‘Business Proposal’ Extends Korean Drama Success on Netflix, Following ‘Squid Game’ (Variety)

Korean-made series have continued to dominate viewership on Netflix, following on from the breakout successes of “Squid Game” and “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha” in 2021.

For ten of the 13 weeks in the first quarter so far this year, Korean shows have held top spot in Netflix’s global non-English series ranking.

Romantic comedy “Business Proposal” is currently the top non-English series for the third week in a row (March 28-April 3, 2022), and is Netflix’s third-ranking series of all origins, behind only “Bridgerton” (seasons 1 and season 2) with over 32 million watch hours.

“Business Proposal” has played particularly strongly in Asia, ranking as the top series in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam and in second place in India and Sri Lanka in the last week. The recent season one finale of “Business Proposal” stirred social media reactions praising its fast-paced storytelling and charming ensemble cast.

Others in the most recent week’s top ten include: “Twenty Five Twenty One” (#2), “Forecasting Love & Weather” and Thirty-Nine (#9).

The full global top ten chart also includes: Spanish-language “Café Con Aroma de Mujer” (#3); Colombia’s “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” (#6); Colombia’s “The Queen of Flow” season 2; and Colombia’s “Pasion de Gavilanes” (#10).

The popularity of Korean drama is spread across a range of genres, including this week’s seventh-placed title, zombie thriller “All Of Us Are Dead,” and sixth-placed show, youth crime drama (“Juvenile Justice”).

“All Of Us Are Dead,” which premiered in January, has already become the third most-watched non-English series of all time for Netflix.

Netflix has invested heavily in South Korea and moved increasingly from a position of licensing and co-production to more exclusive or original shows. Last year it committed to long-terms studio leases and promised to spend some KRW5 billion on Korean content in 2021. The competition among other platforms for Korean content has intensified and Netflix has notably disclosed any spending targets for the current year.

Originally posted on "Variety" by Patrick Frater.