'Dong Yi' still No. 1 even with drop in TV ratings

Korean actress Han Hyo-joo on "Dong Yi-Jewel in the Crown" [MBC]

MBC's historical epic "Dong Yi - Jewel in the Crown" held onto its position atop TV charts for the 17th consecutive week, despite a sudden drop in viewership ratings. Figures from TNmS (Total National Multimedia Statistics) on Wednesday indicated that "Dong Yi," into its 40th episode, brought in ratings of 23.9 percent on August 2 and dropped by extra 0.8 percent the next day, suffering a dip of an average 5.7 percent compared to last week.Numbers released by AGB Nielsen Media Research pointed to even lower ratings for the Lee Byung-hoon drama -- 21.5 percent on Monday and 21.9 percent the following day. This week's episode focused on how Dong Yi (Han Hyo-joo) leaves the palace after receiving a personal apology from Queen Inhyeon (Park Ha-sun). Meanwhile, SBS' series "Giant," starring Lee Bum-soo, Park Jin-hee and Hwang Jung-eum, experienced a spike in viewership ratings this week, following closely behind “Dong Yi.” On TNmS charts, the drama brought in ratings of 18.2 percent on August 2 and increased by 1.9 percent the following day. Ratings for "Giant" also rose on AGB's poll, scoring figures of 19.2 percent on Monday and 20.7 percent last night. Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@<ⓒ10Asia All rights reserved>