The role of online fan communities in the popularization of Turkish TV dramas in Brazil

Abstract

In just over a decade, the transnational expansion of Turkish media industry reached regions geographically and culturally distant from Turkey, thus establishing Turkish dramas as a prominent media contra-flow. In Brazil, the rise of Turkish dramas is supported by informal distribution: many online fan communities translate, add subtitles, and distribute episodes without monetary profit, which is a practice known as fansubbing. In this research, I focus on the biggest Brazilian fansubbing community of Turkish dramas to investigate the complexity behind this practice from the perspectives of distribution and reception. Through online questionnaires, a virtual ethnography, and in-depth interviews, I explore how these communities operate and impact the daily lives of audiences. Findings point out that by making Turkish content more accessible, they are reshaping media practices taking the place of national broadcasters and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services in the popularization of Turkish dramas in Brazil.