Netflix Needs New Subscribers. Its Korean Playbook Is Its Secret Weapon.
In the race to global streaming domination, Netflix’s success with ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Kingdom’ gives it a map to winning over the rest of Asia.
Viewers who watched “Squid Game” on Netflix went on to watch more shows in Korean.
Source: Noh Juhan/NetflixIt took “Squid Game” just four weeks this past fall to become the most-watched Netflix Inc. show ever released in any language. But when it comes to the streaming giant’s global ambitions, what happened afterward matters even more — viewers who devoured “Squid Game” started watching more shows in Korean.
During the week of Oct. 11, “My Name,” a drama about a woman seeking to avenge her father’s murder, jumped into the Netflix top 10 for non-English series. The following week, “The King’s Affection,” a romance set during the Joseon Dynasty, did the same. The week of Nov. 15, “Hellbound,” a fantasy thriller set in the near future, supplanted “Squid Game” as the most-watched non-English show on Netflix across the world.