Streamers stack year-end releases from K-drama tentpoles to livestreams
Year-end remains a key stretch for Korea’s streaming platforms, with viewership surging over the holiday period and subscribers reconsidering their plans for the coming year. In response, services are rolling out an extensive lineup of year-end releases that spans K-drama tentpoles, prestige reality formats and live concerts — aiming to capture viewership in a saturated Korean streaming market.
Netflix is closing out 2025 with a slate of tentpole K-content led by “The Price of Confession,” headlined by Hallyu heavyweights Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Go-eun. The two acclaimed actors, associated with some of Korea’s most prominent screen titles, play prisoners who strike a clandestine deal that sends one of them beyond the prison walls to carry out a covert mission. Helmed by director Lee Jung-hyo, known for major hits including “Crash Landing on You," the series has quickly gained global traction, rising to No. 2 on Netflix’s global non-English TV chart three days after its debut on Friday.
Another major late-year Netflix premiere is “The Great Flood,” arriving Dec. 19. A rare Korean feature film rollout on the platform, the sci-fi disaster title follows characters played by Kim Da-mi and Park Hae-soo as they attempt to survive a catastrophic deluge. The film leans heavily on CG-driven spectacle, with a narrative that centers on endurance and fractured family ties.
Possibly one of the most anticipated unscripted offerings by Netflix Korea, the cooking competition franchise “Culinary Class Wars” returns for its second season on Dec. 16. The new installment brings back Season 1's viral judges Paik Jong-won and Ahn Sung-jae, while adding high-profile chefs, including Michelin-star chefs Lee Joon and Son Jong-won, to the cohort of contestants that enter the kitchen arena.
Disney+ Korea, meanwhile, is preparing to roll out one of its largest local drama bets with “Made in Korea,” arriving Christmas Eve. Starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woo-sung, the series traces two men navigating political and social upheaval in 1970s Korea. Even ahead of launch, the title has been confirmed for a second season targeted for 2026.
Korean streaming platform Tving is leaning into live functionality, staging year-end livestream events anchored by major intellectual properties widely beloved by Korean audiences. After live-streaming trot star Lim Young-woong’s concert on Nov. 30, the service is holding four additional live sessions attached to high-visibility titles, including “Transit Love,” “Demon Slayer” and esports programming tied to League of Legends and Valorant.
Meanwhile, Coupang Play is closing the year with comedy collaborations with Genie TV, Korea's IPTV service from KT. The variety entry “Sisters’ Cafe,” which hit the platform on Nov. 15, features comedians Lee Soo-ji and Jeong Yi-rang hosting celebrity guests in a cafe-themed talk format.
Coupang Play and Genie TV are also behind the action-comedy series “Heroes Next Door,” centered on former special forces operatives who form a civilian protection team. According to Coupang Play, the 10-part series is its flagship year-end tentpole, following the momentum of its earlier light-hearted comedy breakouts such as Im Si-wan’s “Boyhood” and Bae Doo-na’s “Family Matters.” The series has been building momentum, with its viewership jumping roughly 420 percent from premiere week to the second week of its release and recording about 5.2 times its initial viewership.
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