TV series criticized by Turkish PM has 150 million viewers, culture ministry says

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century). Hürriyet Photo

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry has responded to the prime minister's recent suggestion that “Muhteşem Yüzyıl” (The Magnificent Century) was misrepresenting Ottoman history, emphasizing the show’s number large viewership, as well as the general economic benefits of Turkish TV series.

"At the end of 2010 we had $65 mln in export revenue thanks to these T.V. series," the head of the Intellectual Property Rights Property Rights department of the ministry, Abdullah Çelik, said in a speech at the Trakya University Balkans Congress Center.

"We exported 10,500 hours of T.V. series' in 2011, however we had no export revenue in 2006," he said, adding that such series reached 150 million people in 76 countries around the world.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dished out heavy criticism on the hit Turkish TV series, “Muhteşem Yüzyıl,” (The Magnificent Century) for its portrayal of the Ottoman ruler Süleyman on Nov. 25.
 
“We alerted the authorities on this and we wait for judicial decision on it,” Erdoğan said. “Those who toy with these values should be taught a lesson within the premises of law.”
 
Muhteşem Yüzyıl is a popular TV show airing in Turkey and abroad, which follows the lives of the Ottoman ruler Süleyman and his love Hürrem Sultan. The show focuses more on Süleyman's personal life and palace life, portraying characters from the harem, as well as from the royal family.