Television boxtop ratings are still important but less so now that online streaming of television shows, not to mention the ease of DVR recording and other alternate forms of consumption. The changing landscape means the unlikelihood of K-dramas garnering 50% ratings ever again, and honestly most are now averaging in the low teens to high single digits during its run. But the proliferation of social networking means shows may have greater, or just alternate forms, of impact.
CJ E&M partnered with AGB Nielsen in Korea to assess the CPI (Content Power Index) of all the 2014 K-dramas and the top two most influential dramas were alien-actress love story You From Another Star on SBS followed by tvN‘s realistic office drama Misaeng. The CPI number calculates viewer response to a show to determine influence based on: topic of interest (how many news articles), audience response (search rankings), SNS involvement, and the like. I actually agree with the full list for the year and CPI remains the intangible yet powerful other gauge for a show’s success.
1. You From Another Star 344.0 points.
2. Misaeng 270.8 points
It’s Okay, It’s Love 260.9 points
4. God’s Gift: 14 Days 258.5 points
5. Pinocchio 241.2 points
6. Three Days 241.0 points
7. Empress Ki 240.7 points
It’s AGB *Nielsen and the spacing for the pic and title are off, at least on mobile it is.
its so succesful Korean drama that’s why I like this k-drama it is so so very so beautiful Korean drama I like it very very much. #EMPRESS Ki
I’m not taking anything away from Pinocchio but it seems like that shows fans are little bit desparate since using the internet-ratings to back up there TV failure.
But aside from that if you take into count how many people watched you from another star online and IOIL then pinocchio wouldn’t be able to compete.. to just give you an example they are far behind on Youko and toudo when it comes to online viewers.
But all in all if the online ratings are used they will still come short in this year as well. maybe 4th or 5th place which is not bad either
online viewing for ep 12 almost reached 40 % and nbrs keep increasing wz each episode, as for youkou + tudou nbrs of views 511,242,545 (more than 500 millions views) till ep 12 only
https://31.media.tumblr.com/2529292b1dbd3789c8ac4b62258ff8fb/tumblr_inline_ngvc0gOUGa1sp3v51.jpg
https://31.media.tumblr.com/b49546ef076b685827426087d54d8491/tumblr_inline_ngvc1hNGwK1sp3v51.jpg
and Pinocchio is currently #6 as the most watched series of all time in Youku w/ 370 million views.(now jumped to nbr 5 wz more than 390 million view ,and nbrs keep increasing, it ll definitely be among the top 2 at the end )
https://31.media.tumblr.com/c8b4a4dff692e0ffab0502ddcd70cc5b/tumblr_inline_ngsmsyaEOR1sp3v51.jpg
(btw 3 out of 6 most watched series of all time in Youku , have jong suk in them, Dr. stranger #2 , IHYV # 4 & pinocchio (till ep 12) is at # 6)
fans are not desperate you are the desperate one & have some issues with Pinocchio it seems…. from all the dramas stated above you only picked Pinocchio to compare it with man from the stars why is that?? , if this means something it means this drama is a success and it influences you somehow . lol
I have nothing against Pinocchio but I was stating a fact..
You who came from the stars were never sold to Youku and thats why you won’t find it there but was bought by another broadcaster and surprising has more viewers then Heirs which means You from another star is the all time number 1.
”Significantly however, it was not picked up by a conventional broadcaster, but instead was acquired by online video platforms iQiyi and LeTV. They have seen episodes of the show streamed over 14.5 billion times since December”
Remember heirs has only 11.9 viewers as Number 1 in Youku history.
Can Pinocchio even reach DS now on YOUKU since there is 8 episode left I doubt so but they will likely surpass the master’s sun who only has 10mio on them right now.
But I would definitely say that Pinocchio is a successful drama but not a super hit because it still has bad TV ratings.
Pinocchio’s ratings are mediocre, but I wouldn’t call it a failure. It’s doing fine.
Pinocchio’s views at youku and tudou had already surpassed 500 million and they still have 8 episodes to broadcast.. They currently rank 3rd for the most views..
I know but you from another star has over a billion viewers.
