective in the shrinking share of television in the advertising pie. Young viewers moving away from traditional television broadcasts, advertisers turning to digital channels, and the difference in advertising opportunities between television and digital platforms are reshaping the competition in the sector. Demirören Media TV Group President Murat Yancı said in his statement on November 7 that the crisis now threatens not only the producers but also the future of television channels. Stating that even the wholesale removal of TV series is being discussed at industry meetings, Yancı said, "Even the wholesale removal of TV series is being discussed at the meetings. Because there is no advertising to cover the costs. If a solution is not found, there will be no such thing as television."
Yancı stated that they are faced with conditions that may make the production of new series and programs impossible, and also claimed that televisions face more restrictions on broadcasting advertisements compared to digital platforms. Stating that Turkish TV series have reached an export volume of approximately 1 billion dollars, Yancı stated that this export may be in danger if the necessary support is not provided.
PLAYER FEES ARE THE FOCUS OF THE DISCUSSION
The decline in advertising revenues and rising production costs directed the search for solutions to actor wages. According to allegations in the press, while television channels requested reductions in budgets from production companies, producers also brought up the reduction in the actors' salaries per episode. It was claimed that a 25-30 percent reduction was requested in the production budgets. While the actors oppose the fact that the crisis should be blamed solely on them, experts point out that wage cuts alone cannot solve the financing problem in the sector, and that transferring the burden only to the actors and set workers will make production conditions even more difficult.
BAŞAK BÇAK: THREE DIMENSIONS OF THE CRISIS
Cinema writer and critic Başak Bıçak, who evaluated the developments for our newspaper, pointed out that the problem has three dimensions: economic, structural and contextual. Bıçak stated that despite the increase in production costs, advertising revenues remain insufficient, and that the cost of episodes of some series has reached 30-35 million liras, and that advertising investments shifting to digital platforms have also increased the pressure on traditional television. Emphasizing that the crisis is not only economic, Bıçak stated that the repetition of similar scenarios and themes should be considered as a contextual problem that alienates the audience.
CONTENT AND EXPRESSION BLOCK
Murat Tolga Şen, on the other hand, argues that the crisis cannot be explained only by economic reasons. Şen states that the occupancy rate of television commercials in October 2026 remains at 60 percent and that early finals impose serious costs on production companies. According to Şen, the main problem is that TV series are stuck in repetitive stories and the audience cannot find traces of their own lives.
Şen also criticizes the episode durations approaching three hours and the harsh working conditions on the sets, and argues that RTÜK practices and the self-imposed limits of the industry feed self-censorship. Stating that foreign sales are not enough to keep the industry afloat, Şen points out that not only the costs but also the narrative language of the series must change in order to overcome the crisis.
YİĞİT GÜRALP: EXCHANGE POLICY AND LACK OF FUNDS
Producer and writer Yiğit Güralp focuses on the economic structure and financing sources of the crisis in his evaluation. The impact of exchange rate policy on construction costs, problems experienced in the return of international sales revenues to Türkiye, and the inadequacy of alternative funding mechanisms in the sector are among the topics that Güralp draws attention to.
This assessment, which points out the importance of foreign exchange revenues in financing high-budget productions, also reveals the fragility of the sector due to its dependence only on the advertising market. According to Güralp, while production costs increase against foreign currency, the fact that revenues do not increase at the same rate restricts the scope of action especially for productions working for the domestic market.
ERKAN: 'PROFIT IS PRIVATE, LOSS IS SOCIAL'
Lawyer Sedef Erken evaluated the crisis in the TV series industry not only as an economic contraction, but also in terms of labor relations and income distribution. Drawing attention to a situation frequently encountered in economic crises in Türkiye in his social media posts, Atty. Erken said, "The profit is private, the loss is social" and stated that the profits obtained during the growth periods of the sector are not shared, and when things go bad, sacrifices are expected from the employees.
Reminding that the worldwide success of Turkish TV series has been praised for years, that actors have turned into international stars and production companies have taken part in global markets, Erken stated that the working conditions behind this success story are not talked about enough.
'THERE SHOULD BE BEST LIVING CONDITIONS'
Emphasizing that questions such as how many hours an actor spends on the set, when he gets paid, what status his insurance is and what happens when his project suddenly ends are still awaiting answers, Erken stated that the discussions over the high wages of a few star actors make the real problems of thousands of actors and set workers invisible. According to Erken, the success of the sector should be measured not only by export figures and economic size, but also by the working and living conditions of the people who produce this wealth.
THE CRISIS EXTENDED TO THE MASS CANCELLATION DEBATE
The contraction in the sector affects not only the broadcasting life of individual TV series but also the production policies of television channels. Talk of the possibility of mass cancellation due to the extent of the financial crunch brings uncertainty to the entire production chain, from the implementation of new projects to the continuation of existing productions.
When advertising revenues, production budgets, exchange rate policy and content discussions are evaluated together, it is seen that the crisis in television series goes beyond a temporary broadcast schedule problem. The main challenge for the industry is to produce new stories that connect with the audience while creating a sustainable financing model that will cover increasing costs.
