TV consumption in South Korea - statistics & facts

The South Korean broadcasting industry recorded a revenue of around 58.6 trillion South Korean won in 2021, after a decade of growth. With the majority of that coming from television and video broadcasts, consumption patterns have been changing over the past two decades. While the traditional television set is still the most common way of watching TV programs, other devices and different platforms such as over-the-top (OTT) streaming have been gaining in popularity. Among streaming platforms, internationally popular services such as Disney Plus and Netflix as well as domestic brands such as Tving and Coupang Play were major players in the Korean broadcast content streaming market.

Television watching habits

Television sets are a common way to watch TV broadcast, but usage rates of household TV sets generally are low, particularly among young people. Instead, viewers of such programs are migrating to other devices, leading to an increase of TV program watch times on non-TV devices. Alongside this shift away from traditional TV broadcasts, large streaming platforms have started releasing their own in-house productions and/or web-exclusive shows in addition to hosting external productions. This is accompanied by a rise in personal streaming of various types of content, such as gaming and beauty, on platforms like YouTube and AfreecaTV. According to a 2022 survey, news and entertainment were the most common types of programs watched on television in South Korea. This differed slightly from preferred programs on streaming services, were variety shows where the most popular by far. Despite this, K-dramas dominated both terrestrial and pay TV channels based on viewership ratings, with dramas such as “Young Lady and Gentleman” and “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” capturing the attention of audiences nationwide.

The rise of streaming

With the rise of paid content subscriptions and the increased use of alternative devices and platforms to watch programs, streaming has become a popular way of accessing broadcast content. The overwhelming majority of people younger than 40 reported using OTT services in 2022. While entertainment programs were the most popular type of content watched on streaming platforms, different online video services were used for various entertainment genres. Streaming has also allowed for increased international distribution of broadcast content. K-drama fans worldwide look to international streaming services as an easier way of accessing TV and web dramas that were formerly only available on Korean television or Korean streaming websites.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Mar 18, 2024

Key insights

Most watched terrestrial TV program
"Young Lady and Gentleman"
Most watched pay TV program
"Extraordinary Attorney Woo"
Most popular K-drama internationally
"Squid Game"
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Broadcasting industry revenue in South Korea from 2008 to 2021 (in trillion South Korean won)

TV, Video & Film

Broadcasting industry revenue in South Korea 2008-2021

Sales revenue of the three main terrestrial broadcasters in South Korea in 2021 (in billion South Korean won)

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Sales revenue of the biggest terrestrial broadcasters in South Korea 2021

Share of households subscribing to pay television in South Korea as of July 2022, by type

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Subscription rate of pay televisions in South Korea 2022, by type

Related topics

South Korean broadcast media

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South Korean digital media

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Broadcasting industry overview

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TV consumption behavior

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Streaming

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TV program preferences

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K-dramas

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K-dramas

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Film industry in South Korea
Film industry in South Korea
Creative content industry in South Korea
Creative content industry in South Korea
Traditional media usage in South Korea
Traditional media usage in South Korea
Digital media usage in South Korea
Digital media usage in South Korea
Television industry in South Korea
Television industry in South Korea

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