K-Content Insiders Predict K-Drama & K-Pop Competitiveness To Decrease In The Next 5 Years
Predictions on the future of K-content in five years are not as promising as their global expansion at the moment
Professors in Media, Arts, and Communication recently published a paper titled, “The Competitiveness of K-content and the Risks of Hallyu in the Global OTT era” on March 28th. The paper conducted a survey on 30 members of the Korea Broadcasting Content Export Council in April 2022.
The future of K-content is not bright
The outlook for K-content five years later is not as positive as it is currently. Regarding the questions about the competitiveness of K-dramas in the next five years, positive answers decreased from 83.3% to 74.1%. In the case of K-pop competitiveness, positive responses declined from 90% to 85.2%. According to the paper, the respondents’ evaluations of K-content competitiveness are still high but they expressed concerns over the continuity of dramas and K-pop competitiveness.
Some people pointed out that the drama industry in Thailand and Turkey is developing significantly, while Korean dramas are facing a crisis, including the lack of actors and production staff as well as the rise in production costs.
K-pop relies heavily on BTS and BLACKPINK
There were also negative opinions about K-pop. Many people believe that the K-pop industry is depending too much on big groups like BTS and BLACKPINK. All the survey respondents assessed that the K-pop market has the tendency to rely on a small number of outstanding groups and a biased attitude toward top artists.
Some also raised criticism over the idol-oriented K-pop scene, pointing out that the reality of K-pop centering on idols could leave a toxic impact later on and the Korean music industry is focusing on star quality instead of music quality.
Industry stakeholders demand human resources and government support
In the end, the key to this problem is human resources. Respondents stated that it is necessary to secure new production talents, such as writers and actors, and improve the production environment to prevent the decline of the Korean Wave. Many also suggested increasing English-speaking production staff to accelerate overseas expansion of K-content.
There were also voices calling for support from the government. The majority of surveyed people said the government should provide support for K-content to explore new markets and strengthen competitiveness.
