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[caption id="" align="alignright" width="245" caption="A Palestinian man holds a photograph depicting the lead characters of a Turkish soap opera in Ramallah in this file photo. AP photo. Source : Hürriyet"][/caption]"Turkish soap operas are being watched in over 20 countries, creating revenues as well as supporting the ‘soft power’ of Turkish diplomacy.Turkish TV series, such as the hugely popular ‘Magnificent Century’ and ‘Forbidden Love,’ are breaking viewer records in the Middle Eastern and North African countries, bringing in much-needed foreign currency while raising Turkey’s clout in the region through the promotion of the Turkish lifestyle.Turkey earned more than $60 million only this year from exporting TV series. More than 100 Turkish TV series have been watched in over 20 countries this year.“We have begun to be broadcast in the Balkan countries this year,” said Fırat Gülgen, chairman of Calinos Holding, which makes 80 percent of TV series exported from Turkey, as he spoke to the Anatolia news agency Dec. 10. Gülgen said TV series are exported to many Central and Eastern European countries including Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Romania, Poland and Hungary. In the Far East, buyers include Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam.Gülgen said prices for an episode of a given series ranged between $500 and $ 15,000. A TV channel in Japan has also prepared a documentary about Turkish soap operas, he said, adding that the documentary focused mainly on the effects on tourism and export. [...]"Source : Hürriyet Daily NewsAuthor : Hatice Utkan / hatice.utkan@tdn.com.tr