What Ay Yapım does

Ay Yapım (legal entity AY SANAT PRODÜKSİYON VE YAPIM A.Ş.) is a privately held Turkish television and film production company founded in 2005 and headquartered in Istanbul. The company produces Turkish-language drama series and feature films, with a catalog exceeding 4,500 hours of series content and 21 feature-length films. Its productions have aired on major domestic broadcast networks including Kanal D, STAR TV, Show TV, and NOW TV.

Ay Yapım monetizes primarily through content licensing and format sales, both domestically and internationally. Domestic revenue comes from selling broadcast rights to Turkish networks, while international revenue is driven by licensing original series to broadcasters and streaming platforms in 150+ countries and by selling format rights for local adaptations. The company's group company, MADD, operates Turkey's largest content distribution network, handling international sales. Bidirectional format exchange arrangements, exemplified by the renewed three-title alliance with Brazil's Globo in 2026, enable Ay Yapım both to produce international adaptations of its own formats (e.g., Şahsiyet adapted as El Asesino Del Olvido in Mexico) and to adapt foreign formats for Turkish audiences.

The company is led by founder and primary producer Kerem Çatay, supported by co-producer Lale Eren, and maintains long-standing relationships with A-list Turkish creative talent. Ay Yapım holds three International Emmy Awards (Kara Sevda 2018, Şahsiyet 2019, Yargı 2023), is the only Turkish company to have achieved this distinction, and has received seven TİM export awards for sustained leadership in TV series exports. The portfolio spans premium drama series, critically acclaimed cinema (e.g., Kurak Günler, winner of European Film Awards Best Editing in 2022), and a growing digital footprint across 50+ dedicated YouTube channels. Ay Yapım also operates the Luma Short Film Festival with Yeditepe University to support emerging talent and IP development.

Name

Ay Yapım

Legal name

AY SANAT PRODÜKSİYON VE YAPIM A.Ş.

Website

https://ayyapim.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ay Yapım is a privately held Istanbul-based Turkish television and film production company founded in 2005, producing premium drama series and feature films distributed domestically via major Turkish broadcasters and internationally to 150+ countries through group company MADD and format licensing partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television and Film Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Territory & Language Rights (International, Dubbing/Subtitling) (MPADALAH)

Keywords

• Television series production
• Drama content production
• Format licensing
• International content distribution
• Feature film production

Headquarters

HQ city

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Content Licensing and Format Sales: Ay Yapım licenses its original TV series and film content to international broadcasters and streaming platforms, and sells format rights for international remakes. The company has been Turkey's top TV series exporter since 2016 and holds significant market share in Turkish drama exports.
2. Domestic Broadcast Rights Sales: Ay Yapım sells broadcast rights for its series to Turkish domestic TV networks such as Kanal D, STAR TV, and Show TV.
3. Format and Adaptation Deals: Ay Yapım earns revenue through international format deals, producing adaptations of both its own original formats (e.g., Leyla adaptation of Brazil's Brazil Avenue) and receiving international remakes of its Turkish originals (e.g., Ezel remade in Mexico, Romania, Russia, Armenia). Distribution handled by Madd Entertainment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ay Yapım is a Turkish television and film content production company that creates Turkish-language drama series, feature films, and international format adaptations. The company produces original content, licenses broadcast rights to domestic networks such as Kanal D, STAR, and Show TV, and sells format rights and content internationally through its group company MADD, which distributes to 150+ countries. It also engages in cross-border format exchange, such as producing Turkish adaptations of Brazilian formats (e.g., Leyla from Brazil Avenue) and licensing Turkish originals for international remakes.

