Squid Game is not just another hit Netflix show, but it’s turned into the internet’s favorite show. Released back in September, the nine-episode Korean series is destined to become Netflix’s biggest “non-English-language show in the world,” said Netflix’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos.
Squid Game Becomes A Favorite on Netflix
“It’s only been out for nine days, and it’s a very good chance it’s going to be our biggest show ever,” Sarandos said last month.
Flix Patrol is a website that tracks statistics for top streaming platforms in the world. It reported that Squid Game is the No. 1 show in several countries including the U.S., United Kingdom, and South Korea.
Senior strategy analyst Julia Alexander at Parrot Analytics said it’s clear that Squid Game has been a massive success. Should would continue to use one word to describe it.
“‘Unprecedented,'” Alexander said. “I’m assuming that the executives knew because of the talent they used, because of the region they released it in, that this was going to be a hit in South Korea. I would put good money that the executives had no idea this was going to be a global hit.”
Squid Game follows Seong Gi-Hun (Lee Jun-jae) as he and hundreds of desparate contestants who are deep in financial problems compete in an extremely violet competition of children’s games like Green Light/Red Light to win about $38 million. Only one can win the prize money, and the those who lose the series of games will be killed. Either by not completing the game or making a mistake.
Squid Game’s Popularity Started With Word of Mouth (and social media)
According to Vulture, the series was marketed in South Korea and other Asian countries, but there was no serious push to advertise in the U.S. Instead, Squid Game’s unique concept created a big buzz on social media. Twitter and TikTok users posted about it the Netflix show.
“People hear about it, people talk about it, people love it, and there’s a very social aspect to that, which does help grow the show outside of what we do,” Netflix’s global TV head, Bela Bajaria, told Vulture.
Non-English-Language Shows Are On The Rise
Netflix has had plenty of non-english-language hit shows before Squid Game. Shows like the French-language show Lupin and Money Heist, which was originally in Spanish, have been top performers for the streaming service.
Netflix originals Bridgerton and The Witcher, which are English-language productions, had 65 million to 70 million streams in their first 28 days according to Alexander. But the two shows don’t compare to Squid Game, which is on track to become Netflix’s biggest show of all time.
“You’ve got young tweens and teens watching this in [the video games] Roblox and Minecraft, and you’ve got millennials who are watching it at home and Gen Xers who are hearing about it, and they want to watch it,” Alexander said.
“Korean talent, whether it’s K-pop, Korean actors, Korean filmmakers, Korean athletes — there’s so much demand for this group of talent that every company in the United States is trying to figure out how to bring that talent over,” Alexander said.
Experience what the buzz is all about and watch Squid Game. Now streaming on Netflix.
