ACADEMIC

Ph.D. Thesis:

POST-TELEVISION ERA IN TURKEY: AN ANALYSIS OF LOCAL TV SERIES GENRES BY STREAMING SERVICES

Abstract

Inspired by the fragmentation of audience in Turkey, the thesis analyses the genres of local TV series produced by streaming services in order to discover their differences from traditional television series, and concludes that some specific drama genres like crime or fantasy dramas which are excluded by Turkish television channels lately are primarily preferred to attract the audience who abandoned broadcast television. In addition, all six of the series studied as cases share a common pessimism in a social context which is created by representing the evil as omnipotent and all members of the society as more or less victims, as well as depicting the status quo as unchangeable, and limiting the freedom of individuals with their own body. As a result, what they offer is again conservative, despite being freed from the constraints of traditional television. On the other hand, they can be criticized for normalizing dysfunctional legal systems and neutralizing the prospect for improvement. Finally, the thesis argues that in the recent era, while television is changing its shell, streaming services fulfill the demand on diverse content by offering series in different genres, however, their narratives that are promoted as new, cannot go beyond reproducing already existing ones.

Yıldırım, N. (2020) Post-Television Era in Turkey: An Analysis of Local TV-Series Genres by Streaming Services (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Bahcesehir University: Istanbul, Turkey

Available at: https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/


Book Chapter:

WINNERS OF THE CATASTROPHE: HOW STREAMING SERVICES PROVED THEIR SOVEREIGNTY DURING THE PANDEMIC OF 21ST CENTURY?

Abstract

In the first decade of the 21st century, the way of consumption of films and television shows has begun to change with the launch of streaming services, firstly Amazon Prime Video, followed by Hulu and Netflix soon after. Introduction of tablet computers in 2010 had also contributed to the popularity of streaming services that allow individual use of their customizable archives. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world in the beginning of 2020, public spaces were abandoned throughout the world which also impacted the cinema industry. The release dates of already made films had to be delayed, and new projects were canceled despite causing huge loses for production companies. On the other hand, as the people had to amuse themselves in their houses for months, the value of the corporate audiovisual content that brings the outside to inside unsurprisingly increased. Audience who did not intend to pay for streaming services until this year had to change their minds. It was announced that Netflix Company, the leader of the industry, had doubled its net profit even in the first quarter of the year due to lockdown. Even rearrangements had to be made to reduce the bandwidth due to heavy traffic created by its subscribers. Before the unpredictable pandemic, streaming services were assumed to be threats for cinema and television industry. And in the post-pandemic era it can be claimed that, these services which took the advantage of their medium, will continue to be the advantageous members of the entertainment industry. In this article, we will discuss the pandemic effect on the rise of global streaming platforms. We will also take Turkey as a specific case to make visible not only the sovereignty of these platforms but also the competitive analysis in local and global streaming services in pandemic Covid 19.

Yıldırım, N. & Ulusoy, N. (2021) Winners of the Catastrophe: How Streaming Services Proved Their Sovereignty During the Pandemic of 21st Century? in New Communication in the Post-Pandemic Era: Media, Education, and Information, H. K. Suher, T. Tetik & D. Denizel (Eds.) Berlin: Peter Lang


Research Articles:

TRANSFORMATION OF COMEDY WITH STREAMING SERVICES: THE CASE OF BARTU BEN

Abstract

Comedy has always been one of the most popular genres in Turkish cinema and television series. As the distinction between film and series has begun to blur in the post-television era, narratives are transforming according to the characteristics of the new medium. Streaming services targeting niche audience offer more freedom to creators of their content. This article aims to study the comedy series Bartu Ben (Its me, Bartu) which is one of the original series of Turkish streaming service Blu TV, in order to interpret the differences of the series from traditional television comedies, and contribution of streaming services to the transformation of the genre.

Yıldırım, N. (2020) Transformation of Comedy with Streaming Services: The Case of Bartu Ben, Cinej Cinema Journal, Volume 8.2

Available at: https://cinej.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/cinej/article/view/300


JENERİĞİ ATLA: DİJİTAL ÇAĞDA DEĞİŞEN ZAMAN VE İZLEYİCİ İLİŞKİSİ (SKIP INTRO: CHANGING TIME AND AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP IN THE DIGITAL AGE)

Abstract

In the recent era, people can reach information more easily than ever. However, they are frequently exposed to information overload that can exceed their capacity and cause complains about the insufficiency of time. As the internet became a part of every stage of life, the perception of ‘leisure time’ has also changed. The time spared for entertainment and relaxation is preferred to be spent with qualified activities. Entertainment industry had been one of the industries that was impacted from the rapid development in digital technologies. And television, which dominates the mass media, has been experiencing radical changes in their broadcasting strategies and content production ways. In this study, changing expectations and preferences of the audience who has a tendency to consume more content in faster ways are studied.

Yıldırım N. (2021). Jeneriği Atla: Dijital Çağda Değişen Zaman ve İzleyici İlişkisi. Yeni Yüzyılda İletişim Çalışmaları Dergisi, 3, ss. 71-83

Available at: https://www.yeniyuzyil.edu.tr/IletisimFakultesi/files/3.%20Say%C4%B1%202021%20III.pdf


NOIR THAN EVER: CRIME DRAMA AS THE POPULAR GENRE IN TURKISH STREAMING SERVICES

Abstract

The article focuses on the original series of Turkish streaming services Blu TV and Puhu TV released between 2017 and 2020 in terms of genre, and aims to discover their differences from the traditional television series having highly conservative narratives. After identifying that the crime drama genre is primarily preferred by these services, the ideological approach of genre analysis is adopted to study four series which are Masum (Innocent), Bozkır (Steppe), Şahsiyet (Persona), and Dip (Base). It is found that all four of the series share a common pessimism in a social context which is created by representing the evil as omnipotent and all members of the society as more or less victims. In addition, depicting the status quo as unchangeable strengthens the emphasis on-no escape-in general. It is possible to criticize these narratives for normalizing dysfunctional legal system, and neutralizing the prospect for improvement. In conclusion, the article claims that what these new series offer are far from being progressive, despite the freedom of their medium.

Yıldırım, N. (2021). Noir Than Ever: Crime Drama as the Popular Genre in Turkish Streaming Services . Ankara Üniversitesi İlef Dergisi , 2021 Özel Sayı: 2. Uluslararası Dijital Çağda İletişim Sempozyumu, Süreklilikler ve Kesintiler: Kültürler, Pazarlar ve Siyaset , 127-148

Available at: https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/ilef/issue/67404/1038640

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Lectures:

Cinema & Dramaturgy (Undergraduate)

Screenwriting Techniques (Undergraduate)

Film Production Management (Undergraduate)

Professional Practice & Production (Undergraduate)

Short Film Production (Undergraduate)

Editing of Image and Sound (Undergraduate)

Popular Culture & Media (Undergraduate)

Visual Communication Design (Undergraduate)

New Media (Undergraduate)

Social Media (Undergraduate)

Scientific Research Methods (Undergraduate)

New Media & Perception Management (Graduate)

Popular Culture & Media (Graduate)