It looks like the year 2020 had the Filipino audience binge-watching South Korean dramas more than ever before. Streaming giant Netflix said that Pinoys’ K-drama viewing rose to 350 percent compared to 2019. And guess what’s the most popular K-drama title on Netflix Philippines?
In a recent media statement, the streaming giant named the 2020 most popular Netflix titles according to genre among Filipinos, including K-drama.
It said that while Captain Ri and Crash Landing On You started the year with a bang, it was Lee Min-Ho’s long-awaited comeback, The King: Eternal Monarch, that reigned supreme as the most popular K-drama in the Philippines this year.
The series was first big project since taking a leave from showbiz to fulfil mandatory military service.
Eternal Monarch was also the No. 1 K-drama in India, Malaysia and Singapore.
According to Netflix, Filipinos also enjoyed watching the zombie thriller Kingdom: Season 2 and the mental health-themed series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, which also became the “most enduring” title of 2020 on Netflix Philippines after it remained in the Top 10 for 103 days.
Other K-drama hits were Itaewon Class, Start-Up, The World of the Married, Record of Youth, Extracurricular, The School Nurse Files, VIP and Hi Bye, Mama!
Netflix as in the past didn’t provide the exact figures, but viewing increase is most likely due to stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic.