“CEE has always been one of the key regions for Kanal D International. Our titles have a strong track record there, and we’ve built long-standing relationships with partners across the region,” says Sangerim Zhakhina, Kanal D’s Sales Manager for CIS, CEE, and the Baltics.
Zhakhina joined us to reflect on a strong first half of 2025, marked by the growing international success of Secret of Pearls, alongside the continued performance of The Family Burden and Farewell Letter, as well as the enduring popularity of classic library titles like Fatmagül, Forbidden Love, and Kuzey Güney. She also emphasizes that format sales have gained momentum, with proven hits traveling as formats.
Since this is our first time speaking with you, we’d love to get to know you a little better. You recently joined Kanal D International as Sales Manager for the CIS, CEE, and Baltics. Could you tell us more about your role and your focus across these regions?
First of all, I’m truly excited to be here at NEM, especially in such a beautiful setting.
It’s a great opportunity to meet our clients face-to-face, strengthen relationships, and get to know each of them better.
Over the years, Kanal D International has built strong, lasting connections with its partners by consistently prioritizing their needs. I’m proud to continue that tradition and look forward to supporting our clients even further, helping deepen the trust and collaboration we’ve established.
Although I officially joined Kanal D in January of this year, I’ve been familiar with the catalog for over a decade. In my previous role on the acquisition side, KD was always a top choice. As I transitioned into sales, I gained new perspectives and broadened my understanding of the market. That personal journey makes it even more meaningful for me to ensure our partners receive the right content tailored to their unique audiences. At KD International, we take the time to understand each client’s programming strategy and deliver titles that truly fit. Going forward, our focus is clear: to nurture our strong existing partnerships, discover new opportunities, and continue evolving alongside the market.
Sangerim Zhakhina: “Looking ahead to the new TV season, our focus will shift toward launching new titles, and we’re already exploring plans that extend into 2026. The market is evolving rapidly, and we’re committed to staying ahead by adapting and anticipating our partners’ needs.”
The first half of 2025 has already been a busy period for you, with several sales agreements made. How would you reflect on the year so far?
It’s been a very active start to the year for us. We’ve successfully closed several deals for the second season of Secret of Pearls. Interestingly, while some clients were initially cautious and tested the waters with Season 1, they quickly became fully convinced and are now eagerly awaiting Season 3.
In addition, Farewell Letter has been licensed in Hungary, Kosovo, and North Macedonia, further expanding its international reach. Our classic library titles remain in high demand, Fatmagül, Forbidden Love, and Kuzey Güney continue to resonate strongly with audiences worldwide.
As we moved into the summer period, we saw increased interest in romantic comedies and lighter series, always popular during the warmer months. Looking ahead to the new TV season, our focus will shift toward launching new titles, and we’re already exploring plans that extend into 2026. The market is evolving rapidly, and we’re committed to staying ahead by adapting and anticipating our partners’ needs.
Based on your experience, what is the audience in your regions looking for? Which titles are currently performing best in the CIS, CEE, and Baltics?
These regions definitely appreciate strong emotional storytelling, deep arcs, powerful female leads, and a clear sense of right and wrong, which are all key elements in our catalog. Romantic comedies also pick up in the summer, but at the core, strong, emotionally intense dramas continue to drive the biggest demand.
In the CIS, for example, audiences love Cinderella-style stories with emotional highs and a happy ending. In CEE, we see a growing appetite for bolder dramas, even edgier content, while in the Baltics, viewers tend to favor more classic family dramas: long-running, grounded stories that reflect everyday life.
What connects all these regions is a shared love for familiar dramatic ingredients, poor vs. rich dynamics, impossible love, love triangles, the pursuit of justice, and always a strong female lead paired with a charismatic male character. These elements consistently make our titles appealing across all markets.
Kanal D’s evergreens, romantic comedies, and latest dramas continue to attract strong interest. How about your formats? Could you give us an overview of your format catalog and how they’re performing in terms of international sales?
That’s absolutely true. KD Evergreens are always in demand, our partners rely on these strong, success-proven titles to boost their slots and attract more viewers.
Using these popular stories as a foundation to create local versions through our formats has proven to be the safest and most efficient production strategy. Nowadays, developing a completely original story that can compete, create buzz, and attract viewers is getting more and more challenging, mainly for economic reasons. Writing scripts from scratch is costly and time-consuming. But working with existing, proven-success stories allows our partners to deliver high-quality productions with lower risk and much faster turnaround. Plus, they can tailor the story to their programming needs, if they want to produce 50 episodes out of an 80-episode original, that’s completely doable.
Format sales have been quite active recently. You may already know that Fatmagül, Price of Passion, and Forbidden Love have all travelled as formats. Ruthless City was also adapted in Portugal and became a huge success, I should mention that the Portuguese version, Broken Promise, is now part of the KD catalog as well. We are now about to announce another format sale of Three Sisters to one of the countries in CIS, so stay tuned.
One of your latest titles, Secret of Pearls, will be renewed for a third season and has built a strong audience in Türkiye. Could you share any recent updates on its international journey and how it’s being received globally?
Secret of Pearls is a strong-performing title in Türkiye, we just wrapped up the second season and are getting ready for the third one, launching in September. Despite high competition, it consistently ranked at the top of the AB category, which is exactly why we’ve decided to continue the story.
At first glance, it may look quite different from the usual classic dramas, but by the second or third episode, you see what makes it work: deep family secrets, a love triangle, the classic poor vs. rich theme, and of course, the captivating dance scenes featuring Dilber. These are the main highlights that hook the audience.
We’ve already licensed the show to over 50 countries, including MENA, Serbia, Lithuania, Kosovo, and Macedonia. Partners who tried it with the first season are coming back for the second, and are already in talks for season three. So far, we’re very happy with its performance.
Last summer, most Turkish broadcasters and producers didn’t move forward with summer dramas, but Kanal D stood out with The Family Burden. How has the series been received in international markets?
The Family Burden started as a summer series, but thanks to its strong performance, it continued into the new season. We’ve completed 95 commercial hours so far, and the title has already been licensed to MENA, Romania, and CIS countries.
The story really resonates with female audiences. It centers around a powerful mother–daughter relationship, with a love triangle, buried past secrets, and a crime the mother didn’t commit, but is forced to carry the weight of. It’s a compelling mix that creates a strong emotional pull and keeps viewers engaged.
One of your dramas, Farewell Letter, was recently sold to Lithuania. How would you describe the series in your own words? Where else has it been sold, and what do you think makes it resonate with international buyers?
The first thing our clients say about this title is: “Oh, the production looks so expensive!” And I couldn’t agree more, from the cast to the set design, costumes, and the story itself, it’s truly a high-quality production.
It became a bestseller very quickly, and the number of territories says it all: Romania, Panama, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Croatia, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Latvia, Serbia, Vietnam, Mongolia, Ethiopia, MENA, Angola, Mozambique, Estonia, and Lithuania.
If I had to describe it in my own words: it’s an unmissable, premium drama, perfectly suited for a prime-time slot and strong enough to lead on any VOD platform.
Your catalog includes a wide mix of genres. In the CIS, CEE, and Baltic regions, which genres are currently generating the most interest?
As I mentioned earlier, strong family dramas continue to lead the way, they’re timeless and always in demand.
For example, Time Goes By, one of our evergreen titles, has just been licensed for the third time in Kazakhstan. It performed exceptionally well, delivering a channel share that was three times higher than the average.
In addition to dramas and evergreens, romantic comedies are also gaining traction. During challenging times, audiences often look for lighter, feel-good content, and rom-coms meet that need perfectly.
You’ll be attending NEM Dubrovnik, a key event for the CEE region. What importance does the region hold for Kanal D International, and what are your expectations for this year’s market?
CEE has always been one of the key regions for Kanal D International. Our titles have a strong track record there, and we’ve built long-standing relationships with partners across the region. The audience is already very familiar with Turkish dramas, and we see consistent demand not only for our new releases but also for evergreens and formats.
NEM Dubrovnik is a great opportunity to reconnect, explore new collaborations, and get a sense of what the market is looking for. This year, we’re bringing a strong lineup with a mix of fresh dramas and proven hits. We’re expecting valuable meetings and, as always, great energy from the event.
Could you also talk about your participation in NATPE Budapest? Which titles will you be highlighting at the event, and what are your expectations for this year’s edition?
NATPE Budapest is another important market for us, especially for strengthening our presence in CEE and the Baltic regions. We’re excited to be there again this year.
We’ll be highlighting a mix of fresh and high-performing titles, Secret of Pearls, The Family Burden, Fathers Promise and new movies will definitely be in focus. These titles have already shown strong performance in Türkiye and internationally, so we believe they have great potential for new sales in this region.
We’re expecting a dynamic edition with solid interest, especially from partners looking for emotionally strong stories with proven audience appeal. As always, it’s a great chance to connect face-to-face, share updates, and find the right matches for each market.
This exclusive interview with Sangerim Zhakhina was featured in Episode Magazine’s NEM Dubrovnik & NATPE Budapest 2025 issue.
