Starring Cansu Dere and Mehmet Akif Alakurt, "Sıla" (Coming Home) aired on Turkish TV channel ATV between 2006 and 2008, attracting millions of people each Friday night. Although the "Sıla" fever in Turkey is now a thing of the past, it continues unabated abroad. A major dispute recently broke out between Macedonian channels Sitel TV and Alpha TV for the licensing rights to "Sıla." The dispute has now reached the Macedonian Agency for Audio and Audio-Visual Media Services and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Sıla" has been sold to 35 countries and is one of ATV's most widely distributed TV series, earning the channel 4 million euros.In 2013, leading Croatian TV channel Nova TV had eight TV dramas on the list of top ten most viewed series in the country. "Sıla" took top place on the list, attracting more than 730,000 viewers. Nova TV producers reported that "Sıla" broke all records previously set by Turkish dramas in the country, with viewer ratings of approximately 40.9 percent.In Serbia, a more recent series, "Karadayı," was crushed by "Sıla," which airs at the same time. The drama's screening rights were won by Pink TV and the first episode of "Sıla" resulted in a 32.69 percent share; while the average share for "Karadayı" was about 15.2 percent.Even "Muhtesem Yüzyıl" (Magnificent Century), perhaps Turkey's biggest TV series export and most well-known TV series to date, was also beaten by "Sıla" in Greece. The series lost more than 15 percent of ratings to "Sıla," which airs in the same time slot.During its three years on TV, 79 episodes of "Sıla" were aired. Produced by FM Yapım and directed by Gül Oguz, "Sıla" tells the story of Sıla, played by Cansu Dere. Born in the province of Mardin in southeast Turkey, Sıla's story is a heart-breaking one. Her father, Celil (Menderes Samancılar), decides to give Sıla away to a rich family in Istanbul as he is no longer able to care for her financially.Sıla grows up in a much more wealthy and elite neighborhood than her real parents, leading a very comfortable life. However, her fate changes when her brother kidnaps the sister of the village agha, played by Mehmet Akif Alakurt. Village customs dictate that either a runaway must be killed or the runaway's sister must marry the agha. Sıla, the long-forgotten sister tucked far away in Istanbul, comes back into the picture. Goodhearted Sıla agrees to marry in order to save her brother.The series then follows Sıla's loveless marriage as she passes the days in her mansion, ruled by customs and traditions she is not accustomed to. Despite luck not being in her favor, an unexpected love interest shines a light on her otherwise miserable life. "Sıla" also won the hearts of locals in Mardin, where the drama was set and shot.As a love story depicting the customs and daily life of southeastern Turkey, "Sıla" is not the first nor the last Turkish TV series to become a hit abroad. In January, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported the Turkish drama sector brought in $5.15 billion for the country last year.According to the prime minister's Office for Public Diplomacy (KDK), the Turkish TV series industry has been in bloom since the early 2000s. Having previously imported all kinds of television entertainment, Turkey is now fully capable of competing in the world cinema sector. Furthermore, Turkish television channels broadcast numerous products each year, exporting more than 70 Turkish dramas to more than 50 countries worldwide. Turkish dramas entered the Ukrainian, Pakistani, Russian and Chinese markets for the first time in 2013, while their popularity in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia and South America continues unabated. "Muhtesem Yüzyıl" (Magnificent Century), "Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne" (What is Fatmagül's Fault), "Adını Feriha Koydum" (I Named Her Feriha) and "Ask-ı Memnu" (Forbidden Love) are among the most popular Turkish dramas around the world.According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkish dramas once sold for between $35 and $50 an episode. Today, prices range between $500 and $200,000 per episode. Countries currently broadcasting Turkish TV series include: Afghanistan, Germany, Albania, Austria, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Algeria, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Croatia, Iraq, Iran, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Uzbekistan, Libya, Lithuania, Lebanon, Hungary, Macedonia, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Syria, Thailand, Taiwan and Greece. "Gümüs" (Noor), another very popular drama, broke a record when the last episode of the series was viewed by 84 million people in the Middle East.