In a notable development for Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service, Max, soon to be rebranded as HBO Max, the standout local original production is none other than the Turkish satire series The Prince (Prens). This popular show has captivated audiences with its unique blend of humor and absurdity, making it the top-performing original series on the platform globally.

On Friday, the much-anticipated finale of the third season was released, contributing significantly to the show's remarkable success. Featuring Giray Altınok in the lead role as the Prince, the narrative unfolds in the fictional kingdom of Bongomia. The series humorously chronicles the escapades of the prince, an unpopular royal so overlooked by his family that they did not even deem it necessary to name him.

According to data released by Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), The Prince achieved an extraordinary level of engagement, with a staggering 74 percent of subscribers in Türkiye tuning in over the past month. This impressive statistic highlights the show's ability to draw in viewers and signifies its cultural resonance in the region.

Furthermore, the series has proven to be instrumental in attracting new subscribers to the platform. In fact, it became the first show watched by nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of new Max users during the same time frame, marking it as the local original production with the highest nominal acquisition volume in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region.

During the intense finale week, the third season of The Prince accounted for a remarkable 72 percent of all viewing activity on Max in Türkiye. WBD reported that the final episode, which aired just three days ago, emerged as the most-watched episode of the week, with over half (54 percent) of total viewers having already tuned in to see how the story concludes.

WBD's transition of its streaming service BluTV to Max in Turkey was officially completed in mid-April. This strategic move underscores the company's commitment to bolster local content production and deliver an enticing roster of new local storytelling to its audience in Türkiye.

Deniz Şaşmaz Oflaz, the vice president of local original productions and streaming operations lead for Türkiye, remarked on the response to The Prince, stating, “The response to Prens just shows how strong the demand for high-quality, locally produced originals is and highlights Max as the home of this type of content.” She further expressed her excitement about the show's role in drawing new viewers to the platform, calling it one of their initial original series since launching direct-to-consumer services in Türkiye earlier this year.

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Oflaz described the series as appearing to be a comedy, but noting that it is more accurately classified as a dramedy. “The lead character is the prince, who doesn’t want to be on the throne and is not really that smart. And then we see all these typical things happening in this kingdom that we’ve been seeing in such series as Game of Thrones. So it’s a satire,” she explained.