Korean Content Drives Online Viewership in Asia

Korean content continues to drive online viewing across Asia according to a new report from Media Partners Asia (MPA), accounting for 50 percent of SVOD viewing and 42 percent of freemium views in the first half of this year.

The Korean Wave uses data from MPA’s AMPD Research subsidiary, tracking 40,000 online video users across nine AsiaPac markets, including Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Across the measured markets, 58 million VOD users streamed Korean content in Q1, with Netflix leading in the SVOD space and Viu in freemium. MPA says that other key platforms delivering popular Korean content in Asia include Tving and Wavve in Korea as well as Disney+ and Prime Video.

Popular titles in the period included The Glory (Netflix), Taxi Driver (Viu) and Physical: 100 (Netflix).

Dhivya T, MPA’s head of content insights, noted: “While romance and comedy have historically been definitive Korean drama genres, growing investment from VOD platforms seeking to differentiate and elevate their K-offering has allowed for the rise of crime, thriller, sci-fi and fantasy genres and unscripted formats, expanding the audience for Korean content. We expect Korea to maintain its stronghold as the top-traveling content category online in the region as total online video investment in Korean content is estimated to top US$1.9 billion in 2024. Beyond Korea, strong engagement with Chinese and Thai content in the region is promising, pointing to potential further diversification in impactful Asian entertainment with regional travelability.”