넷플릭스 중국드라마[Herald Economy = Reporter Kim Min-ji] “What a surprise, a Chinese drama appears on the Korean Netflix popularity chart… “Is this happening?”
A Chinese drama appeared on the domestic Netflix popularity chart. It is considered very unusual because Chinese content has not been universally popular in Korea. Netflix’s domestic popularity chart has been dominated by comprehensive dramas and entertainment shows for a long time. There are voices questioning whether Chinese dramas, which had been neglected due to the lack of worth-watching content, have made it onto the charts. There is a need for ‘oriental medicine’ content that will captivate users.
On the 27th, the Chinese web drama ‘Cha Si Tian Ha’ ranked 5th on Netflix’s domestic charts. ‘Chasi World’ is a 40-episode martial arts historical drama that aired on the Chinese OTT platform ‘WeTV’ in April. In Korea, it has been broadcast on channels AsiaN and AsiaUHD since the middle of this month, and among OTTs, it is being serviced through Netflix and TVING. Based on the popular web novel of the same name, it is a popular work in China that has surpassed 3 billion cumulative views.
There are very few cases of Chinese content making it into the domestic Netflix top 10 charts. This is the first time since the Chinese drama ‘Barely 30’ ranked in the top 10 popular dramas in Korea last year. It is evaluated as very unusual. Netflix has been servicing many Chinese dramas and movies for a long time, but it has always been difficult to make it into the top 10, being pushed out by popular domestic entertainment shows, dramas, and Korean original content. Domestic viewers’ resistance to Chinese content and cultural differences also served as high barriers to entry.
Therefore, some interpret that the recent slump in Netflix content had an influence on this ‘Cha Si Cheon Ha’ chart entry. Among the current domestic Netflix top 10, except for ‘Bride in Black’, all of them are content that can be watched on other OTT and existing broadcasters. As specialized content that can only be viewed on Netflix disappears, Chinese dramas that were usually ignored have emerged.
In fact, the amount of time domestic viewers use Netflix is gradually decreasing. According to Mobile Index, a big data analysis platform, total Netflix usage time last month was 91,666,657 hours, the lowest since July of last year. Some users are complaining that there is nothing to see. Since last year’s Squid Game and Now Our School, there has been no ‘oriental medicine’ content of any kind. The ambitious work ‘Paper House: Joint Economic Zone’, released last month, also received mixed reviews and recorded below-expected results.
Meanwhile, domestic OTTs are taking advantage of Netflix’s slowdown and are launching a counterattack. Following a partnership with global OTT service Paramount+, TVING decided to merge with KT ‘Season’. The plan is to become Korea’s No. 1 OTT with approximately 5.6 million monthly users within the year.
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