Korean variety shows repeat success abroad

Singer Yim Jae-bum performs in the competition "I Am a Singer" in this file
photo.

‘I Am a Singer,' ‘We Got Married' gaining popularity

"We Got Married"

"Running Man"

"Dad, Where Are You Going?"

By Chung Ah-young

Just a few years ago, cast members, including Yoo Jae-suk, of Korean top-rated variety show "Infinite Challenge" were not noticed by the Japanese audience when they shot the program in the heart of Tokyo. They shouted and sometimes behaved oddly to draw the attention of the Japanese citizens but to no particular avail.

However, if they appeared there now, their reactions might be different from what they were because more foreign audiences are watching Korean entertainment shows these days.

The Korean variety shows are recently emerging as cultural content amid the far-flung hallyu phenomenon as K-pop stars are frequently appearing in the shows.
The recent phenomenon is a focus on localization of the Korean programs to cater to their own viewers' tastes.

The licenses of MBC's singing competition show "I Am a Singer" and its reality show "We Got Married" were purchased by China's Hunan Satellite TV in 2011.

The first episode of the Chinese version of "I Am a Singer," which began airing on Jan. 18 this year, topped the viewer rating with 2.38 percent.

Weibo, China's mini-blogging service, was flooded with more than 100 million messages related to "I Am a Singer" over three months with 200 million hits of the related videos on Tencent, China's largest Internet service portal.

Kim Young-hee, producer of the Korean program, and other Korean staff partially took part in the making process of the Chinese rendition.

The global edition of "We Got Married" is grabbing the attention from the Chinese audience with more than 15 million hits on iQiyi, an online video website, on April 14, the first day of the release. The hit number ranked ninth in the China's total entertainment shows and topped among the foreign licensed programs on the website.

To cope with the growing number of the Chinese audience, "We Got Married" paired Korean and Chinese celebrities. Later, MBC produced the global spin-off which casts multiracial couples by pairing Lee Hong-ki from FT. Island and Fujii Mina, a Japanese actress, and Ok Taecyeon from 2PM and Gui Gui, a Taiwanese actress in their virtual marriages from different countries such as Japan, China, Taiwan and Australia. The show has been distributed in more than 40 countries through Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia.

China's imports of the licenses of the Korean shows are not a new phenomenon, however. Back in 2003, CCTV purchased the rights of KBS's "Golden Bell Challenge" and MBC's "Love House" in 2004.

But the recent popularity of the Korean shows reflects the Chinese audience's interest in the audition programs. "I Am a Singer" is part of the audition boom sweeping China with "The Voice of China," which is based on the Netherlands' show "The Voice of Holland."

Mnet's "Superstar K" will be produced through a Chinese adaptation "Superstar China" along with its production company CJ E&M. The Chinese version will consist of 14 episodes which will begin airing on June 30.

Hunan Satellite TV recently bought the rights of MBC's "Dad, Where Are We Going?" a reality show taking celebrity fathers and their children to a trip.

MBC said that interaction between a father and a child during the trip plays a significant role in selling the rights to China as most Chinese families have one child.

Also, the rights of "Running Man" have been sold to nine countries such as China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia. The format of the program is widely enjoyed by the worldwide audience including children.

The popularity of the show was triggered by the clips posted on YouTube subtitled with foreign languages. When the show was shot in Vietnam, the set was crowded with fans.

Also, Britain's Channel 4 will cover MBC's "Infinite Challenge" as part of a four-episode documentary program "The Greatest Shows on Earth." The British TV network has selected four countries for each episode.

Particularly, various Korean entertainment programs were introduced in MIPTV, the world's largest broadcasting content market, which was held in Cannes, France through April 7-10.

Producers of KBS's "Immortal Masterpieces," "I Am a Singer," "Running Man," TvN's "Super Diva" gave presentations in front of international broadcasting experts and entertainment content providers.

The world's prestigious format developers such as Endemol and Freemantle are showing great interest in Korean programs.

"Most buyers in the event said that Korean formats have fresh ideas and competitive edges in the world market if overcoming the cultural differences in some parts," Lee Jun-keun, an official of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), who attended the event, said.

"It took some 10 years for Korean dramas to take this internationally acclaimed position. Still the proportion of the Korean entertainment formats in the global market remains very low but it will gradually grow with sustainable supports and efforts," he said.

The KOCCA has supported the development and production of the broadcasting format since 2009. This year the agency has earmarked some 1.28 billion won in the industry for helping it to make inroads into foreign markets.