K Dramas Can’t Be Denied: Global Streaming Spurs Demand for Asian Content Platforms
variety.comAsianCrush and the Kocowa venture among major Korean broadcasters are generating viewership and creating a big secondary market for scripted series known as K-dramas — a movement that will only accelerate South Korea’s maturation into a major player in media and entertainment.
For evidence, look no further than the 14 groundbreaking Emmy nominations racked up last month by Netflix’s “Squid Game.” “We’ve seen this growth in interest of Asian entertainment over the last 10 years and really picking up more recently in the last three to five years,” says Sam Wu, CEO of Rakuten Viki, the streaming arm of the Japanese retail conglomerate. “Through word-of-mouth and social sharing and through new streaming destinations like like Viki and other global and U.S.-based services, introducing Asian content to the U.S.
audience really has driven this growing interest and popularity in the market.”Wu is based in San Mateo, Calif. Kocowa is based in Los Angeles.
AsianCrush is run out of New York by David Chu, co-founder and president of DMR, which launched AsianCrush. That service was acquired in January by Cinedigm.
Read more on variety.com
