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| Yoo Ki-hwan, the manager of content (non-fiction) at Netflix Korea / Courtesy of Netflix |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
As a move to expand its entertainment offerings, Netflix Korea is aggressively investing in various forms of unscripted series. The streaming giant unveiled four new forthcoming unscripted shows, including a dating show, a travelogue and a competition show.
Netflix has released only six reality shows over the past four years: "Busted!" "Twogether," "Paik's Spirit," "The Hungry and the Hairy," "New World" and "Single's Inferno." Four of them have been released since October 2021.
Yoo Ki-hwan, the manager of content (non-fiction) at Netflix Korea, explained that the streaming service is just in the beginning stages of expanding its slate of unscripted content.
"We admit that, until recently, many viewers accidentally watched Korean unscripted TV shows after scrolling down for dramas and films. We've been slow in launching new reality shows. Beginning in the second half of this year, however, we plan to launch at least one show every one or two months," he said during a press event held at Community House MASIL in Seoul, Tuesday.
Asked if he thinks Korean unscripted TV shows have succeeded on the platform, Yoo said, "As Netflix doesn't release its viewership ratings, many are curious about how we measure success. The criteria for measuring success at Netflix is how well local viewers respond to our shows. Even if a show doesn't make it to the global top 10 most popular TV (non-English) program category, we still consider it a success if there is a positive response from Korean viewers."
Netflix has teased four reality shows that it is working on. They include: "Take 1," a music show that features some of the most respected musicians in Korea; "Physical 100," a reality survival show where 100 participants enter a game to compete to be the most physically fit person among them; "Korea No.1," a travelogue starring Yoo Jae-suk, Lee Kwang-soo and volleyball player Kim Yeon-koung; and "Single's Inferno" season 2.
Yoo, who had worked for 10 years as a producer at local broadcaster JTBC prior to joining Netflix in 2020, said he thinks originality is the standout factor of Korean unscripted TV shows.
"Korean creators always look for original content and Korean viewers have high standards when it comes to evaluating TV shows, dramas and movies. I personally believe that if some cultural content works in Korea, it will also work in other parts of the world," he said.
He also shared how Netflix decides to renew or cancel reality shows.
"Just because we don't make the next season doesn't mean the show wasn't successful. The determining factor is whether we have more stories to tell. It's all about the narrative," he said.
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