I have recently seen a list which was not correct by the way
Pinocchio is already in the top 6 for the number of views on youku-tudou & we are only at ep 12. In all probability, the CPI ranking will go up too. Why don’t we wait for the show to be over to compare who has the longer ****…
I don’t understand why fans like throwing up internet nos especially in some drama cases just to prove they are popular. They keep saying people dont watch tv anymore and tv rankings shouldnt count but thats a lie.
Look at the first 2 dramas on this list. They have high internet nos BUT ALSO they had HIGH TV RATINGS.
I believe if you make the dramas good, you will have the audience.
So yes eg IOIL and Pinocchio might have high internet ratings but the tv is still average and that means they are not super hits
Well June the big gap.. They air at different times. YFAS started late last year to early this year and it didn’t have a good compation. This year the second half of the year has been better than the first half! Shoot I remember thinking… $#% now what do watch after YFAS ended! Lol
LOL, I think fans turn to the online ratings or it sold well overseas talking point, when the TV ratings do not match the hype. Case in point – Pinocchio. It’s like when Kpop fans brag about how rich their biases are, in the face of arguments about their talent or popularity.
I don’t dislike Pinocchio, but I just couldn’t get past the early episodes. I thought it boring, overwrought and the acting a bit amateurish, from everyone other than Lee Jong Suk.
Exactly. So boring and predictable. “Yeah the ahjummas control tv so only the DISCERNING and AUDIENCE WHO MATTER watch on internet and therefore the internet ratings should supercede the tv”
What they don’t let on is that the internet ratings also include international viewing
But Pinocchio is still ongoing drama, nbrs will surely increase
Well, the top drama has a huge gap from 2nd.. Not that I didn’t expect it. But I’m surprised that God’s Gift made the list. I thought it didn’t do that good? And of course happy to see currently airing Pinocchio on here
Well im just happy that pinocchio and my love from the star is on this list. I’ll try to check out misaeng maybe because i hear it really good too.
im glad that YWCFTS and pinocchio make it on the list…to me pinocchio rating even it is just 10%++ it’s consider high right now in korea…ppl nowadays love to watch online i think because their online rating is nearly 40%…
actually i dont know what happen with k-drama ratings this year..well except YWCFTS majority k-dramas this year just have a single digit in their ratings…
p/s:sorry for my bad english
“What happen with k-drama ratings this year” ~ Ferry disaster, boycott of TV stations, Incheon Games etc. could be some of the causes.
Personally, I can’t understand why people nowadays prefer to watch online if they could watch the direct broadcast on TV, don’t they have the same buffering, lag, poor quality transmission issues etc. that I have when I watch online live?
As for the 40% online rating, what does it mean really? 40% of what & who? For example, if 1,000 people are watching online, 40% = 400 people? And if it’s TVing ratings that we are talking about, TVing also includes international audience…
Are you kinda ignorant millions of people subscribing online tv now, even in different countries. Would you believe the site will still run if there is only 400 viewers a day.
FYI tving Korea does not include international viewers, want the proof, google it or better yet read it on naver.
I’ve heard Korea has one of the fastest and best quality internet in the world. I think they have some kind of tech, probably again very high connectivity, that means watching on phones is a breeze. I know – whilst some of us are stuck with slow finicky broadband (but at least we’re not on dial up anymore – we’ll get there!) its hard to imagine the possibities haha
@dal
Anyone who is not ignorant and have any common sense at all would have realised that it was just an extreme example (I did say for example).
Afterall, does anybody really know how many people are watching online during that specific period of time? And that is precisely the point that I’m trying to make. 40% could mean 400, 4000, 40000, 400000, 4 million, 40 million…, who knows for sure except the service providers themselves? Even if there are millions of subscribers, who says they have to be online all the time? Or that the millions of subscribers have to be oniine on Wed/Thur 10-11pm KST? I hope that you are aware that besides TVing, the broadcasters also provide online live viewing.
On the other hand, the AGB/TNMS ratings are based on statistical sampling techniques. So their 10% is supposed to mean 10% of the Korean population.
BTW, no need to bash or resort to name-calling. It only reflects on yourself (and your bias).
