The cost of legally showing the absurdly popular Korean drama Descendants Of The Sun in China has been revealed.
On the March 3 episode of KBS's Entertainment Weekly, Korea's current craze over Descendants Of The Sun was discussed and analyzed.
Viewer ratings for the latest episode of Descendants Of The Sun surpassed 30 percent in the country, while Seoul itself achieved a record-breaking 39 percent viewership. That means that out of all television viewers at that time, 39 percent of them were tuned into the military romance drama.
However, the show's popularity is not limited to Korea. In China, the rights to broadcast just one episode of the show costs over 260 million Korean won (~$222,000 USD).
In addition, publication rights for the show have already been sold in a total of 32 countries, including Japan, Australia, Thailand, and even parts of Europe. The drama has been so well-received that it has already recouped its production budget of 13 billion Korean won (~11.1 million USD).
The eighth episode of the show alone has been watched over 1 billion times in China, according to data from popular streaming site iYiQi.
WIth only six episodes left, viewers are eager to see how the onscreen romance between leads Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo progresses.
