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APOS: Netflix's Korean Content Head on What Comes After ‘Squid Game'
There was a valedictory undercurrent to Netflix VP Don Kang's keynote appearance Wednesday at the APOS media and entertainment summit in Bali, Indonesia. The streamer's head of Korean content arrived armed with third-party research underscoring the company's instrumental role in fueling the global K-content boom — and he spoke just days ahead of the launch of Squid Game Season 3, the final installment in what remains Netflix's most-watched series of all time. 'We're all very excited about the Squid Game launch on Friday,' Kang said. 'And I'm very confident about the health and the growth of Korean content,' he added. More from The Hollywood Reporter Netflix Rejects Jay Hoag's Resignation, Adds New Board Member 'Ransom Canyon' Renewed for Season 2 at Netflix Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Richard Madden to Star in Netflix Thriller 'Trinity' In past years, Netflix founders Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos have used the APOS keynote stage to outline the company's Asia strategy. But this year, it was Kang who received top billing — yet another marker of how far both Netflix and Korean content have come in the last decade. If there was a second subtext to Kang's talk, it was more reflective: where does Netflix's K-content journey go from here? Will Squid Game's astonishing success — with over 600 million global views over it first two seasons — come to be seen as the peak of Korea's pop culture export wave? Or is it just the beginning of a steady stream of Korean smash-hits that will be regarded as must-watch by vast swaths of the whole world? Kang offered no hints or answers to speculation in the industry about Netflix's expected spinoff plans for the Squid Game franchise, but he struck a bullish tone on the future of K-content. He emphasized that Netflix doesn't view the genre as a global fad. 'For most people outside the APAC region, Squid Game was the first Korean show that they really watched, but ever since then more than 80 percent of our Netflix members have continued to watch Korean content,' he added. Kang pointed to independent research commissioned by Netflix, released Wednesday, showing that subscribers are nearly twice as likely as non-subscribers — 63 percent versus 36 percent — to express interest in watching Korean content going forward. Kang said Netflix has 15 more Korean originals coming just in the second half of 2025. He highlighted a few of his personal favorites on the slate, including the action film Good News, directed by Byun Sung-Hyun (The Merciless, Kill Boksoon), and the much-anticipated romantic drama series, Genie, Make a Wish, created by Kim Eun-sook, the hitmaker behind The Glory and Mr. Sunshine. Kang also spotlighted the returning seasons of Neflix's reality competition series Culinary Class Wars and Physical: Asia. 'We were previously more focused on Korean series, but now we have really expanded into non-fiction shows,' Kang said. 'This expansion of genres allows us to both please the audience that already loves Korean content, and also to meet new audiences.' Netflix's latest research report, How K-Content is Shaping Global Perceptions of Korea, was conducted via a third-party survey of over 11,500 people worldwide. The findings underscored the staying power of the Korean wave: in the U.S., 78 percent of K-content viewers said they had been watching for more than two years, while 23 percent had been tuning in for over five years. K-dramas topped the list of genres favored by international viewers, with 60 percent identifying it as their preferred style, followed by romance (54 percent), and action and comedy (43 percent each). The data also emphasized Korea's growing soft power. K-content viewers were found to be twice as likely as non-viewers to want to visit South Korea. Among Netflix subscribers, interest in Korean culture was also twice as high compared to the general population. Squid Game season three launches globally on Friday. Season one still ranks as Netflix's most popular show ever, while Season two set a record late last year for the most views of a series or film on Netflix in its premiere week, eventually rising to become the streamer's third most popular show of all time. Netflix is pulling out all the stops to send off the franchise. On Saturday, a massive Squid Game parade — co-hosted with the Seoul Metropolitan Government — will take over central Seoul. Beginning at the city's historic Gwanghwamun landmark and ending at Seoul Plaza, the event will feature appearances from stars Lee Jung-jae, Lee Byung-hun, Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul and Wi Ha-jun, as well as creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. Netflix has described the parade as the most ambitious fan event it has ever staged. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
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2 days ago
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Netflix's Korean Content Head Discusses ‘Squid Game' Season 3 And Korea's Production Lull — APOS
Just two days before the third and final season of Squid Game launches on Netflix, the streamer's head of Korean content, Don Kang, appeared on stage at the APOS media and entertainment summit to discuss the wide-ranging cultural impact of Korean shows, the Korean industry's production lull, as well as Netflix's ad tier performance in the country. Promotion efforts are in full swing for Squid Game, with the cast making appearances in New York and Los Angeles recently — and a massive Squid Game parade is set to take place in central Seoul on Saturday from Gwanghwamun to Seoul Plaza, co-hosted with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. More from Deadline Viu & SBS' 'Taxi Driver' Season 3 Set To Air In Q4; 'My Youth' Starring Song Joong-Ki Will Premiere In Q3 - APOS Google's Sanjay Gupta Talks AI's Top Two Challenges And Importance Of 'On-The-Go' Content In Asia - APOS Netflix Keeps Venture Capitalist Jay Hoag On Its Board Despite Shareholders' Cold Shoulder 'At this point, I'm not focused on any numbers or expectations or performance, but really focused on the delivering this great finale for the fans, and delivering the excellent work by the entire cast and crew,' said Kang at the APOS summit, held in Bali, Indonesia. 