Merzigo and Fremantle Show Localization as a Fundamental Content Growth Strategy
Originating from Turkey, with bases in London and L.A., Merzigo has become a global business by helping content owners like Warner Bros. Discovery and Walt Disney maximize revenue from program distribution on YouTube and Facebook. It just inked a new deal with Fremantle which extends its reach further across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Optimizing the Algorithm
“Localization is no longer just an added advantage, it’s a fundamental content growth strategy,” says CEO Yigit Dogan Çelik. For Merzigo it all about understanding the algorithm that YouTube and Meta use to drive engagement and recommendation and which can change on a dime to meet trends, tastes and demand.
“Optimizing the algorithm means deep understanding of the data that YouTube delivers back about your content from playback rates, fill rates and views and ad impressions and a dozen more parameters. You have to make that data meaningful and optimize it. You have to find the right viewership for a specific title. The biggest challenge is unpredictability. Algorithms evolve frequently. Many media companies struggle because they mostly rely on outdated strategies.”
Merzigo CEO Yigit Dogan Çelik
Merzigo has built a platform to constantly test and refine content strategies based on real-time data and says it can rapidly respond to algorithm changes. “We do all the content strategy, content optimization, and content operations, including uploading strategy and marketing on the main social AVOD platforms. We track consumer behavior, engagement metrics, and algorithm updates to adopt our strategy instantly.”
True Localization
Merzigo's success speaks for itself. The company manages over 5,000 digital channels in 18 languages, reaching over 13 billion monthly views and over 2+ billion subscribers globally. Its localization services, including subtitling and dubbing, are claimed to grow revenue up to 15 times.
“True localization doesn’t just increase views, it also enhances community engagement and monetization,” Çelik says. “Our partners see a significant boost in their international revenue thanks to our efficient localization strategies.”
Founded in 2018, Merzigo was initially focused on localizing Turkish drama content. The data it gained from doing that for 10 different languages encouraged Çelik to shift the business into the global market.
In 2022, Fremantle, part of the RTL Group, tapped M to licence Fremantle scripted shows for Turkey. That deal included dramas such as German procedural Alarm for Cobra, the long-running hit series Baywatch, and the fantasy show Merlin.
“The success of that relationship made our business very visible and Fremantle wanted to take it to another level,” Çelik says. “Fremantle wanted to diversify their revenue model and YouTube was definitely the right place for them.”
Merzigo and the Fremantle Catalog
The new deal will see Merzigo publish a bespoke selection of Fremantle’s catalog content on Fremantle-owned YouTube and Meta channels. The deal also allows for a broader offering of long-form programming from Fremantle’s scripted and non-scripted content to be brought to new audiences, globally.
Publishing via the Fremantle owned channels, Merzigo will curate and post episodes from a targeted selection of premium shows from the Fremantle catalogue, including Wentworth, Neighbours, The Bill, and The Heart Guy.
“We begin with original English language and plan to localize the content for markets like French, Germany, Arabic or APAC languages. We have such strategy that we're going to implement soon.”
Working with Social AVOD Platforms
While Merzigo’s concentration is on “social AVOD platforms” YouTube and Facebook it doesn’t rule out uploading to Instagram, TikTok or X. “Right now, there's no monetization model, no pre-roll or mid-roll ad models on these platforms. Once there is a commercial ad model, we will definitely be there and be one of the largest content providers to these platforms. All our videos are multi-format [i.e vertical] ready to go.”
Merzigo is also helping clients drive new audiences back to a broadcast service or other VOD platform. “YouTube is perhaps the dominant marketing platform. When you upload your content YouTube recommends you because YouTube makes money off you. When YouTube doesn’t make money on you it will never recommend you because you're a cost for them.”
He says premium content providers uploading whole episodes of 30-40 minutes will be considered as Creators by YouTube and the algorithm should give the content a boost as a result.
“YouTube drives a lot of interactions and word of mouth in the community, and this reflects back to audience behavior," says Çelik. "When they see the show on TV and they remember it from digital they are more engaged. This boost not only works for free-to-air channels but for OTT platforms too.”
Content Optimization and Command Monitoring
Remarkably, the company employs more than 500 “content optimization experts” full time performing channel management, editing, community engagement and so on. A good number of these are researching and developing AI tools inhouse or with universities and third parties.
“One tool we have developed is for Command Monitoring which basically diagnoses all the commands (likes, dislikes, fill rates etc) and feeds back to our editors to change the marketing. For example, if a character is particularly attractive for a particular audience, we can edit text or change the thumbnail image.”
It has also developed an AI tool for image restoration where videos are automatically uprezzed from SD to HD. “We always want to engage with the AI world,” Çelik says. “We're are following it, we are open to collaboration with third parties because AI is the most important changes in the market.”
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