Posters for "Yumi's Cells" and "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" / Courtesy of Tving
First came “Yumi’s Cells.” Then came “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.” In Korea’s increasingly cutthroat streaming market, Tving has landed back-to-back hits, showing it can produce original series capable of cutting through a crowded content landscape.
According to Tving, Season 3 of its original series “Yumi’s Cells” ranked No. 1 in paid subscriber contribution from its first week of release through its final week, while posting 226 percent growth from the first season to achieve the strongest performance of the entire franchise. The series also showed steady growth with each installment, with Season 2 up 88 percent from Season 1 and Season 3 up 73 percent from Season 2.
Released shortly after “Yumi’s Cells,” “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” achieved the feat of recording the highest paid subscriber contribution in its opening week among all dramas Tving has released in the past three years.
For Tving, the back-to-back successes are especially noteworthy. For one, the two shows are emerging as marquee titles that help define the platform’s identity. But their significance also lies in how Tving made them. Rather than mounting mega-budget productions, the platform has focused on works produced on a more realistic scale and polished to a higher level of quality — a strategy industry watchers say is becoming one of its strengths.