'I was just in New York last week, for the New York premiere event, and thousands of people showed up. It was just really exciting to see the passion.' Kang has worked at Netflix for seven years, after previously working in international distribution at Korean conglomerate CJ ENM. He has shepherded the record-breaking series through three seasons, working with creator Hwang Dong-hyuk. 'My previous job before Netflix, I was doing international distribution. I knew Korean content was beloved outside Korea, but mostly in the APAC region, and it was almost impossible to extend further than that market,' said Kang. 'But ever since I moved to Netflix, I really saw this surge of global fandom around Korean content, especially around the time of Squid Game. For most people outside Korea, Squid Game was the real first Korean series that they really watched. Ever since then, more than 80% of Netflix members have all watched Korean content and many of them continue to do so. It's a testament that a great show on Netflix can really expand that audience. 'From season one, it took us about three years to produce season two. That's a relatively long time for a sequel,' added Kang. 'There was a question of whether people would show up. And what we saw, the numbers were incredible. The definition of views is drawn from the actual hours watched, and it was more than 190 million views.' In just the premiere week, Squid Game's second season received more than 60 million views and became Netflix's biggest show in the second half of 2024. Season 1 ranks as Netflix's most popular show ever. However, the third season of Squid Game is premiering amid a time of great concern and anxiety among the Korean film and television industry, with the industry facing major issues like high production costs and troubling theatrical figures. Korea's box office so far this year has recorded its lowest attendance in two decades. When asked about these concerns in the Korean content industry and the lull in production, Kang said: 'There was a time where there were anywhere between like a 100-150 series per year. That happened during a phase when a lot of series were being exported to China and we saw a lot of global players beginning to take interest in Korean series. But I really see this as a phase because we've seen a surge of production and rising production costs before, when China was a really big market for us. When it stopped, everyone thought everyone was really in big trouble. 'It is a phase. It goes up and it goes down, but I am very confident in the future. I have many friends from the local industry, sitting here in this conference room. It is a time where we need to practice discipline in terms of managing costs. But also I know, we've done it before, and will come out of this stronger,' added Kang. Looking internally, Kang said that he is optimistic that the platform will also be able to ride out this lull in the industry. 'These production costs are determined by the production companies, so when we find something that is interesting to commission, we think long and hard about what is the appropriate size of the investment,' said Kang. 'We discuss and things get finalized through the negotiations. We try to right-size the budget and as long as we can all exercise that discipline together, I'm very confident about the future health.' Kang added that besides working with veteran directors, it is also important to search for new talent and he aims for 20 to 25% of the streamer's Korean titles to be works from new creators. On the other side of price-related discussions, Kang shared that Korean audiences are taking up the streamer's ad-supported tier at a rate 'similar' to Netflix's global rate, with 50% of all new members signing up to the ad tier. 'Our ad business in Korea is tracking similar to what we're seeing around the world,' said Kang. 'It gives our audiences and members the choice of how much they want to pay for Netflix, and it also creates a great opportunity for the brands to connect to the stories on Netflix.' On the partnerships front, Netflix has forged partnerships with Naver as well as Korean car manufacturer Kia. Naver and Netflix unveiled a partnership in September last year, with Naver also offering Netflix's ad-supported standard plan as part of its Naver Plus membership since November. 'Our single most important measurement of success is engagement,' said Kang. 'With Naver, it was an innovative way to really find and engage with a new sector of audiences in Korea.' Netflix also recently commissioned a third-party survey of over 11,500 people around the world about Korean content, breaking down popularity and fandom, with a majority of these respondents coming from key markets like the U.S., Brazil, France, India and Japan. The report, titled 'How K-Content is Shaping Global Perceptions of Korea,' found that Netflix members were two times more likely to be interested in Korean culture, and Netflix members were also twice as likely (63% of Netflix users vs 36% of non-users) to show interest in watching K-Content in the future. Drama, followed by romance and then action, emerged as the most-liked genre among Korean content viewers outside of Korea. Kang pointed out that there is a positive effect from Netflix's Korean shows and content in generating interest about other aspects of Korean culture. 'The great thing is that all these shows have Korean elements — like you get to watch Korean food, you get to hear the songs we sing, the places that we go to,' said Kang. 'It really impacts the way the world sees and understands Korean culture. We have a new study that shows Netflix members have a much higher affinity towards Korean culture and are more willing to explore Korean products than non-members.' Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far Everything We Know About The 'Reminders of Him' Movie So Far Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far
