Turkish dramas captivate Hispanic audiences

Turkey has achieved what many other countries yearn for: conquering Hispanic audiences.

In countries including Brazil, considered the birthplace of telenovelas, characters named Zeynep, Elif and Ömer have come to replace names such as Maribel, Esmeralda and Victor Manuel.

MIlagros Perez, a 60-year-old Cuban, has declared herself a "fan" of the Turkish drama genre. She says she watches at least one episode every day but sometimes binge-watches an entire series.

Her love for Turkish melodramas has even crossed over to social media. She founded a fan group on Facebook for Kerem Bürsin, one of the most desired Turkish actors of the moment. The group, created in February, has more than 6,000 followers from various Spanish-speaking countries including Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Spain.

"He is a great actor and human being. He is also handsome and multifaceted. I love him," said Perez, who claims to have "lost count" of the number of Turkish TV dramas she has watched.

More than 100 Turkish series are watched by 700 million people in more than 146 countries, Anadolu Agency reported in March.

Several factors are key in driving the growth of Turkish dramas in the region. Among them are the fact that Latin American viewers have a cultural affinity with Turkey and that they are quality productions, experts say.

"Turkish stories revolve around family, which we can relate to because in our culture, we are extremely family oriented," says Maria Paula Bustamante, programming director of Caracol Televisión, the leading TV network in Colombia, which has aired more than 12 Turkish series.

Some 4 million people in Colombia have watched Turkish productions such as Elif and 1001 Nights. Turkish dizi, or series, have also been...