Squid Game shoots to the Netflix summit

The nine-part thriller traces the journey of cash-strapped contestants, who play childhood games with deadly consequences in a bid to win 45.6 billion won ($38 million)

TO THE TOP IN 27 DAYS

111 The show was streamed by 111 million mn accounts in just 27 days, since its release on September 17, outpacing UK costume drama ‘Bridgerton’, which was streamed by 82 million accounts in its first 28 days.

TAKING TO THE TONGUE

Interest in learning Korean has spiked since Squid Games launched, underscoring a growing global obsession with South Korean culture. Language learning app Duolingo Inc said the show spurred beginners and existing students. Duolingo reported a 76% rise in new users signing up to learn Korean in Britain and 40% in the US over the two weeks following the show's premiere, said Reuters.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT?

The show has struck raw nerves at home, where there’s discontent over soaring personal debt, decaying job markets and stark income inequalities. “In ‘Squid Game,’ you see characters scrambling to survive after being laid off at work, struggling to operate fried chicken diners or working as ‘daeri’ drivers,” who get paid for driving drunk people home in their own cars,” said a worker at a South Korean firm who was laid off, reported AP. “That reminded me of my co-workers who died.”

THE DATA SURGE

South Korean Internet service provider SK Broadband has sued Netflix to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work because of a surge of viewers to the U.S. firm's content, an SK spokesperson said on Friday. Netflix has, in turn, said it will review SK Broadband's claim, and seek dialogue and explore ways in the meantime to work with SK Broadband to ensure customers are not affected.