Terrestrial dramas have long been established as popular TV shows, produced and broadcast through terrestrial broadcasting stations. In contrast, Over-the-Top (OTT) services are internet-based streaming platforms, with global streaming giants, regional streaming services, and Wavve being leading competitors. As audience preferences evolve, competition between terrestrial dramas and digital streaming platforms has heightened. Consequently, each platform is developing original productions and employing adaptive strategies to stay ahead.
Differentiation Strategies of Terrestrial Dramas
Terrestrial dramas focus on providing productions with widespread popularity while maintaining classic narrative structures. In particular, they actively cast celebrity performers to increase viewer engagement and produce narratives that capture the interest of a diverse demographic, thereby securing a consistent fanbase. Additionally, leveraging their decades of industry presence and network legacy, they continue to offer traditional stories, ensuring stable viewership ratings. This allows audiences to explore different channels to engage with traditional content through various mediums.
Differentiation Strategies of OTT Services
OTT platforms are expanding their market by employing tactics distinct from traditional terrestrial broadcasting. Firstly, they actively adopt unconventional narratives and experimental formats, prioritizing creative risk-taking and artistry over broad popularity. Secondly, they provide tailored content that caters to niche preferences, targeting niche audiences. Lastly, they focus on producing international releases aimed at the worldwide audience, allowing them to grow their fanbase not only domestically but also on a global scale. Through these strategies, OTT services are strengthening their competitiveness in ways unlike read more traditional terrestrial broadcasting.
Competition and Collaboration Between Platforms
As terrestrial broadcasters increasingly penetrate the OTT market, competition has escalated. For instance, one of Korea’s leading networks and a long-established broadcaster operate their own streaming platforms, 'KBSon' and 'wavve', respectively, distributing their existing TV shows on digital platforms. This strategy helps sustain the relevance of legacy networks while attracting new viewership. Meanwhile, the emergence of competing streaming networks is changing consumer behavior towards more on-demand entertainment.
Conversely, streaming providers are also expanding their dominance by collaborating with legacy content producers. Netflix has gained worldwide success with K-content hits like 'Squid Game' and 'Hellbound', leveraging the drama production capabilities of terrestrial broadcasters. This strategic alliance helps both parties maximize their potential, fostering a more dynamic industry. As a result, the distinction between traditional and modern media continue to fade.
Ultimately, legacy TV series and streaming platforms are both competing and finding common ground through their respective market tactics. network-produced content maintain classic formats and mass appeal, whereas digital platforms provide bold and globally targeted content. As collaboration and cooperation between these platforms continue to expand, audiences can expect a wider-ranging and elevated content environment in the future.