The demand for foreign-language content has substantially enhanced in the last few years, special thanks to South Korean gems such as Squid Game and Parasite, according to a new study conducted by Ampere Analysis. These mentioned titles have been hailed as the key drivers in the latest study.
The study reveals that the viewing of non-English movies and TV shows has augmented by nearly 24% since Q1 2020 among viewers (aged 18-64 years) in major English-speaking regions such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
The firm’s survey also revealed that nearly 43% of respondents “sometimes” watched non-English titles, whereas 54% of respondents enjoyed them “very often”.
This massive growth of non-English language content in English-speaking regions is primarily because of the humungous rise in the global prominence of South Korean shows and movies, with titles such as Parasite and Squid Game leading the way. Subtitles have certainly aided people across the globe in understanding South Korean content.
Another survey published by Statista Research Department in February this year credited Squid Game and many other K-dramas for the dramatic rise of South Korean content on a global level in recent years. According to this survey (conducted in over 26 different countries), 41% of respondents believed that K-dramas were “very popular” in their respective countries, whereas 68% of them thought K-dramas were “generally popular” in their regions.
The post-pandemic (COVID-19) period has witnessed a tremendous rise in the popularity of “Hallyu”, which means “Korean Wave”, encompassing the phenomenon of the rising prominence of South Korean pop culture and other key cultural elements. This also encompasses entertainment, like K-dramas and K-pop, and also touches on other key areas like beauty and cuisine.
Squid Games shattered numerous streaming records upon its arrival on Netflix. This Hwang Dong-hyuk creation became the first-ever K-drama to grab the top spot of Netflix’s top ten weekly most-watched TV series charts across the globe. It gained the number one spot in over 90 countries, including the US and the UK. The show was watched by over 142 million households within its first 28 days of streaming release. Stay tuned for more updates.