Korean TV dramas have been popular across Asia for the past decade, with series like “Autumn in My Heart,” “Jewel in the Palace” and the most recent “My Love from the Star” all being major hits. Now, Korean dramas are paving the way across the U.S., triggered by new platforms such as on-demand Internet streaming media.
“People in the U.S. are gripped by Korean dramas because they are very different from typical American dramas,” said Suk Park, cofounder and co-CEO of DramaFever, a New York-based company that streams international movies and dramas online.
There is a unique flavor to the Korean drama, Park said during a group interview with The Korea Herald and other local media at a hotel in Seoul earlier this month. He was in Seoul to participate in Broadcast Worldwide 2014, the largest international broadcasting fair in Asia, held from Sept. 3-5.
“Unlike American dramas that are replete with violence and sexual content, Korean dramas are usually romantic comedies with a simple plot,” said Park, adding that U.S. viewers who are tired of provocative and smutty content now seek out Korean dramas.
“If the Korean drama follows its American counterpart and loses its color, it will never have its niche market or become successful in the U.S.,” said the founder of the largest website for international televised content, focusing mostly on Korean dramas and some Spanish telenovelas. ….
…..He added that surprisingly the number of subscribed viewers who pay for the shows is increasing every month. “And more interestingly, about 80 percent of our visitors ― 3.5 million unique visitors each month and 20 million total visitors ― are non-Asian.”
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