More than just a fan: the influence of K-pop fandom on the popularity of K-drama on a global OTT platform

Abstract

This study examines the factors that influence the popularity of Korean TV drama (K-drama), which has recently become popular worldwide through global over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Economic and cultural factors are generally used to explain international media flows, but these factors are insufficient to clarify the global popularity of K-dramas. Many scholars have tried to link the recent popularity of K-dramas with Korean pop (K-pop). In particular, the fandom of K-pop represented by BTS was considered one of the main factors influencing the popularity of K-drama; however, few empirical studies investigate this perspective by analysing viewing data on global OTT platforms. Thus, we collected the daily Top 10 dramas dataset from Netflix in 80 countries between January 1 and 4 November 2021 provided by Flixpatrol. This study examines this data to investigate the geographical distribution of the popularity and flow of K-dramas between countries. Furthermore, this study finds that the higher the K-pop fandom, the higher the popularity of K-dramas.