Veteran media executive Christian Toksvig is introducing Cocoa Media, a distribution company dedicated to placing content on Free Advertising Supported Television (FAST) platforms. In collaboration with Turkish content aggregator Merzigo, Cocoa Media aims to bring Turkish dramas to the FAST space.
Christian Toksvig, a former SVP of HBO Max in EMEA and a former commercial officer at Asian streaming platform iFlix, has formed an exclusive partnership with Merzigo, a leading Turkish internet company with deals involving prominent Turkish producers like Acun Medya and Tims & B, and broadcasters such as Fox, KanalD, and TV8.
Cocoa Media plans to offer a vast library of both classic and new Turkish drama series to audiences on major global FAST platforms, including LG, Samsung TV Plus, Philips, and Rlaxx TV. The lineup includes content from Turkey’s leading production houses and broadcasters, featuring complete seasons of evergreen favorites like “Magnificent Century,” “Magnificent Century: Kösem,” “I Named Her Feriha,” and “Woman,” as well as recent hit shows like “Forbidden Fruit,” “Golden Boy,” “You Knock on My Door,” and “Miracle Doctor.”
All shows come with subtitles or dubbing tailored to each region’s requirements, and the company plans to enhance its portfolio with upcoming shows to ensure a continuous supply of fresh and engaging content.
Cocoa Media’s FAST content will be available as channels under the brand names “Merhaba Turkish Drama” and “Merhaba Turkish Films,” in addition to being offered as AVOD titles. The live channels and related AVOD content will roll out over the coming months on platforms including Samsung TV Plus in Germany, LG Channels in Germany, Philips Titan devices in Europe and Latin America, Rlaxx TV, and several other platforms to be announced in the future.
The official launch of Cocoa Media is taking place at the Mipcom TV market in Cannes, where Christian Toksvig will participate in a panel during the FAST & Global Summit on October 18.
Christian Toksvig stated, “Turkish television dramas have exploded in popularity across the world in the last 10 years, as consumers have been charmed by their storylines centered on family, love, betrayal, and intrigue, often led by strong female characters.” He also noted that these dramas have been successful for international broadcasters and, more recently, as drivers of engagement for global subscription streaming services. However, Toksvig observed that Turkish dramas have been notably absent from the rapidly growing FAST services, and he aims to rectify that with this new launch.
In response to the partnership with Cocoa Media, Merzigo chairman Yiğit Doğan Çelik commented, “As an official partner of YouTube and Meta, we have been in the digital content business for the last five years. We believe Turkish content has a huge potential for added reach and monetization in the AVOD and FAST space, and we are proud to initiate this partnership with Cocoa Media.”
