"Weak Hero Class 1", which first appeared as a Wavve(Korean OTT) original drama in November 2022, is attracting the attention of viewers around the world.
"Weak Hero Class 1", which was released worldwide on 25 March via the global streaming platform Netflix, is showing results, ranking third in the global Netflix TV show category worldwide, according to FlixPatrol.

Notably, it ranked number one on its first day of release in Malaysia and Thailand, where Korean content is traditionally strong.

It also ranked high in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and other parts of Asia, as well as Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other Latin American countries, the United States and Canada, and major European countries including Germany and France. It also appeals to North American audiences, ranking 5th in the United States and 6th in Canada.

"Weak Hero Class 1" is a realistic story about school violence among teenagers and their survival strategies, which became a hot topic in Korea two years ago. In particular, actor Park Ji-hoon's subtle, emotional performance and solid direction have created a fan base and played a significant role in Wavve's popularity for a long time.

Netflix released "Weak Hero Class 1" because a new season 2 will be released on Netflix in the second quarter. As the original drama on Wavve was an explosive hit, it was expected that season 2 would also be released on Wavve, but in the end it was produced as a Netflix original.

The industry believes that the decision was inevitable, as the production of season 2 had been discussed with Wavve for a long time. Some analysts say that Wavve had to give up on Season 2 because of a lack of management and the problem of the merger with Tving. From the viewers' point of view, it is fortunate that they can watch Season 2 on another platform, Netflix, but from Wavve's point of view, it is inevitable that they will be disappointed.

The global release of Weak Hero Class 1 on Netflix is seen as an example of the importance of securing a global network for content distribution, and a case where Korean Wavve content continues to show its influence overseas. In particular, the structure by which original content produced on domestic platforms enters the global market and becomes popular through competing platforms provides many lessons for the industry.

Most recently, Paramount's original series "Halo" has been streaming on both Netflix and Paramount+, and has achieved high ratings worldwide.

The reason Paramount distributed Halo through Netflix was that Paramount+ did not have a global distribution network like Netflix. However, by distributing Halo through Netflix, we were able to expose the content to a wider audience and create various strategic opportunities for the release of Season 2.

It's time to recognise the limits of growth on your own platform, diversify your revenue through increased global exposure and make strategic choices to take advantage of strategic opportunities in the next season. Through the example of "Weak Hero Clas 1", domestic OTTs need to have new plans for global expansion and strategic cooperation with global platforms.

Competition and coexistence, as well as a flexible platform strategy, will be the way for K-content to continue to survive and grow in the global market.