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Outside of the K-drama world, most of Netflix’s experiences with a weekly release model have fallen into the streamer’s reality programming section. Earlier this year, Netflix chose to release the second seasons of the two The circle and Too hot to handle it in weekly blocks, located somewhere between the binge-watch model and the traditional one-episode-per-week schedule. That makes sense for unscripted reality TV, which feeds on the types of melodramatic twists that make for the perfect water fountain talk (read: speech on Twitter). The inclusion of K-dramas in this category suggests that there is something about their format that encourages weekly viewing as well.
The number of TV shows airing each week will only increase as Netflix’s investment in K-dramas grows, which it is poised to do. In early 2021, Netflix released an official statement announcing the rental of two production facilities outside of Seoul, citing the move as “another important example of our continued commitment to invest in the Korean creative ecosystem.” According to the statement, Netflix invested more than $ 700 million in Korean content from 2015 to 2020.
Netflix’s expansion into global markets
Netflix TV show deals released weekly could grow as the streamer expands into more global markets, especially depending on the types of distribution agreements and / or regulations that Netflix faces as they seek to expand into various territories around the world. While most analysts seem to agree that Netflix has more or less reached a saturation point when it comes to its subscriber base in the United States, there is certainly room to grow in international territories, particularly. in the Asia-Pacific region, which saw massive gains in 2020.
As Netflix and other streamers expand internationally, governments around the world seek to regulate the industry in their home countries. The most important of these rules is the European Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AMSD), which sets investment obligations for streamers seeking to operate in its member countries. AMSD requires streamers to “offer a 30% quota of European content to European subscribers… [and] allows EU countries to introduce nationally appropriate legislation for streamers to directly reinvest a percentage of their income in each European country where they operate and also regulate their business models in individual territories. In other words, if Netflix is to operate in Europe, it must invest in the country’s existing media industry and infrastructure, which means supporting existing formats and audiences that thrive under different types of models. broadcast.
Why is Netflix releasing K-Dramas Weekly?
It is unclear how Netflix’s continued expansion into global markets could impact its primarily Frenzy model format. After all, Netflix still mostly releases international series in one go, rather than in the weekly k-drama model. This suggests that there’s something unique about k-drama – and / or k-drama fandom – that makes the weekly release model a smart strategy for Netflix.
If you’ve ever watched a k-drama, this makes sense. Like competitive reality TV, K-dramas come in a format designed to encourage weekly viewing. Most episodes end with an emotional and dynamic cliffhanger that leaves viewers eager to find out what happens next and is also a good talking point among fans. From there, the episode usually turns into stylized snapshots of some of the episode’s best moments, which, again, encourages conversation about what just watched. Finally, the episode enters a brief promo for the upcoming episode. This promo is not treated as something separate from the episode, but rather is sewn into the fabric of the series. It would be weird to watch an episode of a K drama that doesn’t end in this recognizable format, and that format makes less sense in the binge-watch model, where you can just click on the next episode rather than to stay on what you just watched and its story possibilities in the future.
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