The popularity of Hallyu or the Korean Wave as an effective soft power mechanism has attracted great interest in recent studies. The Hallyu wave gained its current momentum mainly through the export of K-Dramas, that is, dramas whose country of origin is South Korea. In such a scenario, understanding the reason for the popularity of K-dramas among foreign audiences is crucial for the further spread of Hallyu. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayOne of the key aspects that can be very helpful in this regard would be to analyze the nature of the foreign audience. Thus, this research paper aims to understand the audience dynamics of overseas K-dramas by addressing the following 4 themes: -Audience characteristics, such as age and gender. Reasons why audiences prefer their “Korean” dramas. Especially to find out if they prefer K-Dramas over regional and international TV series. The emergence of a new “K-Drama viewing culture” among its audiences. For example, fan club activities. blogs, YouTube channels, etc. Correlation between viewing drama series and growing interest in Korean language and Korean studies among its audience. By understanding these themes, the research attempts to map any visible trends in the popularity of K-dramas among audiences in a certain country or region. In addition to fostering the targeted development of Hallyu in these countries or regions, I also hope to identify other potential regions using these parameters. For this, India was considered as a potential region by exploring the reasons for the increase in viewership of K-Dramas and its implications for the future development of India.IntroductionAudience is an important part of studies on media to the extent that different media products are designed to keep them in mind. So, knowing their preferences, viewing habits and lifestyle are crucial aspects of audience research. Producers and broadcasters attach great importance to audience research in order to achieve greater success for their programs and greater economic profit. The harbinger of the Hallyu or Korean wave was the export of K-dramas. Korean dramas (k-dramas) can be understood as television series whose country of origin is South Korea and which have underlying Korean cultural value. With k-drama exports increasing from US$8 million to US$336 million during 1997-2014, the Korean wave is expanding beyond South Korea to Asia, the Middle East , Europe, the Americas and Africa. Thus, it is important to understand the "international audience", in terms of the nature of their preferences and participation in prolonged drama viewing activities. If hallyu is to be supported and further developed in potential countries and regions, it is important to understand the audience dynamics. The article aims to examine various internal and external factors that determine the choices made by audiences, determining various audience trends. The article further investigates the nature of audience impact on audience attitude and behavior towards the cultural content consumed. The analysis draws on various case studies and surveys conducted by various researchers. For a better understanding of how these factors work, let us look back at the development of Hallyu, through the export of K-dramas.k-DRAMAS and the birth of HallyuThe export of dramas had started in the early 1990s itself. In 1997, the national channel(CCTV, China Central Television) broadcast the Korean television series “What Is Love All About?” ", which became a huge hit and was rebroadcast by several other Chinese channels. The family-centric love story has won the hearts of many. Surprised by the impressive audience rating of 15% (the second highest ever recorded for an imported program in China), it sparked widespread interest in Korean dramas. Chinese media began using the term hanliu (Korean wave) to describe this cultural phenomenon. Excitement was soon raised by the broadcast of "Star in My Hear't", it was the first broadcast on Phoenix TV in Hong Kong before heading to the mainland. If this was just the beginning, the real breakthrough of the Hallyu wave occurred with the broadcast of "Winter Sonata" on the NHK satellite channel in 2003. The momentum was maintained and taken to a whole new level level with the broadcast of "Jewel in the Palace". " by MBC in 2003. While Winter Sonata had been exported to 20 countries, Jewel in the Palace was sold to 87 countries as of May 2011, gaining a strong fan base in the Middle East, Eastern Europe and the UNITED STATES. With the spread of Hallyu and the growing popularity of K-pop (Korean popular music), K-drama had begun to take a back seat as the driving force behind Hallyu. But, with the resurgence of popularity of K-dramas with “My Love from Another Star” (2013-14), followed by other commercial successes like The Heirs (2013). K-dramas continue to channel Hallyu through effective use of new digital media. So, what makes K-dramas appeal to audiences? Factors Determining International Audience According to Mauskapf, the audience's decision to select, evaluate and recommend products (in our case Korean dramas) is determined by the influence of socio-cultural dynamics, environmental and institutional factors, etc. . account, then the following factors can be considered as the factors influencing the audience; -1) cultural proximity Prominent scholars like Kim Eumee and Ryoo Jiwon consider cultural proximity, common historical and cultural heritage, and common rapid industrialization phase as the main reasons why K-dramas generate immense popularity in East Asian countries. So, what do we mean by cultural proximity? According to Straubharr's theory of cultural proximity, cultural proximity can be defined as "the way in which transnational media content