Netflix makes K-content go global

With the increasing amount of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms, strategies of SVOD platforms continue to disrupt traditional television practices. In particular, SVOD platforms have been engaging in original programming to distinguish themselves from other SVOD platforms. As Netflix is the first SVOD platform to go global, studies have been conducted to understand the relationship between Netflix and the specific national markets to gain an understanding of Netflix’s strategies in transnational context. This gives insights into how global corporations such as Netflix operate in national television markets and what the articulations of local creatives are about emerging global SVOD platforms. As the presence of Netflix is increasing in Korean content production and more global SVOD platforms are entering the Korean content production market, the aim of this thesis is to provide a better understanding of SVOD platform practices and discourses in the Korean television industry. This is why the proposed research questions are: what are the discourses on Netflix in Korean content production? What are the production practices of Netflix in Korea? What are the production practices of local SVOD platforms? In order to answer these research questions, publicly available online news articles, official press releases and trade press coverage discussing Netflix’s involvement in Korean content production and production practices of local SVOD platforms are used for analysis. The analysis is a practice and discourse analysis, followed from media industry studies approach. The analysis revealed the following main themes: development of Netflix in Korean content production, working with Netflix, Netflix contributing to the local creative ecosystem, recognition for Korean content, local efforts for Korean content to go global, and concerns and future prospects. The findings reveal that SVOD platforms form strategic partnerships in order to strengthen production capabilities. Despite having creative freedom while working with Netflix, Netflix controls and manages the whole process of production. As concerns grow among local SVOD platforms about their positioning in the SVOD platform industry, Netflix is showing that they are no threat to the local creative ecosystem but are contributing to the local creative ecosystem instead. Whereas Netflix is making efforts to increase their presence in the local market, local SVOD platforms aim to go global and are utilizing similar strategies as Netflix.