Turkish television series Resurrection: Ertugrul is set to break a world record of most new subscribers in a month on YouTube.
After being aired on the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV), TRT Ertugrul by PTV, the serial’s YouTube channel, crossed one million subscribers.
“Now, it’s time to make history by reaching 6.6 million subscribers before May 26th 2020 and make the #ErtugrulYouTubeRecord,” TRT Ertugrul PTV wrote on Twitter.
It also called on fans of Ertugrul Ghazi, father of the Ottoman Empire’s founder Osman I, to subscribe on http://youtube.com/trtertugrulptv
PTV dubbed the series in Urdu after Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Turkey last year and was informed about the importance of the series.
‘Now, it’s time to make history by reaching 6.6 million subscribers before May 26th 2020 and make the #ErtugrulYouTubeRecord,’ TRT Ertugrul PTV wrote on Twitter
On April 25, coinciding with the first day of Ramadan, PTV aired the first episode of the popular Turkish TV series that highlights the history of Muslims during the 13th century.
Shortly after the 45-minute long first episode was broadcast, #ErtugrulUrduPTV was trending with viewers welcoming the series as they shared some scenes from the first episode on social media.
Often described as the Turkish Game of Thrones, the series is woven around 13th century Anatolia and tells the story prior to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, father of the empire’s founder.
Other Turkish TV series have also become hugely popular in Pakistan. Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia agreed last September to fight the rising global trend of Islamophobia, mainly in the West. The trio of nations decided to launch a television channel dedicated to confronting challenges posed by Islamophobia and to produce films on Muslim heroes.