originating from an adjacent geographic region or a region similar in other aspects has an influence on the audience residing in this region. particular region”. Thus, Confucian values ​​such as family relationships, respect for parents, and love between siblings conveyed in most Korean dramas seem to be well appreciated by Asian audiences who share the same cultural values. Take the case of the hit drama “What Is Love?” » The drama deals with two families, a traditional conservative family and a westernized, open-minded family who come together for their children's wedding. The generation gap shown between the younger generation and the older generation was well received by its Asian audience, especially on the continent. China. According to Shim Doabo (2008), compared to Japanese and American series, K-dramas have been chosen more in developing countries like mainland China and Vietnam because of how K-dramas have retained traditional values ​​while achieving “technical sophistication” compared to American or Japanese series. . This makes it an important model to follow “economically and culturally”. CIAJian describes this phenomenon as cultural mixing. Even though new genres have evolved, these values ​​remain at the core of Korean dramas. Kim Bok Rae goes on to call Hallyu a “missionary of East Asian cultural values.” Next, what about the popularity of Korean dramas in non-Asian countries? Cultural similarities and similar cultural and social contexts can contribute to the cultural affinity felt with a particular country. This can be reflected in the consumption patterns of cultural products. According to Fan Hong, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, Korean dramas have the power to appeal to global audiences thanks to Jeong, a Korean term for human affection, which is usually a central theme. dramas. regardless of gender, friendship, family values ​​and “pure” love, which is timeless. Hong emphasizes that these are universal feelings that appeal to a wide audience. This factor can provide an important connection with people living in other parts of the world as well as Asia. She further says that "Korean dramas deal with daily life and familiar topics, and that is why many Chinese people prefer Korean dramas for their human codes. Let's take a look at the case of K-dramas' popularity in Iran. In Iran, Jewel in the Palace was broadcast by IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting). It was reportedly ranked as the most popular drama series from March to April 2007, with 57% viewership and 97% satisfaction. According to local magazine HamshahryJavan (Young Citizen), Jewel in the Palace's popularity is due to the audience's ability to empathize with the main character in her struggle to become the king's first female doctor during the Joseon era. Another aspect that was mentioned was the beautiful hanboks worn in these period dramas. Being a Muslim country, women must keep themselves well covered under the burqa, so that they can appreciate the elegance of the body covering the traditional outfits of period dramas. It is no wonder that other period dramas like Jumong (2009) had a large audience in Iran. Even in Eastern European countries, especially Romania and even the United States, there was a strong audience for Jewel in the Palace, coming to admire the cultural heritage depicted in this drama. . This echoes Sung Sang Yeon's opinion that the "delicate and eloquent" expression of Asian values ​​and feelings is what makes K-dramas popular3) K-dramas' emotional sensitivity storyline that remarkably depicts the nuances of human emotions, whether love, loyalty. , agony, anger or revenge have often been applauded by the global audience. The fact that Winter Sonata, Autumn in my Heart, Stairway to Heaven enjoyed high ratings, even in reruns, confirms the global appreciation of the emotional sensitivity of these dramas. The simple plots of dramas with deep characters, which last on average 16 to 20 episodes, are another reason why K-dramas have been preferred over long-running local TV series, especially in the Philippines, where long-running telenovelas are tedious. to the local public. Another important reason for this popularity is that Korean dramas are less sexual and violent than other Hollywood products. This broadens the age range of its viewers and makes the experience of watching drama series comfortable, especially for conservative parts of the world like the Middle East, where watching TV is a family affair. Even in countries like Mexico and Brazil, where Brazilian telenovelas dominate viewership, growing K-drama fans believe that simple, straightforward plotsValue-based are preferable because they are less sexual and violent compared to the content of local telenovelas, making the experience of watching dramas with families more comfortable. They even believe that the values ​​represented in these dramas can inspire the way of life of their respective countries. From Asia to Latin America, the overall drama series in terms of production value has been a big push for viewers to be glued to the screens. Whether it is the beautiful winter and autumn seasons filmed in the Nami Islands for Winter Sonata or the aesthetic architecture of palaces shown in historical dramas, viewers admire it all. Recently, the exotic foreign locations featured in dramas like Descendants of the Sun (Greece) and Misaeng (Cairo) have enhanced the viewing experience of dramas. With the experimentation of innovative genres like W-the Two Worlds, where the world in a manhwa and the real world showed convergence, audiences both overseas and in Korea wanted more. Morikawa believes that the dramas' uniqueness lies in their special attention to fashion and beautiful background music. Institutional Factors In the early 1990s, East Asian governments were defensive about foreign cultural influence in television programming. However, in line with global trends, they have liberalized their television programming policies, which has enabled the export of drama series. Even today, the cooperation of the other nation's government plays an important role in the future progress of Hallyu. The enthusiasm and efforts made by the Korean government for the progress of Hallyu are also significant. Creation of organizations like KOCCA. