Korean drama draws online paying Chinese users
SEOUL: Ever since its premiere on Feb 24, Korean TV drama ‘ Descendants of the Sun’s’ viewers have increased with every episode.
It has attracted millions of Chinese audiences, who are now paying online just to watch the popular drama on their phones and tablets.
According to the official Xinhua news agency, ‘ Descendants of the Sun’, a record-breaking 16episode rom- com broadcast on Korean channel KBS2, has a huge Chinese followers.
‘ Descendants of the Sun’ is set in the fictional war-torn Republic of Uruk. Korean actor Song Joong-ki plays a dashing captain in the army alongside Song Hye-kyo, a pretty volunteer physician.
The story revolves on the love story of the two, which grows every week as they work together to face earthquakes and epidemics, mayhem, and massacres.
One of the Chinese followers, a student at Wuhan University, said the Korean drama appeals to her because ‘ Descendants of the Sun’ veers away from stereotype love stories and depicts a relationship of equals.
And now that the Korean drama is offering VIP packages for a fee, experts believe millions of Chinese users are willing to shell out money to watch the show, two episodes ahead of free users.
iQiyi, which own the exclusive rights to stream the show in China, said more than 1.2 billion views were recorded for the series since its premiere. In December 2015, iQiyi said it had 10 million paying users.
The VIP package offered by iQiyi provides subscribers with an ad-free viewing. It also allows subscribers to watch the show online at the same time as the TV version in Korea. The show remains free in China but VIP subscribers will be able to watch the show ahead of free users by two episodes.
iQiyi said at least three million new VIP users have already signed up to watch and millions more are expected to sign up as the drama will not conclude until the middle of
April.