Calinos Entertainment

Calinos Continues to Help Universal Stories with Local Authenticity Travel the World

As always, Calinos Entertainment is arriving at MIPCOM with buzzy new titles to offer buyers alongside its already extensive catalog. “We’re bringing a strong lineup of new content,” says Fırat Gülgen, CEO and founder of the company.

Calinos’ top highlight for the market is Lies After Lies, a Turkish drama about a mother’s struggle to reclaim her child while secrets and deception swirl. It “carries the high-stakes emotional storytelling that Turkish dramas are known for, but with a very personal and intimate focus on one mother’s struggle,” Gülgen explains.

Of the utmost importance to Calinos is the ability to speak to different audiences and platforms, he notes. To achieve this, the company has also added a slate of Romanian and Arabic series, which “broaden the cultural scope of our library and offer buyers fresh perspectives and storytelling traditions.” They also meet “the growing demand for distinctive regional storytelling,” he notes.

These new titles complement the existing Calinos catalog, which is already well-traveled. Earlier this year, Farah reached 84 countries worldwide, while Woman and Forbidden Fruit were sold into Italy and Alert Squad was sent to Japan.

“What makes our catalog travel so well is the universality of the themes,” Gülgen explains. “Whether it’s love, family, betrayal or resilience, these are stories people can connect with no matter where they live. Turkish dramas like Lies After Lies deliver that emotional intensity audiences love, while our new Romanian and Arabic series bring fresh voices and cultural flavors that still feel relatable on a human level. By combining local authenticity with universal storytelling, we’re able to create shows that resonate across borders.”

Calinos selects the titles it adds to its catalog carefully based on two factors: audience demand and global market trends. “We closely follow changes in viewer behavior and platform needs across different regions,” Gülgen says. “This helps us identify content that has strong commercial potential as well as lasting value.”

“Right now, we’re especially interested in high-concept dramas with emotionally compelling themes,” he notes, pointing to Lies After Lies as a prime example. “Stories about identity, justice and family dynamics tend to perform really well internationally.”

“In addition to our extensive ready-made catalog, we have over 160 scripted format titles,” he adds. “For scripted formats, we’re focusing more on shorter, adaptable series with strong storytelling. These formats not only meet the evolving needs of global platforms and audiences but also offer flexibility for adaptation in different markets.”

And as the acquisitions of the Romanian and Arabic series indicate, “we don’t limit ourselves to any specific region” when searching for new titles, Gülgen says. “What matters most is finding compelling stories that capture audience interest. For us, great storytelling knows no borders.”

At MIPCOM, Gülgen explains, the goal is “to connect with international buyers, showcase the breadth and diversity of our catalog and open new licensing opportunities for both our new and existing titles. We want to make sure buyers see not just the scale of our offerings, but the emotional depth and storytelling quality in each show.”

Beyond October, Calinos remains focused on expanding its global reach and finalizing deals with key partners. “Ultimately, we aim to strengthen our presence in international markets and ensure our stories reach audiences everywhere.”

While commissioning is down across the drama sector and economic uncertainty plagues territories around the world, Gülgen and Calinos aren’t too worried. “Economic and political dynamics inevitably influence the direction of our industry, but rather than seeing them as obstacles, we view them as catalysts for innovation,” he says. “These pressures encourage us to think differently about how we collaborate with our partners and how we structure our business. For us, the future of distribution is not only about securing strong, emotionally compelling content; it is equally about designing new business models that create shared value.”

This means reimagining the way deals are crafted, Gülgen explains. “Introducing flexible licensing structures, tailoring agreements to the realities of each market and developing partnerships where both risk and rewards are distributed more equitably” are paramount. “We are convinced that the companies who combine creative storytelling excellence with inventive, adaptive revenue frameworks will be the ones shaping the future of global entertainment.”

And Calinos plans to continue to be one of those companies. “We see ourselves as long-term strategic partners, working side by side with our clients to navigate the complexities of today’s marketplace,” he emphasizes. “Whether it is helping them overcome short-term challenges or unlocking new growth opportunities, our role is to ensure that great stories travel further, reach wider audiences and generate sustainable value.”

Calinos Entertainment Rides Momentum to MIPTV

Strong sales are powering Calinos Entertainment as it gears up for MIPTV. The company sold nearly 18,000 hours of programming in 2022 and continued to diversify its catalog with dramas and movies from different countries in addition to Turkish series. Among the new content is Adela, the Romanian remake of That’s My Life, and Polish movies such as Squared Love, Heart Parade, The In-Laws and Warsaw 44.

The hit drama Forbidden Fruit continued to conquer new countries in 2022, including the U.S. It was hailed as the best fiction premiere in a decade on Atresmedia’s Antena 3 following its February debut. 

Calinos also strengthened its presence in the U.S. with new OTT platform deals in the last year. At the start of 2022, the company partnered with Pluto TV to create the channel Corazon Turco, exclusively dedicated to some of the best Turkish dramas. And it has added two new titles to its catalog in the first quarter of this year, Farah and Twisted Lives, both produced by O3 Medya.

“The appetite for Turkish dramas still continues to grow all around the world,” says Asli Serim, head of international sales at Calinos Entertainment. “Turkish production quality has always been over the top, but with this continuing demand, our production companies are taking it to another level. With the rise of social media, dramas took a new path, too. Turkish scriptwriters caught the vibe, and they started to evolve stories according to daily social media feedback. This flexibility and pace positively affect the global audience as well as the local one. And the buyers loved this trend.”

To help deliver on this demand, Calinos works with “the leading production companies and TV channels who share a global vision like us,” Serim says. “For example, we have always been a solid supporter for women empowerment. Our titles like Woman, Our Story and Forbidden Fruit have strong leading female casts and narratives supporting the issue. And we continue to add new ones to our catalog.” 

Serim adds that Turkish dramas continue to draw audiences on five continents, and “we can say they are more popular than ever.” The temporarily closed MENA region opened in the middle of last year and increased the reach of Turkish dramas. In addition to selling finished content, format sales are on the rise, notably in countries in the MENA region, Africa and Romania. 

Enjoy the Drama with the Calinos Catalog
And it’s not just traditional storylines that buyers are after, Serim points out: “Turkish storytelling techniques are the fastest evolving part of Turkish dramas.” 

In terms of new catalog highlights, Farah has been leading the Turkish TV market on Wednesdays. The series is an adaptation of the Argentinean drama La chica que limpia (The Cleaning Lady). It follows the story of an Iranian woman who had to run away from her country and is struggling to live in Istanbul, working as a cleaning lady in order to maintain the treatment of her son. She turns into a mafia accomplice at the end. Demet Özdemir and Engin Akyürek star in the series, alongside Fırat Tanış, Senan Kara, Lale Başar, Oktay Çubuk, Mustafa Avkiran and Ali Sürmeli. 

Meanwhile, Twisted Lives stars Timuçin Esen and Şevket Çoruh in the story of two best friends who become each other’s worst enemies for the love of their children. The feud will destroy the lives of many people, including women and children. The show is shot in Bodrum, the coastal town in the southwest of Turkey. Genco Özak, Sezin Akbaşoğulları, Serhat Kılıç, Bahar Şahin, Esra Kızıldoğan and Baran Can Eraslan co-star. 

Also a catalog highlight for Calinos, the Romanian phenomenon Adela has had four successful seasons on Antena 1. “The adaptation of the Turkish drama O Hayat Benim (That’s My Life) will be the new global phenomenon of 2023,” says Serim.