MBC's decision to broadcast Disney+'s 'Big Bet' met with internal dissent
MBC, one of South Korea's leading television networks, is facing mounting backlash from its own producers following the decision to broadcast Disney+ Korea's hit original series "Big Bet," beginning in July.
The series, which stars veteran actors Choi Min-sik and Son Suk-ku, originally ran on Disney+ for two seasons between 2022 and 2023.
MBC has confirmed that "Big Bet" season 1 will air Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. throughout July, while season 2 will move to a regular Sunday night slot starting in August. The series will retain its original 19+ rating, though MBC said some edits would be needed to meet broadcast review standards.
MBC said the broadcast of "Big Bet" reflects its ongoing effort to offer strategic curation of carefully selected, proven programs, adding that it aimed to broaden viewers' content choices.
However, the move has triggered significant internal dissent. A total of 53 producers and production staff from MBC's drama division recently issued a joint statement condemning the decision.
Via the statement, the producers criticized the management's push to delay its upcoming series — "Judge Lee Han-young" — originally slated for the same time slot as "Big Bet."
'The seriousness of the matter is heightened by the fact that the originally planned drama production was postponed to next year, in order to artificially create a budget surplus for this year,' the statement said.
As a result of MBC's decision to air "Big Bet," "Judge Lee Han-young," an adaptation of a popular Naver webtoon, has been pushed back to early 2026. The drama, which features a cast including Ji Sung, Won Jin-ah and Park Hee-soon, follows a judge who, after his unjust demise, returns to the past to deliver righteous judgments.
The statement accused MBC of bypassing producers in making the programming decision, and warned of a potential fallout with the series' cast.
"Due to the management's decision to schedule 'Big Bet,' 'Judge Lee Han-young' now requires renegotiation with its lead actors,' it read.
The producers are demanding a full reconsideration of the "Big Bet" rollout, the restoration of decision-making authority to drama teams, and reforms to what they call profit-centered management practices.
Meanwhile, this is not the first time MBC has broadcast content from streaming services to fill its drama slots.
In January, the network aired the Disney+ blockbuster "Moving," broadcasting two episodes every Sunday. The strategy reflects an emerging trend in Korean broadcasting, where legacy networks are increasingly looking to partner with streaming platforms to mitigate soaring content production costs and appeal to broader demographics.
The shift comes amid growing financial strain across Korea's terrestrial broadcasters. KBS has reported a cumulative net loss of 14.1 billion won ($10,228,768) over the past three years, while SBS posted an operating loss of 19.2 billion won in 2024 -- its first deficit since 2016 -- and MBC's operating profit plunged from 56.6 billion won in 2022 to 6.6 billion won last year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
'My Daughter is a Zombie' lurches past 4.3 million admissions in record run
Webtoon adaptation holds No. 1 spot for 18 straight days as discount coupons boost theater turnout The zombie comedy "My Daughter is a Zombie" has topped the Korean box office for 18 consecutive days since its July 30 release, drawing 4.31 million viewers and grossing 40.8 billion won ($ 29,400) through Sunday, according to data from the Korean Film Council. The film crossed the 4 million mark over the Liberation Day holiday weekend on Aug. 15, becoming the first title of 2025 to reach that milestone. It has overtaken "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning" (3.36 million) and Korean crime thriller "Yadang: The Snitch" (3.38 million) to claim the top spot of the year. Based on the hit webtoon of the same name, the comedy-drama follows a single father trying to protect his zombified teenage daughter. The film stars Jo Jung-seok, Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong and newcomer Choi Yu-ri, with "The Hostage" director Pil Gam-sung at the helm. The film's box office run offers a rare bright spot in what has been a historically weak year for Korean theaters. Box office revenue plunged 33 percent in the first half of 2025, with no film breaking the 10 million admission mark that traditionally signals mega-hit status, according to the Korean Film Council's midyear report. Part of the film's momentum has been fueled by the government's 6,000 won ticket discount program, launched July 25. The coupons, capped at two per person and valid through Sept. 2, prompted a rush on theater websites and apps as soon as they went live. "F1," the Brad Pitt–led racing drama that opened June 25, also benefited from the program, mounting an unusual late surge to reach 4.1 million admissions on Saturday and move into second place for the year. "My Daughter is a Zombie" has also managed to satisfy fans of its source material, a feat other webtoon adaptations have struggled to achieve. Viewers praised the film's attention to the original webtoon's beloved details, from grandmother Bam-soon's yellow vest and topknot to the family's scene-stealing cat. Though the filmmakers chose a more hopeful ending than the webtoon's tragic conclusion, the central father-daughter bond remained intact. That stands in sharp contrast to "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy," another webtoon adaptation that opened just a week earlier on July 23. Despite its 30 billion won price tag and star-studded cast, including Lee Min-ho and Jisoo, the fantasy epic drew just over 1 million viewers amid backlash from fans who felt the adaptation strayed too far from its source, with critics pointing to its overly compressed storyline and poorly altered characters as fundamental missteps.
