Television still dominates Turkish media landscape

ANKARA

Mainstream television remains the dominant media platform in Türkiye despite growing competition from digital platforms, a representative from a research firm has informed the Turkish parliament.

Providing detailed insights into TV audience measurements in a presentation, the Television Watching Research Company’s (TİAK) general manager, Dursun Güleryüz, refuted claims that television is losing its relevance.

According to TİAK’s 2024 report, the average household television viewing time was six hours and seven minutes per day, while individual viewing time stood at one hour and 37 minutes.

Women and those over 55 were the most frequent viewers, while the 12-19 age group watched TV the least. Among the population aged 5 and above, the average daily TV viewing time accounted for three hours and 34 minutes, the report said.

Additionally, unemployed individuals tend to watch more TV, Güleryüz pointed out.

According to the report, the highest viewership occurred in January, while August recorded the lowest.

Regionally, the western city of İzmir led in television consumption, while the lowest viewing times were recorded in eastern and southeastern Anatolia, along with the capital city of Ankara, at three hours and 13 minutes daily.

Sunday emerged as the most-watched day, averaging three hours and 43 minutes of TV consumption, whereas Thursday had the lowest viewership. Prime time, between 9 and 12 p.m., remained the most-watched period, primarily due to popular drama series.

‘Mainstream media takes blame’

While traditional television maintains its stronghold, mainstream broadcasters are often blamed for negative media influences, whereas streaming services and social media platforms operate with far less scrutiny, Murat Yancı, the head of Demirören Medya TV Group, has pointed out.

Yancı pointed to the intense violence depicted in digital content, referencing the renowned Netflix series Squid Game as an example of extreme and graphic material, including violence against women. In addition, platforms like Instagram, X and TikTok also host disturbing and harmful content, but all of these platforms do not face any objection, while mainstream media gets heavily criticized, he said.

Contrary to criticism, they strive to keep strong, self-supporting female characters at the forefront in the series, Yancı pointed out. He also emphasized the fact that women make up the majority of top administrators on the media organization’s television networks.

Responding to another criticism that mainstream media employs a "toxic language," Yancı questioned whether media outlets should simply ignore statements from politicians and public figures, asserting that such individuals serve as role models.

Despite such criticism on mainstream platforms, television, and thus TV series, remains powerful and widely consumed.

Turkish TV series also have a strong following in the Middle East and Latin American countries, as well as in the United States, Australia and Europe. The Turkish TV series sector exports products to over 150 countries, with export revenues surpassing $500 million last year.