There is also another concern to take into count because that list in itself is pretty much doubtful..
I can understand I hear your voice being up there but what in the world is DS and My lovely girl doing up there in top 5 and these 2 dramas are universally recognized as failures..
My lovely girl is more surprising to me then DS..
Why didn’t you try Misaeng Koala?
Misaeng!!! aww, YEAAAA!!❤❤❤
I love this drama!!!! It had me laughing, crying and laughing again. Mr Ho tripping anyone that was mean to his fav inters…was hilarious! And it had me crying to see how they were treated by their superior. Definitely it deserve the ratings.
Some of you forget that when YFAS was on the compation was horrible and misaeng has/had a pretty good compation. So to me it shows in the gap in ## but it still held its own.
Misaeng – amazing! riveting! nothing matches it. not just the acting (Lee Sung Min nobel prize please) which was beyond superb but the editing was so fluid it was scary! never in a drama has the time gone in a flash. I’ve seen so many Korean dramas but none compare.
It is pretty interesting that half of these dramas did poor ratings, though well online. I wonder if they’ll ever get around to doing how they judge ratings. On the other hand, people do watch online, but there is also obviously still the traditional audience that most dramas this year didn’t capture.
Can anyone tell me where that 14.5 billion views on iqiyi for Man From Another Star comes from, please? Cause this is not what the site itself says. It writes 2.8 billions: http://m.iqiyi.com/v_19rrhd5t9s.html#vfrm=2-3-0-1
I guess we can’t post links cuz it’s waiting for moderation?
It was not only online they counted it was Iqiyi + LeTv(Channel) numbers then it reached 14.5 billion views.. it was basically about to cause earthquake in China
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/korean-star-shines-in-chinas-political-online-firmaments-1201140191/
http://www.dramafever.com/news/chinese-entertainment-faces-tough-competition-from-korean-dramas/
All the English sites keep copying & pasting each other without checking. When you want to know the truth (I feel like in Pinocchio, lol), you have to go to the source. Checking the Chinese sites took me 5 mins: Add 940 milion views for that 2nd streaming site. http://www.letv.com/ptv/vplay/2234150.html
Think that way: Each Chinese alive (baby, grandpa, poor country man…) would have to watch 10 eps of a foreign drama to achieve 14.5 billions: This is statistically impossible, period. Hell, Gangnam Style just passed the 2 billions mark on the most popular platform worldwide aka YouTube. 3.74 billions views globally for MFAS is very impressive & I don’t see why people feel the need to cheat with the facts.
I totally agree with you..
“…I don’t see why people feel the need to cheat with the facts.”
Money….I hope the SK entertainment does not go too far out on this limb and stretch things (empirical data) or rely upon it so much to where suddenly everyone (SK businesses) begins to find out that the funds…are not available for productions as they hoped. Deals are meant to be broken.
Pinocchio is ok but I’m glad it’s doing well. It’s appeal is mostly for young adults and younger so it makes sense most of it’s viewing are online.
Misaeng is phenomenal and now one of my favorite dramas of all time. It’s the first drama to have such a strong personal impact on me that will not go away after the drama is over. I love it and I’m SO glad to see Koreans are appreciating it too. There have been quite a few wonderful dramas that have been largely ignored and underrated and I’m glad it’s not one of them.
We probably won’t be seeing another mega hit like Stars for some years! I hope Jun Ji Hyun does another drama though, I miss her so 🙁
YWCFTS,Empress Ki ,Mama,Misaeng and Jang Bo Ri are only dramas i can think of this year that didn`t flop in terms of rating. Everybody else are mediocre and below.
At the end of the day, i have no idea why people outside Korea concentrate so much on ratings, just watch the drama if you like it. Most of my favorite dramas this year had low ratings, that didn`t stop me from enjoying them.
Ratings affect the content and decisions made by the industry. A lot of fans care about the Korean drama industry doing well and therefore producing more dramas, but also evolving in what it has to offer. The more/better content they produce, the more/better content we get.
When one’s favorite show is in danger of getting cut because people did not watch through their television, plenty care. Because it affects us too. Our viewing experience depends on the evaluation systems they use over there. When entire plots change based on the live response as the drama is made, it affects our entertainment.
