Kakao TV’s original content gets 400 million views

Original content from Kakao TV has attracted 400 million views, entertainment company Kakao M said Friday.

Streaming platform Kakao TV, which was launched in September, attained 100 million net views in November and 200 million views in January. The number of views per week quadrupled to 33 million from 8.3 million in September.

Popular Kakao TV original series include the webtoon-based drama “No, Thank You,” which focuses on the lives of South Korean women and their in-laws, and the relationship-centered “Lovestruck in the City.” Another webtoon-based drama, “How to Be Thirty,” which kicked off last month, got more than 13 million views in just two weeks.

“We will invest 300 billion won by 2023 to show around 240 original contents. We will especially accelerate the creation of global content by using intellectual property of webtoons and web novels, among others,” said Kakao M.

Kakao M actively recruited talented producers from other broadcasters when it launched, raising the quality of its programs. The large number of original shows consistently attracted viewers to Kakao TV, which has fewer restrictions on content than TV stations. It also hit the mark by creating shorter content, and content suitable for viewing on mobile devices.

Kakao TV pioneered different kinds of entertainment shows, like “The Three Ants,” which shows celebrities investing in stocks with their paychecks, and “Shall We Chat,” in which celebrities converse with the host only through text messages. Top entertainers like Lee Kyung-kyu and Yoo Hee-yeol have their own shows on the platform.

Shows coming up in the first half of the year include the new original drama series “The Crazy Guy in This District,” featuring actors Jung Woo and Oh Yeon-seo.

By Lim Jang-won (ljw@heraldcorp.com)