Warner Bros. Discovery buys BluTV

Source: Warner Bros Discovery

Media powerhouse Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has bought Turkish SVOD service  BluTV. 

The streaming hub debuted in Turkey in 2016 curating a catalogue of over 10,000 hours of local and international series and films. The sale comes off the back off a three year partnership which saw WBD’s streaming service discovery+ launch on BluTV in 2021, with access to WBD brands.

As part of the deal, WBD/Discovery Inc. bought a 35% stake into BluTV which it has now fully acquired.

Earlier in 2023, the two companies also expanded their partnership with the addition of HBO content, as well as WBD’s kids channels Cartoon Network and Cartoonito to BluTV.

BluTV is also available in the MENA region, launching in 2018. It is home to BluTV Originals, Turkish TV series and films, as well as international series and films.

The deal comes following reports of merger talks between WBD and Paramount, it was reported WBD boss David Zaslav had held a meeting with Paramount CEO Bob Bakish to discuss a possible combination,

Commenting on the BluTV acquisition, Jamie Cooke, GM CEE, Middle East & Turkey of Warner Bros. Discovery said, “Turkey has been an important investment territory for us for over 20 years and the acquisition of BluTV brings Turkey’s first local SVOD player into our portfolio. The combination of compelling Turkish content and a broad range of the best international series and shows from Warner Bros. Discovery is an unbeatable recipe to be locally relevant and successful. Together we bring Turkish audiences the most compelling viewing experience and expand the reach of Turkish content globally.”

Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, CEO of BluTV, added: “As Turkey’s leading local subscription video platform, we are proud that our steady growth since day one has made us a part of one of the largest media companies in the world. From now on, we will blend the best local stories we have ever presented to our viewers with the world’s best global content to curate Turkey’s strongest streaming platform and bring our most successful local stories to the world.”