So while some are fine with enjoying what comes, along with potential problems, some prefer keeping informed and knowing more about where their entertainment can stumble and how it might be changing. Those care about the ratings.
The current systems are very flawed so looking into more than just that first broadcast source to measure potential and popularity is good. The more data they have, the fuller a picture they get about more sides of the audience.
It still doesn`t reflect how good a content of a drama will be. Most of the audience that brings in Tv ratings are ajumas of certain age and they have significantly different taste to younger people that watch online. So even if ratings can reflect drama contend and possible changes that can be made to that contend due to higher ratings, it still doesn`t mean it will satisfy international fans who are mostly younger crowed.
So high ratings in Korea will hardly make any difference in developing more original ,innovative content that can satisfy broader international audience. Cause the dramas that do good in Korea usually cater to middle age ajumas. More original dramas are usually left on smaller cable dramas to fight for one digit ratings.
That`s why i said high ratings in Korea are hardly affecting us int fans. And personally ,i never had any drama i watched get cut, no matter how low the ratings were.
@flore
Keeping informed is just something people like to do. It’s not necessarily out of expectation, but to also be prepared for disappointment and remain informed. If you exist in a bubble and love a drama without realizing how it’s doing domestically, you might be in for a surprise. You have not had a drama cut or seen lousy developments done because of ratings and comments (domestically or in the big markets), so of course it’s of no significance to you. It is for many.
It’s like watching a nature documentary and wondering why some folks like to further look into rain forests. Sure, you’re not interested personally, but others just like to know. They like keeping up to date with things that affect the entertainment they like.
Seeing how domestic audiences react can not only educate us more on their tastes and the industry in general, it also helps us assess potential or possible meddling down the road. Unless the drama is a hallyu-booster, in which case the big markets abroad also matter and people there are not just ajummas.
You said it yourself. The current, first broadcast ratings are only about a fraction of the audience. So better systems of evaluation that cast a wider net are needed, in order for non-tv viewers and viewers in the big markets abroad to be reached and have content created that fits their taste. Ratings in Korea affect the content and therefore affect everyone watching it, because what we get depends on what Korea and other big markets (mainly China) like. This is why companies and channels looking into different methods of evaluation and being aware of wider audiences is important.
So that the content can diversify and meet the current and also future needs and maximize its appeal to viewers and money for its makers. Heck, dramas this year were already going there. We had very bad ratings domestically, but the content is becoming more youth- and male-friendly. We had a good 1/3 of prime time and cable shows in genres we don’t usually get, with hallyu-focused actors and idols in them. They are now expanding and trying to cater to viewers abroad. I think for those of us who want to have some knowledge on the industry, following such things just makes sense. It’s information.
Now that domestic ratings haven’t done well, we also need to keep up to date with dramas that do well in China, to gauge where the industry is headed.
@flore
Mind you, there are fans who also care simply because they feel good ratings means their individual favorite actors are getting recognition and they just like the idea of their bias being in a successful work, although I personally do find that a faulty perception, since I know those ratings do not reflect quality or even actual popularity or future success for said actors.
But others just like to know what’s happening with the industries they have an interest in.
@flore
I would really like to know where is the source of your presumption that “most of the audience that brings in TV ratings are ajumas of a certain age”; and that “dramas that do good in Korea usually cater to middle age ajumas”. Was there actually any survey done to substantiate that the majority of people watching TV in Korea are middle aged ajumas? That men of whatever age, women in their twenties and thirties and sixties don’t watch TV?
The best rated dramas in Korea this year were YFAS, Empress Ki and Misaeng. Based on what you are saying, it would seem that these dramas did good in Korea because they cater to middle age ajumas!
Imo, these dramas did so well in the ratings precisely because they appealed to a broad range of audience. YFAS & Empress Ki appealed to women of all ages, and Misaeng to all office workers and to-be office workers, whether male or female. MNIKSS, Dae Jang Geum, Full House, Dong Yi, The Heirs were also ratings successes. It’s hard to believe that The Heirs catered to middle age ajumas!
