[Interview①] 'From the New World' Without Binge-Watching, PD Reveals 'Biweekly Release of Episode 2'

Interview with Jo Hyojin and PD Go Minseok from 'From the New World'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Producers Jo Hyojin and Go Minseok revealed the reason why 'From the New World' is released twice every two weeks.

Producer Jo Hyojin said in a video interview on the 24th, "Releasing 'From the New World' twice a week on Netflix is both a challenge and an experiment."

Released on the 20th, 'From the New World' is a new-concept virtual simulation entertainment program that depicts unpredictable incidents, survival missions, competitions, and twists occurring in a utopia?a world everyone dreams of.

It portrays the diverse events and twists experienced by Lee Seunggi, Eun Ji-won, Park Narae, Kim Heechul, Jo Boah, and Kai (EXO) after being invited to a virtual world where all their long-held dreams come true.

Unlike existing Netflix series that release all episodes in a day, 'From the New World' releases two episodes every Saturday over four weeks, presenting a total of eight episodes sequentially. Therefore, unlike the usual binge-watching or marathon viewing style, viewers have to wait to watch.

Regarding this, Producer Jo Hyojin said, "After watching the first broadcast, Lee Seunggi contacted me saying he wished there were more than two episodes and wanted to watch more. I understand the reactions around me as well." He added, "I heard that releasing two episodes at a time might result in fewer views and could be disadvantageous for Netflix rankings, but I wanted to take on the challenge."

Producer Jo confessed, "Back when we did 'Together,' Lee Seunggi and Taiwanese actor Liu Yihuo appeared, and I regretted that if word of mouth had spread and he had become more known, it would have been better."

He continued, "I directed 'Running Man' for four years, and the first year was tough. It took time for reactions to come. Most successful reality and entertainment shows go through such a process." He added, "This time, by releasing episodes every two weeks, I thought it might allow word of mouth to spread and give viewers time to imagine the characters in their minds."

He said, "This time, Netflix and I were on the same page and agreed to try it this way." He added, "I hope this challenge will yield positive results."

Producer Jo Hyojin, who directed 'Family Outing' and 'Running Man' at SBS, moved early to the online video service (OTT) Netflix in 2018, presenting 'Busted!' seasons 1 to 3 and 'Together.'

Producer Jo said, "Reality shows gain vitality by responding to viewers' reactions. From the perspective that the process is done all at once, releasing all episodes at once can be disappointing."

He continued, "Although we cannot change the series based on viewers' reactions, I hope viewers will see if another story is created among them and if it connects to the next episode. I wanted to experiment with creating such a structure."

He said, "I wanted to break the notion that 'Netflix must release everything at once.' I'm grateful to be able to conduct this experiment and hope it concludes beautifully."

Photo = Netflix