What Drama Are You Watching? Hulu Reveals 135% Growth in Korean Drama Viewing

"What was the title again?"  This has become a staple question in many households in the United States on weekends or even a regular day.  It is not unknown to many that K-drama and K-pop are nearly inseparable.  For most fans of Korean entertainment, one or the other of K-drama or K-pop leads them into this fun and sometimes addicting world. 

In 2011, K-drama started becoming more accessible in the United States, and K-drama watching also became more secure, as backdoor copyright infringing channels became less rampant.  Back then, Hulu was just testing out the waters, having started offering K-drama as one of the genres or channels in the service in 2010. Those titles always ended up to be the cult K-drama hits of that time.  The much buzzed "Boys Over Flowers" became one of the first K-dramas to be available on Hulu.  A piece of trivia, other cult hits Coffee Prince and My Lovely Samsoon were the first dramas to be available on Hulu, same as Dramafever. Prior to that, Hulu already established itself as a major player in the on-demand movement, working off a business model that enabled consumers to watch their favorite US show on-demand.  So, the inclusion of K-drama on Hulu became even more important and just in time.

Only a year later, the greater demand for K-drama among Hulu users helped strengthen the partnership between Hulu and Dramafever.  The partnership enabled more shows to become available on Hulu.  This also fostered the growth of Korean entertainment as access became easier and timely. Korean dramas are getting subtitles faster than before, nearly following a live schedule.  This accessibility and speed lures in more audiences, which eventually led to K-dramas strongest showing to-date, with 135% growth in viewership in 2012 compared to 2011.

At time of reporting, Hulu has 250+ titles in its catalog, all from those currently airing in Korea, as well as archive dramas. This means Hulu is able to encompass viewers nearly of all ages, and allows them to become a destination of discovery among those who are neophytes in K-drama or Korean entertainment in general. 

With video on demand services also available for Korean language versions of the dramas being offered elsewhere, there is evidence that viewers on Hulu is made up of largely non-Koreans and even non-Asians. It is a diverse demographic of K-drama watchers, spanning cultures and nationalities, while there is a skew for older women.  While the profile of viewers is dependent on the title being watched, K-drama audiences have interesting common traits: being tech savvy, passionate and highly engaged in their viewing.

As K-drama is fast becoming a clear avenue to enter mainstream entertainment channels in the US,  greater exposure and viewer outreach are needed to continue the growth trend.