Product overview

Ay Yapım is Turkey's leading content production company founded in 2005, operating as a unified production house that produces television series (Diziler), feature films (Filmler), and international adaptations (Uyarlamalar). The company distributes content through its group company MADD which operates Turkey's largest distribution network reaching over 150 countries. The portfolio includes award-winning TV dramas like Yargı, Şahsiyet, Çukur, and international hit series, alongside critically acclaimed films such as Kurak Günler and Daha. The company also supports emerging talent through the Luma Short Film Festival and licenses formats internationally through partnerships like the Globo alliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TV Series (Diziler) Original Turkish-language television drama series produced by Ay Yapım, including titles such as Doğanın Kanunu, Sevdiğim Sensin, Uzak Şehir, Deha, Leyla, Gaddar, AİLE, Şahsiyet, and many more, targeting domestic Turkish networks and international broadcasters and streaming platforms.
• Feature Films (Filmler) Feature films produced by Ay Yapım, including critically acclaimed and award-winning titles such as Kurak Günler, Şampiyon, Delibal, Daha, Nasipse Adayız, Kırık Kalpler Bankası, and Kül, distributed to theatrical and international markets.
• International Adaptations (Uyarlamalar) International format adaptations and remakes of Ay Yapım originals sold to markets worldwide, including adaptations of Şahsiyet, Ezel, Aşk-ı Memnu, Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne?, Çukur, İçerde, Yargı, Kara Para Aşk, Alev Alev, Aser, and others in countries across Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• Three International Emmy Awards — the most of any Turkish production company (2017: Kara Sevda Best Telenovela; 2019: Haluk Bilginer Best Actor for Şahsiyet; 2023: Yargı Best Telenovela)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GlobocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2026Brazil's largest broadcaster Globo and Ay Yapım renewed their alliance with a three-title deal in 2026, including Ömür Usta (Turkish adaptation of a Globo format airing on Turkey's NOW channel from September 2026), Leyla (the first international adaptation of Globo's Brazil Avenue format), and Looks & Essence. Madd Entertainment handles international distribution on all three adaptations. This represents a bidirectional format exchange — Ay Yapım adapts Globo formats into Turkish and produces original formats for Globo to adapt internationally.
• Madd EntertainmentcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMadd Entertainment is Ay Yapım's group company and handles international distribution and sales of content, including all three titles from the Globo partnership (Ömür Usta, Leyla, Looks & Essence). MADD operates Turkey's largest content distribution network reaching 150+ countries.
• Yeditepe University Cinema ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAy Yapım partners with Yeditepe University Cinema Club to co-organize the Luma Kısa Film Festivali (Luma Short Film Festival), held three times since 2022. The festival aims to discover new screenwriters and directors, promote quality short films, and support development in Turkey's film industry. The festival includes student-only competitions, workshops, and screenings.
• Viacom International StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerViacom International Studios partnered with Ay Yapım to co-produce El Asesino Del Olvido (the Mexican adaptation of Şahsiyet) in 2020. Production was managed by both companies with Viacom's platform involvement.
• MovieStar PlusminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMovieStar Plus is a Spanish streaming platform that acquired El Turco for streaming. Can Yaman attended the Spanish premiere in Madrid in January 2026, and all episodes of El Turco are available on the platform.
• MBC GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArab world's largest broadcaster MBC partnered with Ay Yapım KSA to produce Al Asha for MBC and Shahid streaming platform. Aser was also produced for MBC. MBC and Shahid broadcast the content in the Gulf region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ITV Studios: ITV Studios is a global content producer and distributor with a broad drama and format portfolio, comparable to Ay Yapım as a broad incumbent in international TV content sales, format licensing, and global broadcaster relationships.
• Fremantle: Fremantle is one of the world's largest content producers and distributors, with global format and drama operations comparable to Ay Yapım's international ambitions, operating as a broad incumbent with overlapping buyer relationships across 150+ territories.
• Beta Film: Beta Film is a Munich-based global distributor of high-end drama series and formats with strong relationships in Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America, comparable to Ay Yapım's MADD international distribution business targeting the same global broadcaster clients.

Direct peers

• MedYapım: MedYapım is a leading Istanbul-based TV production company producing successful Turkish drama series (e.g., Kırmızı Oda, Çukur-era competitors) for the same major Turkish broadcasters (Kanal D, Show TV, STAR) and competing with Ay Yapım in the international format and licensing market.
• Calinos Entertainment: Calinos Entertainment is a Turkey-based content distribution and production company specializing in international sales of Turkish series, directly comparable to Ay Yapım's MADD distribution arm and competing for the same international broadcast buyers.
• Tims Productions: Tims Productions is one of Turkey's largest TV series producers and a direct competitor to Ay Yapım, producing hit dramas such as Diriliş Ertuğrul and Kuruluş Osman for both domestic networks and international export, competing for the same talent, broadcasters, and international licensing revenue.
• O3 Medya: O3 Medya is a Turkish TV drama producer known for series like Muhteşem Yüzyıl and other internationally exported hits, directly competing with Ay Yapım for domestic broadcast slots and international licensing opportunities in the same Turkish drama export category.
• BKM (Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi): BKM is a major Turkish content production company producing both TV series and feature films for domestic and international markets, directly comparable to Ay Yapım in terms of production scale, talent relationships, and domestic broadcast partnerships.
• Eccho Rights: Eccho Rights is a Sweden-based international distribution company specializing in scripted series and formats, comparable to Ay Yapım's MADD distribution business and competing for the same international format and finished-series buyers.
• MF Yapım: MF Yapım is a major Turkish production house producing high-rated drama series for domestic networks and increasingly exporting internationally, making it a direct peer to Ay Yapım in terms of content type, customer base, and international sales strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/ayyapimtv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ayyapim

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ay Yapım