BY NESTOR CUARTERO
JUST A THOUGHT: Creativity is allowing yourself to make misĀtakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. ā Scott Adams
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DISCOVERING K-DRAMA: No thanks to various states of quarĀantine and long periods of time (more than 5 months) spent at home, doing nothing, Filipino televiewers discovered, or, in the case of many, rediscovered, the magic and charisma of K-draĀma.
Worldwide, it is known as the Hallyu phenomenon.
Every other person I know, based on posts I read on Facebook and other social media, seems to have something to say, or like, or love about South Korean series programs like āCrash Landing on You,ā āKing,ā āDoctor Romantic,ā and so many other titles.
Many go ga-ga over their acĀtors, memorizing their difficult to pronounce names, knowing their personal histories.
While many locally produced teleseryes are currently off the air as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown, their followers have suddenly developed a liking for Korean programs in the meanĀtime. Many of these are available for streaming on Netflix and other existing Korean channels.
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HIGHEST RATING: K-drama shows have become so popular among local viewers that a recent survey showed that they ranked highest on Netflixās line-up of ofĀferings. Only two Filipino movies made it to the top 10 at the time of the survey.
The finding has prompted director Erik Matti to say that when the lockdown is finally lifted, and all work goes back to normal hopefully, Filipino-made teleseryes may have lost a huge chunk of their market. K-dramas may have snatched them away in the time of ECQ and GCQ.
Winning back that lost audiĀence may be the biggest chalĀlenge to local TV.