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) is the primary government agency in South Korea that oversees the advancement of Korean creative content, both domestically and internationally. KOCCA played an important role in promoting Hallyu in Latin America, especially in the introduction of Kdramas. They even did the dubbing and dubbing of these dramas in Spanish and other languages ​​for free, so that they could be broadcast on national television channels. Internet as a factor of media convergence, the use of multiple media has had a decisive impact on the evolution of the production, promotion and streaming of Kdramas. Over the past decade, there has been a surge in drama streaming sites like Hulu, Netflix, dramafever, Viki. There has also been a proliferation of various illegal streaming sites. Fan pages, drama news websites like Dramabeans, have improved drama watching experiences. My love from another star who marked the importance of a shift in audience support to mobile phones and laptops. In the United States, people stream drama series through Netflix and Hulu rather than watching them on television. Dramas like Secret Garden are in the top 200 most-watched dramas on Netflix. The Impact of Drama Audience Study conducted by Chang Pao LI and Lee Hyojung analyzes various surveys undertaken by MOFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), KOTRA (Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) and KOFICE (Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange) and created a popularity index. from level 1 to 5 based on various audience models and consumption behaviors: LEVEL 1 (Not interested); LEVEL 2 (Recognized); LEVEL 3 (Rather popular); LEVEL 4 (Popular); LEVEL 5 (Very popular). Not interested in Kdrama or Kpop. Kdrama and Kpop are recognized in the media, but the general public does not appreciate the products very muchKorean cultural. Korean dramas were hugely successful when they aired on national TV channels, but I'm not sure if people follow other dramas. Kdramas have been airing in prime time for 7-12 years and avidly following dramas, actors and actors from 2004 to 009. The original countries of Hallyu were very popular dramas and restrictions were imposed by governments . Shows high consumption behavior for Korean cultural products. Austria, Colombia, India, etc. France, Brazil, United Kingdom. Cuba, Hungary (kpop is popular among young people), Uzbekistan, Laos, Peru. China, Japan. Philippines, Mongolia. Many previous surveys have shown that the female population makes up the majority of Kdrama viewers. But with the use of multiple media for watching movies, kdrama watching has been watched by both genders and even wider age ranges. For example, in Brazil, quantitative data on the first kdrama broadcast on Rede Brasil in 2015 – Happy Ending (2013, JTBC) showed that the age range of viewers spanned from 13 to 54, the age range of average age falling in the age range of 16-24. In many countries in Europe and Latin America, such as Brazil, where Kpop is very popular, the number of fiction viewers is only increasing, as in the case of Brazil. Most countries belonging to LEVEL 4 and above show great interest in extended drama activities. Considering various factors, here is the attitude and behavior patterns exhibited by consumers of Kdramas and other cultural products. National image of Korea according to Jennifer Pai, a Taiwanese journalist, before the Korean Wave, the image of Korea in Taiwan was very harsh and uncivilized, but after watching dramas, the pleasant OSTs and beautiful cinematography changed their perception . on South Korea's jurisdiction. According to a survey conducted by the 21st Century Japan-Korea Association, in 1990, 51% of Japanese respondents had negative feelings toward Korea, and only 9.5% had a positive image of Korea. The rate of respondents with a positive image rose to 77.8% in 2005, after the Winter Sonata fever. Fan Behavior Handsome actors dressed in fashionable clothes are definitely one of the main reasons supporting the Hallyu wave. Over the years, countless fan clubs and fan sites have emerged to satisfy fans' curiosity about their favorite actors, actresses and their upcoming projects. As Iran was swept by the Hallyu wave, Iranian immigrants in Korea created a website to keep kdrama fans up to date with entertainment happenings in Korea. Whalemenyek, a Korean drama blog based in Hungary, has been running an online voting system for popular Korean dramas since 2014, bringing much-needed attention to Korean dramas from Hungarian fans. Various YouTube channels have also been created to give reviews and ratings of currently running Kdramas, one such channel being Holly Returns. Many fans actively follow their favorite stars on social media like Instagram. Consumer Behavior During prolonged exposure to television series, viewers indirectly experience the cultural experiences depicted by the series. They won't want to buy the products used by their favorite actors and will want to have first-hand experience of the culture, language, food, etc. Producers are aware of consumer trends and use them to pursue economic progress. The content of the text (dramas) is adapted to economic gains such as.