walkwithheroes: [The Princess Bride] ([YBeautiful] Sing the Sorrow)
[personal profile] walkwithheroes
Two things:


1. Both Playful Kiss and Sungkyunkwan Scandal started this week. Each with ratings in the 3%s. Ouch! Of course, this is to be expected. Playful Kiss is going up against Baker King, which has ratings in the 40% range; My Girlfriend is a Gumiho is holding steady in the 12% range. While Sungkyunkwan Scandal is going up against Giant, I Am Legend, and Dong Yi - all of which have steady ratings. The thing is both new shows are going up against shows that are nearly done (Baker King, Dong Yi) or shows that are half-way thru (My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, I Am Legend), which means people aren't very likely to change the channel for something new.

With shows like Baker King, Giant, and Dong Yi - you have shows the whole family can watch and enjoy together. A sort of multi-generational program. With I Am Legend and My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, you have romantic-comedies that families, couples, or singles can enjoy; and each is finding its drama, so people aren't very likely to switch over to something new.

Playful Kiss and Sungkyunkwan Scandal - from the outside - appear to be "Idol" dramas, that many older people are likely to gloss over. Of course this doesn't mean the shows are bad, it just means their ratings could bring them trouble. Money could be lost, episodes could be cut, etc. And, as we know from the strike, ratings play a big deal in what happens on the set.


Hopefully both shows can hang on until Baker King, Giant, and Dong Yi end. [Baker King ends in two weeks; Giant ends in nine weeks; and Dong Yi ends in eight weeks.]



2. Television crews and actors are striking in Korea! Shows on MBC are already being affected. The shows? Dong Yi and Gloria.


Now, you may be asking: Why the strike? From what I can understand: unions are striking over unpaid crew and cast wages. In other words: Until the outstanding sum of more than 4 billion won is repaid, the union has taken the stance that they will refuse to allow their members continued participation in those productions. Representatives from the union gave a press conference on September 1, which was the deadline that the broadcasters were scrambling to meet in order to keep their affected dramas filming.

The union stated at the press conference, “The broadcasting company is at fault when outside production companies cannot adequately pay their actors and crew. The broadcasters can no longer air programs for free.”

The problem pointed out by the union is that there is an imbalance created with the system of using outside production companies. The broadcasters foot some of the production budget and make money off advertisers (and here’s where ratings are important, because the higher the ratings of a drama, the more ads they sell and at higher prices). However, they put undue pressure on the outside production companies when they pay, for example, only 50% to 60% of the actual cost to actually produce a miniseries. The union stated that the broadcast stations need to increase the production budgets they pay.
- dramabeans

Date: 2010-09-03 03:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] clairiere.livejournal.com
Actually, SKK Scandal's ratings were in the 6%s. Still in the single digits but the network/KBS can afford a poor outing as it's having on average a strong, successful year. SKKS is also broadcast Mon-Tues at 10pm, which tends to be the network's weak spot because its competition MBC traditionally airs its sageuks in the same timeslot, and KBS has come to use it for its more tentative, 'experimental' dramas like Gumiho Tale of the Fox Child. So regardless of what its initial expectations might have been for SKKS, if the ratings don't get any worse, even show some improvement, and the drama earns praise for quality, they won't lose face (and/or money) that much.

And SKKS's competition on SBS is Giant. IAL airs earlier at 9pm, which is news hour for KBS and MBC. (SBS News is at 8-9pm---it's a young network, founded in the mid-1990s, so the gist of its programming strategy is about how to find the niche markets vs. KBS and MBC.)

Date: 2010-09-04 06:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] walkwithheroes.livejournal.com
I got Scandal's ratings from dramabeans. I haven't watched the episodes yet - waiting on subs, and a bit busy at the moment - but, from what I've seen, it looks like a good show. Thanks for explaining a few things about KBS and what shows are actually on at what times.

Date: 2010-09-03 04:25 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] lastingdreams8.livejournal.com
I liked how you put the ratings of these dramas into perspective; might have to check some of these out :)

Date: 2010-09-04 06:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] walkwithheroes.livejournal.com
:) Thanks. I haven't watched half the shows I mentioned, but according to my friends-list, they are all great. It's times like this I'm glad I don't live in Korea - I'd have a hard time choosing what to watch!

Date: 2010-09-03 07:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] boycottbananas.livejournal.com
I skimmed through the first episode of Mischievous Kiss/Playful Kiss (RAW) and I really liked it. I don't understand the whole ratings thing and I don't think I ever will. XD

Date: 2010-09-04 06:12 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] walkwithheroes.livejournal.com
I know the ratings are important - higher ratings mean more company's will want to put ads on your network, the cast will get more offers for shows, CFs, etc; and more money will be made. It's just that a lot of really awesome shows have poor ratings for whatever reasons. I haven't watched Playful Kiss yet - I'm too busy, so I'm waiting for subs - but the stills and previews look really cute.

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