《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Jang Dong-yoon and Lee Joo-myeong star in ‘Flowers Bloom Even in the Sand’
Korea’s first wrestling drama, viewership rating is around 1%
The reason why it cannot surpass the box office threshold unlike movies
/Photo = Ten Asia DB
《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Like an insert that enlarges an important scene in a drama, reporter Kang Min-kyung of Ten Asia sheds light on broadcasting issues. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back of the hot topic from a three-dimensional perspective.
ENA’s Wednesday-Thursday drama ‘Flowers Bloom Even in the Sand’, the first Korean drama based on wrestling, was unveiled. Although it has currently aired up to episode 4, the viewership rating is around 1%. Why do sports-themed dramas fail to surpass the box office threshold?
‘Flowers Bloom in the Sand (hereinafter referred to as Sand Flowers)’ is a youth romance that unfolds when Kim Baek-du (played by Jang Dong-yoon), a wrestling prodigy who has been fighting for 20 years, and Oh Yoo-kyung (played by Lee Joo-myeong), a small town leader, meet again. This is the first work based on wrestling 17 years after the movie ‘Madonna’, which was released in 2006. ‘Sand Flower’ is also the first domestic drama to be based on wrestling.
The viewer rating of ‘Sand Flower’, which first aired on December 20th, was 1.5%. The second episode recorded 1.4%, and the third episode recorded 1.5%. ‘Sand Flower’, which consists of 12 episodes, has not yet reached its turning point. It received attention because it was Korea’s first drama based on wrestling, but it failed to capture the hearts of viewers. Of course, there is a chance for a rebound in viewership ratings, but this cannot be guaranteed.
There have been many dramas and movies based on sports. Dramas ‘Doctor Champ’, ‘Stove League’, ‘Racquet Boys’, ‘493 km to you’, ’25 21′, ‘Mental Coach Jegal Gil’, movies ‘National Team’, ‘Korea’, ‘Our Life’ ‘Best Moment’, ‘Malathon’, ‘Count’, ‘Dream’, ‘Rebound’, etc.
The viewership ratings for ‘Racquet Boys’, which is based on badminton, ‘493 km to you’, which is based on badminton, and ‘Mental Coach Jegal Gil’, which is based on ice, were in the single digits. In particular, the highest viewership rating for ‘493km to You’ was 1.9%, and it even fell to 0.9%. However, although ‘Doctor Champ’ and ‘Stove League’ are classified as sports dramas, it seems correct to say that they focus on occupations. Drama ‘Stove League’, ‘Racquet Boys’, ‘Mental Coach Jegal-gil’, movie ‘National Team’ poster / Photo provided by SBS, tvN ‘Doctor Champ’ is about orthopedic surgeon Kim Yeon-woo (played by Kim So-yeon) entering the Taereung Athletes’ Village. A subtle love triangle was drawn at the back. The highest viewership rating was 13.7%. ‘Stove League’ depicts the events that occur and the resolution process when new general manager Baek Seung-soo (played by Namgoong Min) is appointed to the Dreams baseball team, which has been in last place for many years. The highest viewership rating for ‘Stove League’ was 19.1%.
‘National Team’, a movie about ski jumping, mobilized 8.39 million people. ‘The Best Moment of Our Lives’ attracted 4.01 million people, and ‘Marathon’, about a marathon, attracted 4.19 million people. Not all sports movies are successful, but compared to dramas, they tend to be produced a little more. Excluding ‘Doctor Champ’ and ‘Stove League’, sports drama viewership ratings are poor. What is the reason?
An official said, “There are fewer people than you think who are interested in sports enough to watch them immersed for a long period of time, not just for a short period of time. There is a vague barrier to entry, as it seems that you need to have knowledge of the sports genre to watch it. When it comes to sports-themed dramas, it is well known. “I tend not to watch it, and I think the plot might be a bit obvious,” he said.
Sports fans also use the expression, ‘It’s more like a drama than a drama’ whenever they watch a dramatic game of the team they support. They watch the game on TV or mobile, or go to the field and watch the game in person. Instead, there is a difference. When you see it in person, it is exciting and the cheering atmosphere fills you with adrenaline.
Most dramas are 12 episodes long or 16 episodes long. Due to the nature of movies, everything has to be shown within two hours, but dramas take a long time. Another official said, “Unlike movies that provide catharsis within two hours like an actual sports game, dramas that tell stories over a long period of time require viewers to be immersed and drawn in for a long period of time. In addition, sports dramas have stronger genre characteristics than regular dramas. “Because perceived preference for a sport is important, various factors play a role in achieving mass popularity.”
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter [email protected]
© Ten Asia, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
2023-12-29 03:36:05
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