Homegrown TV shows, films go global

Four seasoned actors and a guide, top, of tvN's reality show “Grandpas Over Flowers,” jump in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. / Korea Times file

Korean TV series, films are localized

By Kang Hyun-kyung

In the NBC reality TV show about fish out of water, “Better Late Than Never,” four seasoned Western celebrities ― William Shatner, Henry Winkler, George Foreman and Terry Bradshaw ― explore Asia and Europe, meet locals and check items off their bucket lists.

Since its first episode in Tokyo aired in August 2016 and hit 7.35 million viewers in America, the TV show released three more episodes filmed in Hong Kong, Seoul, and Thailand. Spurred by its successful first season, NBC released season 2 consisting of seven episodes shot in European cities.

“Better Late Than Never” is an adaptation of tvN's popular reality program “Grandpas over Flowers.” It is the first South Korean TV series that was localized by the American national broadcaster.

The airing of the reality show came two years after CJ E&M signed a deal allowing NBC to purchase the remaking rights for the popular tvN program “Grandpas Over Flowers.” Like the American version, four gray-haired South Korean actors explore foreign cultures with the help of a guide.

“Grandpas over Flowers” was localized in Italy, Turkey and Ukraine as well.

Remakes of Korean TV series have increased in recent years. Last year, Korean television earned $54.93 million by selling TV formats to foreign broadcasters, mostly in Asia. It is an increase of 40 percent from the previous year.

In 2015, Thailand purchased the right to remake one South Korean TV show. In 2017, the number rose to nine programs.

The format of the KBS reality program “The Return of Superman” was sold to U.S. and Thai broadcasters. MBC's hit reality show, “King of Mask Singer,” was localized in China, Thailand and Cambodia. Singers wearing masks to hide their identity compete one-on-one in three elimination rounds.

Lee Myoung-chun, a professor of advertising and PR at Chung-Ang University, said Korean programs are “addictive” and entertaining.

“There is a striking difference between Korean and U.S. TV series in their styles. As you can see, the episodes of U.S. TV series are fragmented. I mean each episode is separate and tells a new story that is not related to the previous episode,” he said. “Unlike U.S. TV series, all episodes of Korean dramas are related and they are coherent. So Korean dramas feature consistent themes and each episode is part of the entire drama, causing viewers to keep tuning in as they are anxious to watch the next episode.”

Lee said the genres and episodes of Korean TV series have diversified over the past decade and they have become competitive and creative.

“There are two types of dramas, depending on how they are produced. Some dramas or reality programs are made in-house and some are made by independent TV production companies outside the television networks,” he said. “Competition heats up between in-house television programs and dramas made by TV production companies to attract more viewers and this has led to the sophistication and creativity of TV series.”

The increased awareness of a TV series as an object entitled to intellectual property also plays a part behind the increasing export of TV formats.

Cable networks, such as tvN and JTBC, outperformed national TV channels when it comes to deals signed to export TV programs. CJ E&M which owns dozens of cable networks including tvN, for example, exported two programs in 2015 and the number of TV format deals they signed with foreign buyers rose to 12 last year.

Asked why cable network programs appeal more than mainstream ones to foreign broadcasters, an industry source said cable networks are desperate to survive the tough content competition and thus their decision-making process is less bureaucratic than that of major channels.

“Our budget for TV series is tight, compared to that of major channels,” he said asking for anonymity. “There is a sense of desperation within us because we, cable networks, are late entrants in the content business, so it is harder to win over major televisions. Before launching new programs, we have extensive brainstorming meetings where all people involved in TV programs are asked to join and present their ideas freely. Many fresh ideas and suggestions are presented there and we choose the best one that can appeal to viewers.”

Jung Bup-mo, a professor at Pukyong National University in Busan, said Korean TV series are popular particularly in Southeast Asia maybe because of cultural similarities between Korea and those countries.

“In the Philippines, for example, people used to watch Mexican telenovelas before Korean dramas aired on local television. Korean dramas appeal to the viewers there. I heard Korean TV series strike a chord with Filipinos because they share Asian culture,” he said. “Korean dramas are dubbed in the local language. There was a time when a Korean drama that had no interpretation aired in the Philippines and I was asked to explain what it was about. I heard from some local viewers they could understand what was going on even without my interpretation.”

Jung stayed in the Philippines for 10 years for his doctoral degree and dissertation on the urban poor in the Metro Manila region.

Film remakes have also increased lately. In some Southeast Asian countries, Korean film remakes are enjoying a boom.

Three Korean films ― “Sunny” (2011), “Speed Scandal” (2008) and “My Sassy Girl” (2001) ― were remade in Vietnam and hit the big screens there.

“Sunny” was remade as “Go Go Sisters” and “Speed Scandal” as “Scandal Maker.” “Scandal Maker” has become a box-office hit since it opened on March 31.

Korean film remakes have surged in Southeast Asia in recent years.

According to Korean Film Council (KOFIC), Korea earned $1.49 million last year as film production companies of the two countries agreed on Korean film remakes, a 50.3 percent increase from the previous year.

With a population of 100 million, Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing film markets in the world. About 41 million Vietnamese went to the movie houses last year.

According to KOFIC, India is another emerging market for Korean films. Korea earned $97 million by selling intellectual property to filmmakers, tripling the previous year's sales.