| Netflix Korean original entertainment program ‘Solo Hell Season 2’. [넷플릭스 공식 유튜브] |
[헤럴드경제=박로명 기자] “This year, 60% of global members watched at least one Korean movie” (Netflix)
Netflix, a strong player in the online video platform (OTT) market with 223 million users worldwide, benefits from Korean content. This time, following K-drama, K-entertainment’s ‘law of box office success’ was indeed flawless.
Meanwhile, Netflix, which has created world-class Korean dramas such as ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Our School Now’, has produced poor ratings if it is said to only produce Korean entertainment. However, the romance entertainment show ‘Solo Hell 2’, which was released last year, attracted a lot of attention worldwide, proving the possibility that love entertainment can be successful.
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| Netflix Korean original entertainment program ‘Solo Hell Season 2’. [넷플릭스 공식 유튜브] |
The popularity of Korean love entertainment ‘Solo Hell 2’ is unusual. In January of this year, after Solo Hell 1 became the first Korean entertainment show to rank 4th in Netflix’s global TV program category, the subsequent season Solo Hell 2 entered the rankings in about a year. According to FlixPatrol, an OTT rating aggregation site, Solo Hell 2 was ranked 10th in the global TV programming category on Netflix on the 15th, two days after its release on the 13th.
Box office success in different countries such as Asia and the Middle East played a big part in getting to the top ranks. Singapore (2nd), Hong Kong (4th), Vietnam (4th), Indonesia (5th), Malaysia (7th), Philippines (7th), Japan (8th), Taiwan (9th), etc. Additionally, it was listed also in the top 10 Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia (5th), Morocco (6th), and Qatar (9th).
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| Netflix Korean original entertainment program ‘Solo Hell Season 2’. [넷플릭스 공식 유튜브] |
Then, on the 21st, immediately after the release of episodes 3 and 4, it came 6th in the world TV program category. It showed its presence again by entering the top 10 chart about a week earlier than Solo Hell season 1. From Netflix’s point of view, it pays to invest in romantic entertainment that is guaranteed to be a box office hit at a low cost.
Meanwhile, Netflix has been consistently producing experimental Korean entertainment such as ‘Gourmet and Hairy’, ‘You are the culprit!’, and ‘Korea No. 1′, but Solo Hell was the only one that caught the viewers’ attention. Solo Hell is a romantic entertainment that takes place in the background of ‘Hell Island’, a remote island where only couples can go out. Various performers such as a Seoul National University student, a plastic surgeon, a Harvard University student, a YouTuber from UDT, and a stock company employee appear.
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| Netflix Korean original entertainment program ‘Solo Hell Season 2’. [넷플릭스 공식 블로그] |
Recently, some viewers are complaining of boredom as love entertainment is poured on all TV and OTT channels. This is because the appearance of performers with outstanding looks, educational backgrounds, and backgrounds is unrealistic, and entertainment appearances have become a means of publicity to become an influencer such as a business or resume. Nevertheless, the entertainment of love is still gaining popularity in seeking endless variations. Thanks to the popularity of Solo Hell, Netflix is showing a trend of increasing domestic users again.
According to the recent ‘2022 Evaluation of Competition in the Broadcast Market’ by the Korea Communications Commission, Netflix’s domestic sales in 2021 recorded KRW 631.7 billion. A whopping 52% increase over the previous year. Netflix has 11 million monthly users in Korea. Above all, while domestic OTTs such as Teabing, Wave, and Watcha are recording huge operating losses, only Netflix is said to be posting a surplus.
dodo@heraldcorp.com
