[News Today] OTT GIANTS TURN TO KOREAN SHOWS

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With the global success of Korean made productions like 'Squid Game', 'Moving', and 'Culinary Class Wards', OTT platforms are paying even more attention to K-content. Netflix steadily boosts its Korean content portfolio, while, Disney+ aggressively competes, filling over half of its Asian offerings with Korean works.

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This shop is the only one to light up the dark alley. Each of its customers has a secret.

Disney+ plans to stream many Korean shows next year following the worldwide popularity of its series 'Moving'.

Kim Hee-won / Director of ‘Light Shop’
Kang Full's works contain emotions that tug at people's heartstrings. I was moved by them too.

From dealing with realistic topics such as economic crisis, unemployment, 'chaebol' and counterfeit market to casting big-screen stars including Kim Soo-hyun, Son Suk-ku and Kim Hye-soo. The production budget is enormous.

Kim Soo-hyun / Role of Kim Sung-jun in ‘Knock-Off’
It was interesting to see my character transform from ordinary employee to merchant, then global counterfeit kingpin.

Now that Korean shows have been proven to be highly marketable, Disney+ has allocated more than half of its investments in next-year's Asian content to Korean productions.

Netflix has earmarked a 20% share of non-English shows for Korean contents.

Carol Choi / Disney's Original Content Strategy for Asia Pacific
Among top 15 best performing titles, nine are Korean. Korea continues to be an inspiration to many of the top storytellers around the region.

The popularity of Korean culture has now transcended K-pop to include dramas, movies and variety shows of all types of genres as well.

Its global influence is expected to grow further next year.

With many affluent global streaming companies ramping up their marketing, some Korean content producers could suffer a blow, pointing to the need for accurate market prediction and preparation along with growth.