'Beopsa' Lee Seung-gi and Lee Se-young's Popularity Rides OTT Wave to Asia

Photo by Viu

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] The popularity of ‘Beopdaero Saranghara’ is expanding globally.

Online video service (OTT) platform Viu announced on the 23rd that it will provide the KBS2 Monday-Tuesday drama 'Beopdaero Saranghara' (The Law Cafe) to major Asian countries as well as the Middle East and Africa.

Viu has an exclusive contract for ‘Beopdaero Saranghara’ and has started simultaneous service with Korea in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Thailand. In the second week of September (September 12?18), it ranked 2nd in Indonesia and 3rd in Malaysia on the Viu chart, showing a steep upward trend by securing top positions in all countries.

‘Beopdaero Saranghara’ is a romance drama about Kim Jeong-ho (Lee Seung-gi), a former prosecutor turned carefree building owner, and Kim Yuri (Lee Se-young), a quirky lawyer tenant. Along with Lee Seung-gi’s global popularity, Lee Se-young’s previous work ‘Otsomnae Bulgeun Kkeutdong’ was previously serviced locally through Viu and received great love throughout Asia, so this success is also expected to be positive.

On Viu, dramas such as ‘If You Wish Upon Me,’ ‘Again My Life,’ ‘Why Oh Soo-jae?,’ and ‘Today’s Webtoon,’ which aired in the first half of this year, have ranked high.

Meanwhile, Viu is the largest OTT platform in East Asia, leading with K-content and surpassing Disney+ and Netflix locally to rank first in monthly active users. It also services Korean dramas in various ways, including local remakes of ‘She Was Pretty’ and ‘Flower of Evil.’