Netflix's Korea plan excites TV fans

Video streaming service website Netflix’s announcement that they would be rolling out in South Korea early next year has been received with enthusiasm by local TV fans.

The expansion plans are welcome news to a market that has a high demand for content from the U.S. and the U.K., with past seasons of various TV shows being aired on cable and fans searching for ways to stream shows online. 

Many Korean fans unable to find their favorite shows locally have turned to piracy. A quick search for “mi-deu,” a term used locally to refer to American TV shows, on the Google Play store yields a multitude of apps promising free replays. American TV shows are also easy to find for download or streaming on peer-to-peer content websites.

Still, fans here say that they‘d prefer to pay for Netflix’s streaming services. “The shows you can find are usually just the shows that are popular among Koreans,” said 23-year-old Gloria Park, who said that she wanted a way to access a wider variety of programs. “Usually the only shows you can find are serialized shows like ‘CSI.’ It‘s harder to find shows that have a smaller following.”

Another fan said that she hoped Netflix’s entry into the Korean market would have a positive impact on local content as well. “There might be a spillover effect,” said 30-year-old Jo Jee-yeong, who said that she found Korean dramas to generally follow the same script. “Korean TV might become more diverse with new influences, and audiences can have more choices.”

That latter diversity is definitely part of Netflix‘s plan, as the streaming giant has already entered into talks and partnerships with local content producers, according to news reports. The strategy mirrors that of Netflix Japan, which launched at the beginning of this month and has already announced the new original series “Hibana,” based on the eponymous novella by Naoki Matayoshi.

Korea is one of four countries targeted by Netflix for entry in early 2016. The others are Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In an official press release, Reed Hastings, the chief executive officer of Netflix, said, “The combination of increasing Internet speeds and ubiquity of connected devices provides consumers with the anytime, anywhere ability to enjoy their favorite TV shows and movies on the Netflix service.” 

“These four markets well represent those trends,” he added.

Netflix is an Internet television streaming network with over 65 million members in more than 50 countries. Selections at Netflix include television shows, documentaries and feature films. Prospective Netflix subscribers in Korea can be alerted to when Netflix is launched by providing an email address at www.netflix.com.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)