The “24”-style thriller from Turkish producer Ay Yapim is one of the hottest of a new wave of Istanbul-set TV series.
Swedish broadcaster SVT has picked up the rights to new Turkish drama series 20 Minutes, marking the second Turkish series the Swedish network will air in primetime.
SVT nabbed 20 Minutes, a 24-style beat-the-clock thriller about a man racing to save his wife, from Eccho Rights. The series, produced by Istanbul-based Ay Yapim, will go out in Sweden starting in January.
The deal follows a similar deal with Eccho earlier this year for The End, another red-hot Turkish TV serial.
Commented Fredrik af Malmborg, managing director at Eccho Rights: “earlier on this year SVT took the brave step to be the first Western broadcaster to air a Turkish drama when it screened The End. The launch worked very well, with good ratings and a strong reception in the press, so the acquisition of 20 Minutes is the natural next step.”
Turkey has become the new hot spot for international broadcasters looking for top-end drama. The territory’s booming TV industry has also attracted attention from Hollywood. 20th Century Fox Television and Sander Moses Productions have signed up for a U.S. adaptation of The End and Ay Yapim is in negotiations for an American take on 20 Minutes.
via Sweden’s SVT Takes Turkish Drama ’20 Minutes’ – The Hollywood Reporter.