In the two years since Disney+ ventured into financing or licensing its own exclusive K-dramas the platform hasn’t gotten the breakout it is likely looking for. There have been K-dramas well received and reviewed that aired solely on Disney+ but the reach still seems niche much like in the early days of a smaller cable network. But if ENA can go from total unknown to legit player thanks to one mega hit drama then Disney+ should keep trying and coming up will be the K-version of Batman drama Vigilante adapted from the same name webtoon. It stars Nam Joo Hyuk as the titular character who is a police university student by day and action hero vigilante by night, with Yoo Ji Tae joining for the veteran gravitas whether he’s playing a good or baddie role.
I would like to add that Europeans don’t have access to the Korean content on Disney +
Disney+ and Prime Video have made the mistake of Geo-locking their content which is restricting the popularity of their Kdrama originals. They need a massive overhaul of their measurement systems as well.
I hate getting excited for a drama only to learn it will be on Disney+. Unlike other subscription streaming platforms, you can’t just subscribe and watch…. And ithese are signed to Disney, there is little to no hope we can find them on other platforms like Ciki, Netflix or Prime in the future. They only have a handful of K-content in N. America and only two dramas, Snowdrop and Soundrack #1 are both from last year. Sure, I can watch if I also subscribe to VPN but why should I have to do that if I am already paying for the Disney subscription. As popular as Korean dramas have become, I can’t believe Disney doesn’t expand their content here.
I just sigh whenever a drama winds up on either platform. I just see it’s potential global buzz going right down the drain. It took forever to realize just about all the K-Dramas I was waiting to show up on Disney+ were actually on Hulu. They have these dramas but they just seem buried in their platforms. Disney and Amazon need to look at Netflix and take notes. I actually thought HBO MAX would get in the mix if Warner Bros still has content leftover from their purchase of the Dramafever.
In Australia I am lucky as I am able to access Korean content on Disney+ however I do have problems with Rakuten Viki which also have regional licensing restrictions. Many Korean dramas are not available for viewing in my region via Viki so I understand people’s frustration. I already subscribe to a number of streaming services and have reached my financial limit thus do not wish to subscribe to any more.
Looking forward to this, I miss NJH 😀