The rising worldwide popularity of K-pop and the dawn of the global streaming era has become a business duet that is expanding the boundaries of both sectors.
The exploding interest in South Korean pop culture is fueling the growth of niche streaming services that deliver Korean and pan-Asian movies, TV shows and music to far-flung markets including Brazil, Colombia, Turkey and the U.S. Platforms such as Rakuten Viki, Cinedigm’s AsianCrush and the Kocowa venture among major Korean broadcasters are generating viewership and creating a big secondary market for scripted series known as K-dramas — a movement that will only accelerate South Korea’s maturation into a major player in media and entertainment. For evidence, look no further than the 14 groundbreaking Emmy nominations racked up last month by Netflix’s “Squid Game.”
“We’ve seen this growth in interest of Asian entertainment over the last 10 years and really picking up...
The exploding interest in South Korean pop culture is fueling the growth of niche streaming services that deliver Korean and pan-Asian movies, TV shows and music to far-flung markets including Brazil, Colombia, Turkey and the U.S. Platforms such as Rakuten Viki, Cinedigm’s AsianCrush and the Kocowa venture among major Korean broadcasters are generating viewership and creating a big secondary market for scripted series known as K-dramas — a movement that will only accelerate South Korea’s maturation into a major player in media and entertainment. For evidence, look no further than the 14 groundbreaking Emmy nominations racked up last month by Netflix’s “Squid Game.”
“We’ve seen this growth in interest of Asian entertainment over the last 10 years and really picking up...
- 8/18/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton and Sara Layne
- Variety Film + TV
Where there’s a yearning for content, there’s a streaming service to meet it. And never has the invisible hand of the market been more evident than in the organic growth of platforms delivering content from South Korea and other Asian countries to viewers well beyond the continent’s borders.
Rakuten Viki is one such streamer that has seen incredible growth during the past few years, with viewers logging on everywhere from Latin America to the Mediterranean to Australia. Sam Wu, CEO of Viki, which is the streaming arm of Japanese retail giant Rakuten, spoke with Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast about the company’s growth and why Korean dramas, in particular, are resonating with viewers.
“The U.S. is our biggest market by audience. But we’re global,” Wu says. “We have users in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and India. So we really see this fandom growing,...
Rakuten Viki is one such streamer that has seen incredible growth during the past few years, with viewers logging on everywhere from Latin America to the Mediterranean to Australia. Sam Wu, CEO of Viki, which is the streaming arm of Japanese retail giant Rakuten, spoke with Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast about the company’s growth and why Korean dramas, in particular, are resonating with viewers.
“The U.S. is our biggest market by audience. But we’re global,” Wu says. “We have users in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and India. So we really see this fandom growing,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
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