Culture Convenience Club (CCC) reported that their forecast of Korean Drama DVD rentals for the year were shattered for the first time according to reports shown from rental giant Tsutaya. Korean Drama DVDs were forecasted to be rented a record number of 100 million times in just this year alone. Overall DVD rentals are up 16.3%, but compared to the early Korean boom in 2004, that number is 3 times what it was then.
A vast majority of girls and women in their teens and 20’s have taken an interest in the KPOP boom, so many are renting DVDs of their favorite idols. This is a major shift compared to the initial Korean boom where the target audience mainly consisted of women in their 40’s to 60’s. This Korean invasion is continually growing.
The drama “You’re Beautiful” was rented the most.
Second was “Shining Inheritance” (or Brilliant Legacy).
Third was “Cinderella Man.”
During the “Winter Sonata” boom, rentals were only 16.24 million. But after “Dae Jang Geum” came out, it became popular with Japanese men as well and that’s when the number soared to 50 million in 2007.
As of November of this year, the number is at 96.8 million, but that number is expected to hit 105 million by year’s end.
What do you think of this shift in Japanese tastes?
How does it affect viewership ratings for Japanese dramas?
What do you prefer now in terms of dramas, Korean or Japanese?
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