'Tastefully Yours,' which barely reached a 1% TV viewership rating, has become a surprise sensation after landing on Netflix. The drama immediately topped the platform's charts and created buzz, both domestically and internationally.
'Tastefully Yours,' an original series by KT Genie TV and aired on ENA, ranked No. 1 on Netflix Korea’s Top 10 series list as of the 15th. According to streaming analytics site FlixPatrol, the drama also ranked No. 2 globally in Netflix’s TV shows category and was the most-watched show in 23 countries, including Hong Kong and Indonesia.
The series follows the romance between Han Beom Woo (played by Kang Ha Neul), a man who acquires small restaurants to inherit a food conglomerate, and Mo Yeon Joo (Go Min Si), a chef who runs a nameless one-table restaurant in Jeonju.
When the show first aired, expectations were low, and it recorded dismal ratings of around 1%. However, the response on Netflix has been the complete opposite. This turnaround reflects how streaming platforms like Netflix and YouTube are increasingly replacing traditional TV as the main mode of content consumption.
Viewers praised the performances, saying, “Kang Ha Neul is perfect for quirky roles like this,” “Go Min Si’s acting is so flavorful,” and “If Kang Ha Neul’s in it, I’m watching.” Others commented, “It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed such a feel-good drama.”
This shift in viewership isn’t limited to younger audiences. Even older viewers are turning to OTT platforms and YouTube instead of traditional TV, causing ratings for broadcast dramas to drop. Recent prime-time series like MBC’s 'Crushology 101,' SBS’s 'Spring of Youth,' and KBS’s 'Kick Kick Kick Kick' were all struggling to reach even 1%.
In the past, dramas with ratings below 10% were deemed failures. But with the rise of OTT platforms, viewers are more selective, and success is now heavily influenced by platform power. Weak content is quickly ignored, while distribution platforms play a defining role in a show's fate.
As a result, Korean drama producers are increasingly focusing on Netflix over domestic OTT services. Netflix currently has over 14 million monthly active users in Korea, more than double the numbers for Coupang Play or TVING.
However, concerns are also growing about this Netflix-centric ecosystem. Critics warn that if the industry continues to rely on a single platform, Korea’s content diversity may suffer, and Netflix’s dominance could become too overwhelming.
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