iWorld
Robust growth in Korea’s premium VOD sector, led by Tving
Mumbai: The premium video-on-demand (VOD) landscape in South Korea grew subscribers, revenues and engagement at robust levels in 1H 2024 according to analysis conducted by ampd, the digital measurement platform owned and operated by Media Partners Asia (MPA). The Korean SVOD market added 705,000 net new subscribers in 1H to a total 20.8 million by end of June 2024 while premium VOD revenues, including subscription and advertising, grew 11 per cent year-on-year to $922 million and viewership grew five per cent Y/Y to 103 billion minutes.
Tving led subscriber growth in 1H 2024, contributing 34 per cent share of SVOD category net additions to 4.2 million total subscribers. Tving’s growth is anchored to popular tvN and JTBC network dramas, variety and originals. The introduction of a new advertising tier helped drive user growth in 1H 2024, with MAUs >11.5 million. Netflix remains the premium VOD category leader with 43 per cent share of revenue and 37 per cent of viewership. Tving is gaining pace, growing share of premium VOD viewership by six points Y/Y to reach 30 per cent, capturing 15 per cent of premium VOD revenues. Beyond premium VOD, viewership across AVOD, SVOD and live streaming platforms on mobile devices totalled 534 billion minutes in 1H 2024, up 24 per cent Y/Y. YouTube is the overall VOD category leader and continues to gain share, reaching 80 per cent of total VOD viewership in 1H 2024.
ampd’s lead analyst & head of insights Dhivya T commented: “Local content captured 77 per cent of premium VOD category engagement and 75 per cent of customer acquisition in 1H 2024, with key drama and variety hits from Tving , Netflix , Coupang Play and Disney+. An abundance of local drama and variety releases across major VOD platforms drive viewership, with over 200 titles contributing to 80 per cent of Korean content demand in 1H 2024. Tving led hits across scripted and unscripted titles, carrying 10 of the top 15 titles (seven shared across platforms) in 1H 2024. Other key platforms include Netflix with seven of the top 15 titles. Disney+ originals Coupang Play’s sports and originals also broke through. CJ ENM produced six of the top 15 titles in 1H 2024.”
Premium VOD viewership share in South Korea (1H 2024)
Source: ampd
iWorld
Why Peaky Blinders is one of television’s biggest hits that still deserves more attention
Six seasons, multiple awards and the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man bring the Shelby saga back into the spotlight
In the crowded universe of streaming content, only a handful of shows manage to leave a lasting cultural footprint. Peaky Blinders is overwhelmingly considered one of the biggest global hits of the past decade. Yet many viewers still haven’t fully explored the dark, gripping world of the Shelby family.
Originally produced for the UK’s BBC and later finding a massive global audience through Netflix, the series quietly grew from a British period drama into a worldwide streaming phenomenon.
Created by Steven Knight, the show follows the rise of the Shelby crime family in post-First World War Birmingham. What begins as a gritty street-gang story gradually expands into a sweeping narrative about ambition, politics, power and survival.
At the centre of the saga is Thomas Shelby, portrayed with extraordinary depth by Cillian Murphy. The casting of Murphy is widely regarded as perfect for the role. With piercing eyes, restrained dialogue and an almost hypnotic screen presence, he transforms Shelby into one of the most unforgettable characters in modern screen storytelling.
Murphy’s brilliance lies in his restraint. He rarely shouts or performs theatrically. Instead, a quiet stare, a calculated pause or a subtle shift in expression conveys the emotional storms within the character. Beneath the ruthless gang leader is a war veteran carrying trauma, guilt and loneliness. Murphy captures this complexity with remarkable precision, making Thomas Shelby both terrifying and deeply human.
Beyond its central performance, Peaky Blinders stands out for its unfiltered portrayal of reality. The show does not romanticise crime. Instead, it exposes the harsh social conditions of early 20th-century Britain, from poverty and class struggle to political extremism and the psychological scars left by war.
The series also presents powerful female characters who hold their own within the Shelby empire. Polly Gray, played by Helen McCrory, is the strategic backbone of the family and one of the most formidable figures in the story. Women in the series shape decisions, influence power structures and challenge the rigid social norms of the time.
Across six seasons, the narrative grows dramatically in scale. What begins in the smoky streets of Birmingham evolves into a story involving political conspiracies, fascism and international criminal networks.
The series has also earned significant critical acclaim. It won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series in 2018 and multiple National Television Awards for Best Drama, cementing its reputation as one of Britain’s most celebrated modern shows.
Another defining feature of the series is its iconic music. The show’s opening theme, Red Right Hand by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, became instantly recognisable and widely associated with the Shelby universe. Combined with a powerful soundtrack featuring artists such as Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead, the music helped shape the show’s dark, stylish identity and became hugely popular among fans.
And the Shelby story is not over yet.
In fact, its legacy is unfolding right now. The long-awaited feature-length continuation, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was released on March 6, 2026, bringing the Shelby universe from streaming screens to cinemas and giving fans a new chapter in the saga.
For viewers who have not yet stepped into this world, the timing could not be better.
Six gripping seasons are ready to binge on Netflix. A new film has just arrived in theatres. And at the heart of it all stands one of the most magnetic performances in modern drama by Cillian Murphy.
So if Peaky Blinders has been sitting on your watchlist for years, this weekend is your moment.
So, by order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, consider this your cue to finally step into the ruthless world of Thomas Shelby. Pour yourself a drink, clear your schedule and press the play button. Because when the Peaky Blinders give an order, you listen.
