Experts say KBS weekend slump stems from genres that miss its 50-60s audience

"Twelve," starring Don Lee (KBS)
"Twelve," starring Don Lee (KBS)

Korean Broadcasting System, once a dependable ratings engine, is facing a 10 billion won ($6.8 million) deficit as its recent tentpole projects stumble — a slump industry watchers attribute to a mismatch between the shows’ genres and KBS’ core, middle-aged audience.

The network recently launched two high-profile weekend series — “Twelve,” starring superstar Don Lee (“The Outlaws,” “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil”) and “Walking on Thin Ice,” led by veteran actress Lee Young-ae (“Sympathy for Lady Vengeance”).

“Twelve” debuted at 7.2 percent but quickly dropped to the 2-3 percent ratings range, while “Walking on Thin Ice” peaked in the mid-5 percent range, well below KBS’ typical weekend drama average of around 17.1 percent, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency.

According to a Nov. 10 statement from the KBS branch of the National Union of Media Workers, the underperformance of "Twelve" and "Walking on Thin Ice" has translated into a reported company deficit of 10.7 billion won.

"Walking on Thin Ice," starring Lee Young-ae (left) and Kim Young-kwang (KBS)
"Walking on Thin Ice," starring Lee Young-ae (left) and Kim Young-kwang (KBS)

Industry experts say the broadcaster’s back-to-back misfires stem from a mismatch between genre and audience, with KBS’ core demographic — viewers in their 50s and 60s — traditionally favoring romance and family-oriented fare, not the fantasy-action storyline of “Twelve” or the crime-and-drugs narrative of “Walking on Thin Ice."

“These days, buzz is often more important than linear ratings for most dramas. But for KBS, ratings still matter, as it’s a public broadcaster. KBS has an obligation to deliver broadly watched content,” said culture critic Jung Duk-hyun.

“From that perspective, ‘Twelve’ and ‘Walking on Thin Ice’ clearly failed. This may be largely because their fantasy and drug-focused genres didn’t connect with KBS’ core audience," he added.

Jung added that KBS’ abrupt pivot away from its bread-and-butter family dramas toward fantasy and crime may be tied to KBS' recent license fee policy change, which restored TV fees to electricity bills in November under a revised Broadcasting Act — implying that the network, with increased funding, may be “trying out new directions.”

“But the outcome shows that novelty in that direction isn’t what the network needs. Going forward, KBS needs to prioritize experimentation that aligns with its role as a public broadcaster and steer clear of similar genre miscalculations," he said.


yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com