As the Hallyu attracts more attention around the world, k-dramas no longer just get real-time rankings in the Korean ratings. For example, in China, where dramas air at or around the same time as they do in Korea, k-dramas are also ranked in terms of ratings.
Who ranked high in China this week? That depends on which reporting source you ask. But the results are pretty similar to the domestic ones, with some argument about which drama came in first or second place.
According to one source, the Wednesday-Thursday drama "It's Okay It's Love" is the most popular Korean drama on the Chinese video portals Todou and Youku.
The story of a mystery novelist and a psychiatrist, who each have mental health issues to contend with, has aired at the same time in Korea and China since July 23.
By the very next day the drama had already scored 1.2 million hits on Youku. It had a million hits on Tudou. To date the k-drama has topped the charts in Youku and ranked 12th most popular in uploaded content on Youku.
According to an SBS representative, on Todou, the drama, which stars Jo In Sung, Gong Hyo Jin and Lee Kwang Soo, has five times more hits than any other recently aired k-dramas.
But if you consider views on the Chinese streaming site QQ.com, which is owned by Tencent, the ranking differs slightly. According to that site, "The Joseon Gunman" ranked number one in the Chinese k-drama ratings. During the month of July the drama was viewed 100 million times.
On China's douban.com rating site, the drama earned the rating of 8.8. The producers of "The Joseon Gunman" think that this high rank reflects the quality of the drama and could only improve as the plot comes to its final resolution.
According to producer Yoon Jae Hyuk, "If the focus of the drama has been on Park Yoon Kang's personal revenge until now, it will shift its focus to depicting Park Yoon Kang becoming people's hero. The heart touching elements will be added to the fast pace of the drama.
Lee Jun Ki plays Park Yoon Kang. His co-star in the drama is Nam Sang Mi.
But perhaps this year's most popular k-drama in China was "You Who Came From The Stars," which led to China's governing bodies meeting to discuss why China could not make a drama that outshone a k-drama.
