Industry Insiders Recently Informed The Korea Times What Networks And Overseas Buyers Are Looking For When Netflix Chooses K-Drama For Spectators.
South Korean drama has become increasingly popular among international audiences after easily airing on various streaming platforms including Netflix. However, what is loved by international audiences is apparently different from domestic.
Industry insiders recently told The Korea Times what overseas networks and buyers like Netflix are looking for when choosing k-drama for their audience and their preferences are almost the opposite of what Korean viewers like.
"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" for example, this drama is very popular among international viewers on Netflix. In many countries, Kim Soo Hyun's drama cs even entered the most watched list. So, of course many fans were recently surprised to learn that the drama's rating is very low in Korea.
When this difference surprised the viewers, a production official from the unnamed k-drama company revealed that it was not surprising at all to them.
The official even revealed that overseas buyers such as Netflix were looking for very specific qualities in the k-drama they bought, which was very different from what Koreans wanted.
For example, when creating content to sell to Netflix, production companies usually focus on romantic skit. When they try to offer other genres, such as medical drama, overseas buyers are not interested.
"90 percent of overseas buyers reject (medical drama) regardless of quality. Maybe this is because Korean rom-coms such as 'Descendants of the Sun' have made waves around the world," said a production company representative.
On the other hand, South Korean audiences are fed up with romantic dramas. According to the production company, the audience in South Korea is less focused on romance and more genre diversification.
Netflix also prefers to buy fantasy genre k-dramas. "The King: Eternal Monarch", a romantic fantasy drama recently aired, has a lower popularity in Korea. But on Netflix, Lee Min Ho's drama was included in the Top 10 in many countries.
Korean pop culture critic Kim Hern Sik said that South Korean audiences uphold the value of realism more. Many Koreans find The King really unrealistic, but international viewers don't seem to mind that.
Production company officials went on to say that the other qualities Netflix and overseas buyers are looking for are "handsome male actors" and "big Hallyu stars".
Because of that at the moment, it doesn't really matter when a drama receives a low audience rating. In previous times, the low rating of "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" became a dead card for the drama. But now, Korean dramas can still be hits as long as they are popular overseas.
(wk / charity)
South Korean drama has become increasingly popular among international audiences after easily airing on various streaming platforms including Netflix. However, what is loved by international audiences is apparently different from domestic.
Industry insiders recently told The Korea Times what overseas networks and buyers like Netflix are looking for when choosing k-drama for their audience and their preferences are almost the opposite of what Korean viewers like.
"It's Okay to Not Be Okay" for example, this drama is very popular among international viewers on Netflix. In many countries, Kim Soo Hyun's drama cs even entered the most watched list. So, of course many fans were recently surprised to learn that the drama's rating is very low in Korea.
When this difference surprised the viewers, a production official from the unnamed k-drama company revealed that it was not surprising at all to them.
The official even revealed that overseas buyers such as Netflix were looking for very specific qualities in the k-drama they bought, which was very different from what Koreans wanted.
For example, when creating content to sell to Netflix, production companies usually focus on romantic skit. When they try to offer other genres, such as medical drama, overseas buyers are not interested.
"90 percent of overseas buyers reject (medical drama) regardless of quality. Maybe this is because Korean rom-coms such as 'Descendants of the Sun' have made waves around the world," said a production company representative.
On the other hand, South Korean audiences are fed up with romantic dramas. According to the production company, the audience in South Korea is less focused on romance and more genre diversification.
Netflix also prefers to buy fantasy genre k-dramas. "The King: Eternal Monarch", a romantic fantasy drama recently aired, has a lower popularity in Korea. But on Netflix, Lee Min Ho's drama was included in the Top 10 in many countries.
Korean pop culture critic Kim Hern Sik said that South Korean audiences uphold the value of realism more. Many Koreans find The King really unrealistic, but international viewers don't seem to mind that.
Production company officials went on to say that the other qualities Netflix and overseas buyers are looking for are "handsome male actors" and "big Hallyu stars".
Because of that at the moment, it doesn't really matter when a drama receives a low audience rating. In previous times, the low rating of "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" became a dead card for the drama. But now, Korean dramas can still be hits as long as they are popular overseas.
(wk / charity)
