Korean Content Dominates Netflix in 2024: Squid Game 2 & K-Dramas Lead Global Charts

Korean Content Reigns Supreme on Netflix: K-Dramas and K-Movies Lead Global Streaming Trends

The Unstoppable Rise of K-Content

Korean entertainment continues to dominate the global streaming landscape, with Netflix confirming that K-dramas and K-movies led its non-English viewership charts throughout 2024. The platform’s heavy investment in Korean content has resulted in a massive surge in subscribers, further reinforcing K-content’s worldwide appeal.

Netflix’s 2024 Viewership Report Highlights K-Content’s Success

According to Netflix’s official viewership report released on February 27, Korean titles ranked #1 in non-English content consumption for the 2023-2024 period. The report analyzed subscriber engagement based on:

• Total watch time
• Number of views for productions surpassing 50,000 hours of watch time within six months

This follows Netflix’s 2023 data, which revealed that 80% of its global subscribers engaged with Korean content, highlighting its growing international influence.

Squid Game Season 2 Breaks Records

The biggest driver of K-content’s continued success was the highly anticipated Squid Game Season 2. Despite premiering on December 24, just before the end of the year, the survival thriller amassed 87 million views, making it the most-watched series in the second half of 2024.

Other high-performing Korean productions on Netflix included:

• Officer Black Belt – 40 million views (action film)
• Uprising – 24 million views (historical drama)
• Mission: Cross – 23 million views (thriller)
• Love Next Door – 20 million views (romance drama)
• Culinary Class War – 17 million views (food competition reality series)

Netflix’s Statement on Korean Content’s Global Impact

Recognizing the unprecedented global success of K-content, Netflix stated:

“K-content has topped non-English content viewership for two years in a row. We will continue to challenge ourselves with new genres and themes and collaborate with various partners to expand globally.”

The Global Impact of Non-English Content

While South Korea led the non-English viewership category, Netflix also saw substantial contributions from Japan, France, Colombia, and Brazil, with these countries collectively accounting for one-third of total views.

The streaming giant’s investment in localized productions has paid off significantly, with total viewing hours reaching 94 billion—a 5% increase compared to 2023. This reflects the growing demand for international storytelling across multiple genres, from thrillers and historical dramas to romance and action-packed blockbusters.

Conclusion

Netflix’s latest viewership report cements South Korea’s position as a global entertainment powerhouse. With Squid Game 2’s massive success and a diverse lineup of hit films and dramas, K-content continues to set new benchmarks in the streaming industry. As Netflix expands its investment in Korean productions, fans worldwide can look forward to more groundbreaking and genre-defying content in the coming years.