Saudi-owned MBC Group, the Middle East's largest broadcaster, said on Wednesday it had signed a five-year partnership with two Turkish production houses, signaling an end to an unofficial boycott imposed on Türkiye by Saudi Arabia as the two countries work to improve ties.
MBC, which in March 2018 scrapped Turkish programs including soap operas popular with Arab audiences, said in a statement that the deal would allow it to exclusively host content from Medyapım and Ay Yapım production houses, and produce original Arabic-language content in Saudi Arabia.
Relations between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia deteriorated in the past decade, but both countries are now seeking to revive ties. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) visited Türkiye for the first time in years in June for talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as the two countries aim to normalize their relations following several tumultuous years.
Tensions escalated sharply after the October 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate, and Saudi companies and businesses imposed an unofficial boycott on Turkish goods.
But relations started to warm this year following huge diplomatic efforts by Erdoğan, also extended to Saudi Arabia's regional allies.
After Erdoğan visited the kingdom earlier this year, Saudi Arabia's crown prince went to Ankara in June and during that trip Turkish officials said the two countries had lifted restrictions on trade, flights and the screening of TV series, with mutual negative media coverage also halted.
MBC said Medyapım and Ay Yapım's content would be available to MBC channels and its online Shahid platform on their airing dates in Türkiye.
MBC will work with Medyapım and Ay Yapım to co-develop and commission a number of Arabic-language productions, scheduled to begin filming in Saudi Arabia and in the region in the coming years, it added.
Medyapım and Ay Yapım dominate the TV industry in Türkiye and beyond with prime-time shows that conquered Turkic countries, the Middle East and Latin America.
Saudi authorities took a controlling stake in MBC Group in 2018 as they seized assets from those caught up in an anti-corruption campaign launched in 2017 by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.