#Best shows on viki movie#
#Best shows on viki license#
#Best shows on viki tv#

Meanwhile, Viki has a tab specifically devoted to variety programming. While major U.S.-based streamers like the aforementioned have begun to expand their offering of Korean dramas, they don’t seem as interested in variety shows or other reality content from Korea and other East Asian countries.

#Best shows on viki license#

shut down Dramafever in 2018, the company cited “business reasons” happening “in light of the rapidly changing marketplace for K-drama content.” (As reported by Todd Spangler in Variety, a show that used to cost $800,000 to license for streaming now goes for around $1 million per season, which has made it more expensive for a streamer to curate a wide selection of Korean dramas.) Where Viki might have an edge on platforms like Netflix, Prime, or even Apple+ (which is busy working on its first Korean-language content) is in diversity of genre. The marketplace for K-dramas and other East Asian content has become increasingly competitive in the past few years, especially since Netflix properly entered the game in 2016.

Though Viki’s largest subscription base is in the U.S., the platform’s translators have added subtitles to its content library in approximately 150 languages. (Side note: pay for your labor, Viki.) “A drama can translate into 20 different languages within 24 hours,” Makoto Yasuda, Rakuten Viki’s chief operating officer, told AP News recently, adding that there is a waiting list of volunteer translators for the most popular dramas. Viki has built its business and brand on its community of fan translators, who volunteer to provide subtitles for the streamer’s expansive catalogue of content, sometimes extremely quickly.

#Best shows on viki tv#

It has more than 1,700 TV shows and movies on offer to its 55 million users. (Dramafever’s closure, which hit the international K-drama fan community hard, also impacted Hulu’s K-drama offerings, as the streamer was a licensing partner with Dramafever.) Currently, Viki offers a tiered subscription model, as well as a free, ad-supported option. Following the abrupt closure of competitor Dramafever by parent company Warner Bros in 2018, Viki scooped up a lot of that platform’s K-drama content. In 2013, it was acquired by Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten.

Viki has been around since 2007, when it was launched as a streaming platform for international TV. If you’re a longtime watcher of K-dramas or C-dramas, then you probably already know and use Viki, but if you’re relatively new to the world of foreign-language entertainment, then let me illuminate you… British drama fans have Acorn TV and BritBox for when they’re looking to dip below the basic offerings of a mainstream streamer (mainstreamer?), and fans of East Asian content have Rakuten Viki, a California-based company that specializes in original and licensed content from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan. My only regret is ever subscribing to Viki.Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, or HBO Max can be a good one-stop shop for your media needs, but if you’re a fan of East Asian media and are looking for a deeper library of content, then there are more focused platforms in which to consider investing your time and money. When I tried to politely provide to feedback/make a request, they told me I could go elsewhere (they don't seem to need anyone's business) and passed all responsibility on to their subbers, who make all decisions. It seemed like they had shrinking content.ĮXPERIENCE: I prefer to watch w/ Chinese subs and this is hit/miss on Viki. As a Viki subscriber, I didn't know what was coming/what they'd get, what would leave, or if they even bothered.

#Best shows on viki movie#

Viki has limited cdrama content (what I want to watch often doesn't get licensed), a slim movie selection, is barely aware of variety shows (and definitely not the good/fun ones), and can't spell animationįUTURE CONTENT: iQiyi's been rolling out more content each year and has a lot for 2022. I dropped my Viki subscription without a tear bcĬONTENT: I'm watching more c-dramas, variety shows, movies, and animation. It depends on what you tend to watch, will want to watch (that's harder to assess but you can look at iQiyi's 2022 line up), and how you like to watch.