A+E NETWORK’S FIRST KOREAN DRAMA SERIES ATTRACTS WORLDWIDE AUDIENCES

A+E Network's first Korean TV series investment, “Backstreet Rookie” has attracted attention from viewers all around the globe. The show aired on Lifetime Korea and SBS Korea last month. "We are very pleased that the first premium Korean drama, ‘Backstreet Rookie’ produced and invested by A+E Networks, has fulfilled the expectations of fans who were familiar with the webtoon,” Youngsun Soh, General Manager, A+E Networks Korea said.

The show is the first Korean TV series invested in by global media group A+E Networks and produced by Taewon Entertainment. It airs globally on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:00 p.m., with the exception of China and Japan, by the Korean broadcasting company SBS and massive OTT platform, iQIYI. In Japan, the local OTT platform U-NEXT has acquired broadcasting rights, along with Lifetime channel in Korea. "We will continue to look for drama opportunities that satisfy fans from around the world, works for our production partners, and serves to grow the Lifetime brand in Korea,” Soh said.

The show recorded the highest viewership ratings of 2020 for Lifetime, particularly from women between the ages 25-39. According to Nielsen Korea, Lifetime's mixture of local and global shows has grown by approximately 186% since the same time last year, with "Backstreet Rookie" as its primary release. It's currently airing as an SBS Korea Friday-Saturday primetime drama in Korea, ranking number one across all mini-series in Korea. During its second round on Lifetime, it ranked first for the same timeslot for both genders every week.

According to iQIYI, which airs the show globally ex-Japan and Mainland China, “Backstreet Rookie” was consistently rated as the top TV series from its 1st to 10th episode in many Asia markets, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. It also made it to the top among 30 Korean TV series aired on the platform during the first half of the year.