Media and advertising investments in Türkiye surged to 213 billion Turkish Liras ($4.94 billion) in 2024, yet nearly three-quarters of this spending flowed abroad.
According to Deloitte’s Türkiye Media and Advertising Investments Report, 74.6 percent of the total—amounting to 158 billion liras — was absorbed by global digital platforms based in the United States and China.
Television’s share of the advertising market fell to 18.2 percent, while print media dropped to just 0.8 percent.
Experts warn that the outflow could reach 200 billion liras in 2025, underscoring the growing dominance of platforms such as X, Meta, YouTube and TikTok.
While these companies generate billions in advertising revenue from Türkiye, they are criticized for failing to invest locally in infrastructure, taxation, or employment.
Analysts argue that this imbalance not only represents an economic loss but also poses a strategic risk, as control of the digital public sphere is increasingly ceded to foreign algorithms.
The report highlights that of the 158 billion liras invested in digital advertising in 2024, 55.5 percent went to video ads on platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Another 47.97 percent was directed toward display and click-based advertising, dominated by major search engines such as Google. Influencer marketing accounted for 6.27 percent of the total.
Globally, media and advertising investments reached $947 billion in 2024, with an annual growth rate of 8.1 percent.
Türkiye stood out as one of the fastest-growing markets, recording a 40 percent increase and topping the list of the world’s 20 largest media investment markets.
Indonesia followed with 13 percent growth, and India with 12 percent. Despite this rapid expansion, the impact on Türkiye’s economy remains limited. While Brazil leads with media investments accounting for 1.35 percent of GDP, and countries such as Belgium, the United States and the United Kingdom rank high, Türkiye’s share lingers at around 0.5 percent.
Professor Ali Murat Kırık from Marmara University said, “While the advertising value produced in Türkiye is rapidly transferred abroad, these platforms are not generating meaningful investment, employment or infrastructure within the country.”
“The picture that emerges is not merely an economic loss; it also means that the flow of information, the power to set the agenda and the control of the digital public sphere are being handed over to the algorithms of foreign companies,” he stated.
“This situation creates a serious vulnerability in terms of digital sovereignty and national security,” he added.
