Netflix to recreate K-dramas in India

NEW DELHI: American streaming service Netflix said the massive success of its Korean shows and films could lead to remakes in India, where local nuances are crucial to programming. Overall, the Reed Hastings-owned platform said global viewing hours of its Korean shows grew six-fold in 2021, compared to 2019.

Thriller Squid Game has emerged as the biggest show the platform has launched, reigning as the most viewed Netflix show in 94 countries at its peak with 95% of its viewership coming from outside Korea. “The local film and broadcasting industries are so strong in India that it’s wise to remake Korean shows in a way that is relevant for audiences here. There are a few projects that we are in active discussions for,” said Don Kang, Netflix vice-president, content (Korea) during a media roundtable on Wednesday.

He said the challenge would be to plan these shows really well , that could be either direct remakes or spin-offs,. Other than India, Netflix is also looking at remaking Korean shows for the US and some other international markets.

“There has always been some level of demand for Korean content to be shown in neighbouring countries but it was difficult to bring it to India which has a robust film and television industry itself,” said Kong.

He said the service doesn’t believe in tailoring content to suit a particular market but a great story that works for local-in this case Korean audiences, will make it big everywhere. The ambition is for an Indian original to, some day, see the kind of traction in south Korea that Squid Game did here, Kong said.