Even though I agree that ratings do not reflect the quality of a drama, but I cannot agree that the credit or blame for a drama’s ratings success or failure respectively should be placed solely on the shoulders of middle aged ajumas!
We care because when Surplus Princess gets low ratings, they suddenly cut four episodes off the series. Even though a lot of international viewers really liked it.
I can’t believe Empress Ki made the list when it was laughable drama, absolutely laughable!
<3 Misaeng!! best drama of 2014… Best drama ever and I've been watching dramas for almost 10 yrs now.
i agree, my top 3 for 2014 include 1)misaeng, 2)liar game, and 3)bride of the century
i also like pinocchio but since it isn’t complete, i can’t put it in my top 3 yet
It must be the only one drama you have watched for 10yrs.
My all time favorite dramas are MISAENG, CRUEL CITY-HEARTLESS CITY, SECRET LOVE with Ji Sung and is not my concern what the numbers say for any of those dramas.
Jang Bo Ri is weekend drama… weekend drama have higher ratings because there is no work Joey100… thanks for hating and 14.5 billion numbers is not really the true numbers
I just quote from the internet with checking the source clearly..
1. YWCFTS has 3.79billion viewers officially
2. Heirs has 1.19 Billion viewers officially (No.1 On Youku since last year and might continue for being number 1 in 2015 if something big dosen’t come out)
Nobody is going to break YWCFTS or Heirs this year or maybe even next year if something big dosen’t come out..
14.5 was not true but I correct them..
Ah-hem… lets talk about successful kdramas in KOREA only? Talk all you want, Pinocchio isn’t doing that well in KOREA, and of course it would have more views in China because hm… how many people live in China? And in Korea? Make your math.
Hallyu power they have, but in Korea the drama isn’t doing that good compared to “I hear your voice” or “YWCFS” or Misaeng (if it wasn’t cable Misaeng would have 30% ratings or something like this)
I think so but stop being blunt about Pinocchio every drama in Top 10 especially IOIL didn’t do well outside Korea and inside Korea. Why compare only Pinocchio… I can sense the hate from some of the posers here.
I consider Pinocchio an average Drama more good then bad and no it is far from failure..
400mio youku viwers is great so far but with bad TV-ratings it is still average.. Because if dramas like My lovely girl can get 400 million viewers on youku things become doubtful?
I would like to address your issue about My Lovely Girl, even though the drama has great number of followers it got lots of negative review not just in korea but also International reviewers. We have Bi Rain, and some kpop there who is famous in China its expected to score high, just like the Heirs, even though it got high viewer ratings, the content fails to pull international viewers, and mostly given negative reviews.
If I were a fan of Heirs, I would give me a right to laugh at those low rating ones those fans of which keep acting as if they were hits.
Misaeng is great, definitely my #1 drama of all time now. Glad to see Korea loves it too.
As for tv ratings, those have been falling all year. I guess it’s true that younger audiences are migrating to online viewing for younger-skewing dramas like Pinocchio, advertisers and networks should start to rethink their business model/standards to include online too. Because if online ratings are touching 40 percent for a drama that gets 10 percent in tv ratings, obviously someone in Korea is watching. They just didn’t use the tv to do it.
Mr Back,Doctor Stranger and YAAS didnt make it to the top 7 despite having high ratings compared to Pinocchio,for that,im a proud fan.plus,if u notice,Pinocchio is the only drama with low rating as compared to the others but yet its in the top 5.
I believe God’s Gift and Its Okay Its Love got low ratings also 🙁
Saw this over at a Soompi’s threads. The remaining spots for 2014 top 10 CPI ranked dramas for are
08. 무한도전 (237) (not sure what this drama is or it’s IC, the variety show?)
09. Doctor Stranger (233)
10. Discovery of Romance (232.2)
Source: http://star.mk.co.kr/new/view.php?mc=ST&no=1546091&year=2014
I thought Misaeng was a masterpiece, and the finale epic; it had action, character growth, surprises, and a lovely message. I wish they’d do a season 2!
I agree with the first two best dramas. YWCFTS is the bestest of all and Misaeng is an epic one. All criteria such as plot,directing,acting and impact considered. love them so much.