tvN’s “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun” faced backlash and a significant drop in ratings due to sudden scheduling changes as it tried to avoid clashing with the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games
“Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun“, which had received positive reviews despite a risky cast change, experienced a sharp decline in ratings. Episode 6, which aired on September 23rd, recorded 2.2%, far lower than the first 4 episodes.
This ratings drop is attributed to the decision to air episodes 5 and 6 consecutively on September 23rd and cancel the drama on September 24th. The drama had a long runtime and episode 6 aired past midnight, resulting in audience attrition.
tvN seemed to have canceled the drama to prevent a decline in ratings due to a sports event, even though they were not broadcasting the Asian Games. There was a South Korea men’s national football team game during the same period, but tvN’s decision to unilaterally change the schedule, taking away viewers’ rights to watch “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”, was viewed negatively.
tvN made another decision to air episodes 7 and 8 consecutively on October 8th to avoid the South Korea vs. Japan men’s football final match on October 7th. This decision was communicated after South Korea’s spot in the final match was confirmed on October 5th.
Due to the Asian Games and the Chuseok holiday, “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun” was canceled from September 24th to September 30th, October 1st. With another cancellation until October 7th, the work will have a two-week break, which may further affect its rating.
“Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun” initially gained attention with the addition of Lee Joon-gi and Shin Se-kyung to the cast and was on the right track with a refreshing storyline. The ratings had been stable, with the first 4 episodes consistently reaching the 5% range. However, frequent cancellations and consecutive broadcasts have taken a toll on viewers’ interest. With 6 episodes left, it will be challenging for the drama to recover its ratings.
In the latter part of “Arthdal Chronicles: The Sword of Aramun”, a showdown between the characters played by Jang Dong-gun and Lee Joon-gi is expected, adding more anticipation to the show’s development. However, overcoming the obstacles created by the disrupted broadcast schedule will not be easy, and regaining the lost momentum is a challenging task.
Source: Naver
