In the first half of 2025, Korean dramas once again dominated global streaming platforms. Among the top 100 most-viewed programs on Netflix, 11 of them were Korean dramas.
According to statistics from “FlixPatrol”, in the “2025 Most Popular TV Shows” category, Korean productions have overwhelming dominance among non-English content, demonstrating a strong international influence.
Leading the pack is the “Squid Game” series. The recently released third season of “Squid Game” on June 27 has quickly accumulated a staggering 71.5 million viewing hours, securing the third spot for the year. The second season ranks second with 117.3 million viewing hours, while the first season from 2021 remains popular, ranking at 12th with 42 million viewing hours. In just the first half of 2025, the series has amassed a total of 230.8 million viewing hours, an impressive feat.
Apart from “Squid Game”, several new productions have made it into the rankings. Among them, “Encounter” garnered 34.8 million viewing hours securing the 19th spot, while “Trauma Center” claimed the 20th spot with 34.1 million viewing hours. In the top 20 rankings, there are 5 Korean productions.
Furthermore, the “Weak Hero” series has also performed well. The first season released in 2022 ranked 36th with 22.3 million viewing hours, while the latest second season secured the 45th spot with 19.6 million viewing hours. Other ranked Korean dramas include “Unforgiven” (58th, 16.9 million), “The Phone of the Present” (77th, 14.3 million), “Your Flavor” (82nd, 13.7 million), and “Fated Bonds” (92nd, 12.7 million).
The aforementioned Korean dramas cover diverse themes, ranging from medical comedies to time-travel love stories, action gangsters, campus youth romances, all demonstrating commendable viewership.
The viewership champion on Netflix this year was claimed by the British series “Adolescence” that aired on March 13th, garnering 144.8 million viewing hours. The American thriller series “Zero Day” and the British “Missing You” secured the 4th and 5th spots with 61.3 million and 58 million viewing hours, respectively.
Looking back at Netflix’s Korean drama viewership report for 2024, from January to December last year, including Korean drama productions watched by users worldwide. Apart from the overwhelmingly popular “Squid Game 2”, which became the global champion with 86.5 million views in just a few days after its release, “Queen of Tears” set various viewership records, with an astonishing 24.85% viewership rating for its grand finale. “Crash Landing on You” accumulated 36.8 million views globally on Netflix. Additionally, “My Friend’s Son” and “The Phone of the Present” both made it to the top ten Korean drama viewership list.