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Singer Insooni named 2025 Woman of Influence winner
Recognized for humanitarian work with multicultural youth, singer becomes first Korean recipient since 2000 of prize awarded by Pearl S. Buck International Korean singer Insooni was named the 2025 Woman of Influence Award recipient by Pearl S. Buck International on Friday, becoming the first Korean to receive the honor since former first lady Lee Hee-ho in 2000. The 68-year-old singer, born Kim In-soon to a Korean mother and African American father following the Korean War, was recognized for her humanitarian work supporting multiracial and multicultural youth in South Korea. She founded Haemil School in 2013, a tuition-free alternative school for multiethnic and biracial students in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, where she continues to serve as president. The singer "overcame deep societal racial discrimination to become a success in the music industry and a household name in her home country," Pearl S. Buck International stated on its website Friday. As a child, Insooni received assistance from Pearl S. Buck International's child sponsorship program while being raised by her single mother, according to the organization's website. She now serves as a board member for Pearl S. Buck Foundation Korea, the organization's Korean affiliate. The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit, founded in 1964 by Nobel Prize-winning author Pearl S. Buck, works to advance humanitarian causes and foster cross-cultural understanding. Its Woman of Influence Award, established in 1978, honors women who have distinguished themselves through career achievements and humanitarian advocacy. Insooni will accept the award in person at a ceremony scheduled for Aug. 21 at the organization's estate in Perkasie, Pennsylvania.
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Argentine Korean director Cecilia Kang wins best emerging director award at Locarno
Buenos Aires native honored for debut feature 'Hijo Mayor' at 78th Locarno Film Festival Cecilia Kang won best emerging director at the Locarno Film Festival on Saturday for "Hijo Mayor" ("Elder Son"), her first fiction feature examining Korean immigration to South America. The filmmaker competed in the festival's Filmmakers of the Present section, which showcases first and second features. The prize, awarded by the City and Region of Locarno, recognizes a director who has spent nearly a decade chronicling the Korean diaspora experience. Born in Buenos Aires in 1985 to Korean immigrants, Kang studied at Argentina's National Film School. Her short "Videojuegos" screened at Berlinale in 2015. Her 2023 documentary "A Boat Departed From Me Taking Me Away" examined stories of Korean women forced into sexual slavery by Japan's Imperial Army, euphemistically labeled "comfort women," from the perspectives of young Korean Argentine women exploring their own identity and connection to history. The film won Special Jury and Audience prizes at Mar del Plata International Film Festival. Her feature debut, "Hijo Mayor," follows Antonio, a Korean immigrant who arrives in Paraguay before settling in Argentina. Blending fiction and documentary, the film stars Kim Chang-sung, Suh Sang-bin and Anita B. Queen, alongside documentary segments featuring Kang and her family. "I make films as a way to understand who I am," Kang told Variety in July. "My own sense of identity has always been shaped by this cultural duality. Even though it has nourished me in many ways, it has also been a complex and contradictory presence in my life." Kang is also the partner of Singaporean filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua, whose "A Land Imagined" won the Golden Leopard at Locarno in 2018. The festival's top prize, the Golden Leopard, went to Japan's Sho Miyake for "Two Seasons, Two Strangers" — the country's first Locarno victory since 2007. Other winners in the Filmmakers of the Present section included Nicolas Graux and Truong Minh Quy's "Hair, Paper, Water," which took the section's top prize.
