|
The nine-part thriller, in
which cash-strapped contestants play childhood
games with deadly consequences in a bid to win
45.6 billion won ($38 million), has become a
worldwide sensation for Netflix since its launch
less than a month ago.
The dystopian drama has inspired countless
memes, Halloween costumes of the ubiquitious
green tracksuits worn by contestants and real
world recreations https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/seller-basks-squid-game-fame-his-sweet-deadly-treat-2021-10-01
of the various games. It has also sparked a
debate within South Korea about toxic
competitive societies and prompted new interest
in the country's culture and language https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/netflix-hit-show-squid-game-spurs-interest-learning-korean-2021-10-11
around the world. "Squid Game has officially
reached 111 million fans — making it our biggest
series launch ever!" Netflix posted on Twitter.
The series reached that total in just 27 days,
since its release on Sept. 17, easily outpacing
U.K. costume drama "Bridgerton", which was
streamed by 82 million accounts in its first 28
days.
Netflix gives limited information on viewing
figures for its platform and cuts the data it
does provide in various ways. The 28-day debut
figures it released for Bridgerton and other
shows included any account that watched an
episode for at least two minutes.
Netflix co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted
Sarandos told a tech conference in California
last month said the streaming service was
surprised by how popular "Squid Game" has
become.
[to top of second column]
|
"We did not see that coming, in
terms of its global popularity," he said.
The series was so popular that South Korean
Internet service provider SK Broadband sued
Netflix https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/skorea-broadband-firm-sues-netflix-after-traffic-surge-squid-game-2021-10-01
to pay for costs from increased network traffic
and maintenance work because of the surge in
viewers.
And a South Korean woman was in talks with the
U.S. firm about compensation after she was
deluged with thousands of prank calls and text
messages when her phone number https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/netflix-edit-squid-game-phone-number-after-woman-inundated-with-calls-2021-10-06
was inadvertently highlighted as a key plot
point in the series.
Netflix has it would spend https://www.reuters.com/article/us-netflix-south-korea-idUSKBN2AP1RJ
more than $500 million on content produced in
South Korea this year.
(Reporting by Josh Smith; editing by Jane
Wardell)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content |
