Journal of Culture-Communication Studies

Journal of Culture-Communication Studies

The Turkish Television Industry and Iranian Audiences’ Inclination Toward Turkish TV Channels and Lifestyle: A Case Study of Tabriz Residents

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Seyed Hassan Azari 1
Ali Ghorbani 2
1 Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran. Email: h.azari@tabrizu.ac.ir
2 PhD Candidate in Communication Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran, (Corresponding Author) Email: alis1441@gmail.com
10.22083/jccs.2025.531838.4060
Abstract
Introduction: The Turkish television industry has long accounted for a significant share of media consumption among Iranian audiences, particularly among Azerbaijani Turkish-speaking populations, partly due to cultural, linguistic, historical, and geographical proximities. With the increasing mediatization of culture and politics, Turkey’s television industry has drawn on a range of institutional, technological, and cultural capacities to establish a distinctive position in regional media flows and to influence audiences’ cultural preferences and lifestyle orientations. The present study examines the extent of Iranian citizens’ inclination toward Turkish television networks and Turkish lifestyle, with a particular focus on the city of Tabriz, and seeks to identify appropriate strategies for responding to this phenomenon.
Methods: This study employed a mixed-methods design to examine Tabriz residents’ inclination toward Turkish television networks and Turkish lifestyle, as well as possible strategies for addressing this phenomenon. In the quantitative phase, a survey was conducted among 400 residents of Tabriz aged 15 years and older. In the qualitative phase, a grounded theory approach was employed through in-depth interviews with 13 experts. The qualitative phase aimed to identify the factors and conditions underlying Tabriz residents’ inclination toward Turkish television networks and lifestyle, as well as potential strategies for responding to these influences. Qualitative data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s three-stage coding procedure, consisting of open, axial, and selective coding. The integration of quantitative and qualitative findings provided a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between exposure to Turkish television content, lifestyle preferences, and the broader cultural conditions shaping these tendencies.
Findings: The quantitative findings indicate that, although respondents reported a moderate level of inclination toward Turkish television networks overall, they demonstrated substantially greater interest in specific forms of Turkish entertainment content, including music, television dramas, celebrities such as actors and singers, television competitions, and comedy programs. The mean score for inclination toward the Turkish lifestyle was 65.8%, indicating an above-average level. Among the lifestyle indicators examined, the strongest tendencies were associated with travel to Turkey, language, branded clothing, sweets and confectionery, and cuisine, followed by clothing styles, furniture, religious beliefs, household appliances, housing purchase and residence in Turkey, customs, and family relationships. A comparison between heavy and light viewers of Turkish television networks showed that heavy viewers reported significantly stronger inclinations toward the Turkish lifestyle. Furthermore, correlation analysis revealed a strong positive linear relationship between respondents’ inclination toward the Turkish lifestyle and their interest in Turkish television channels. In other words, greater exposure to Turkish television content was associated with a stronger inclination toward elements of the Turkish lifestyle.
The qualitative findings indicate that the dynamism of the Turkish television industry, particularly its emphasis on globally popular genres and audience-oriented entertainment such as music and drama, has contributed to strong audience engagement. For residents of Tabriz, cultural, historical, linguistic, and religious affinities with Turkish productions appear to facilitate this engagement. These factors are reinforced by the perceived limitations of domestic entertainment offerings, insufficient attention to lifestyle-oriented television programming, and, according to participants, occasional forms of self-censorship. The interaction of these conditions contributes to greater audience interest in Turkish television networks and, more broadly, in aspects of Turkish lifestyle and culture.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Turkish television industry functions as an influential component of transnational media flows, particularly in cultural contexts characterized by linguistic, historical, and cultural proximity. Its regional success reflects the ability of the Turkish television sector to combine internationally recognizable genres and production practices with culturally distinctive narratives and representations. Through this combination, Turkish television content may contribute not only to entertainment consumption but also to the circulation of images, values, lifestyles, and cultural preferences across national borders.
The study further indicates that Turkish television operates within a broader process of cultural and media influence that may contribute to national branding, cultural dissemination, tourism promotion, and the international circulation of Turkish cultural products. The Turkish media system, particularly through lifestyle-oriented television programming, provides content that can establish cultural connections with international audiences while simultaneously promoting particular patterns of consumption and identity. The findings also suggest that cultural proximity is an important resource in the regional circulation of Turkish media content and may contribute to Turkey’s broader cultural diplomacy and soft-power capacities. The combination of elements associated with Western modernity and Islamic cultural traditions contributes to the construction and circulation of a distinctive representation of Turkish identity.
In response to this trend, the study suggests the need for a realistic understanding of changing patterns of global and domestic media production and consumption, accompanied by a reconsideration of domestic media policies and regulatory approaches. Facilitating program production, increasing flexibility in content development, adopting a more proactive approach to audience needs, and strengthening domestic production capacities—including thematic, human, and material resources—are important areas for policy consideration. Greater attention should also be paid to diverse formats within the field of lifestyle television, with content that reflects audiences’ everyday experiences and strengthens their sense of identification. Developing programming that engages with Iranian-Islamic cultural values while also addressing the diversity of audiences’ beliefs, interests, preferences, and everyday needs may help domestic media organizations respond more effectively to the changing competitive environment of transnational television.
Keywords
Turkish television industry
lifestyle
cultural proximity
multidirectional flows
Turkish series
Subjects
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