Netflix’s hit South Korean show “Squid Game” has officially become the streaming service’s biggest original series launch.
In a tweet, Netflix said, “Squid Game has officially reached 111 million fans – making it our biggest series launch ever!”
The series has reached a total of 111 million viewers in just 27 days. The astonishing rise of the hit series has easily outpaced the UK costume drama “Bridgerton”, which was streamed by 82 million accounts in its first 28 days.
The nine-part dystopian thriller tells the tribulations of adult cash-strapped contestants who play childhood games with deadly consequences in a bid to $38m. The show has become a global sensation since its launch less than a month ago.
“We did not see that coming”
The drama has been the inspiration for a flurry of memes. Costumes from the show have taken over Halloween parties and real-world recreations of the various games have also popped up around the world. More importantly, the show has also triggered a debate within South Korea and across the world about toxic competitive societies and the impact of capitalism across the world.
Speaking at a tech conference in California, Netflix’s co-CEO and Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos expressed surprise at the show’s meteoric rise. Sarandos said, “We did not see that coming, in terms of its global popularity.”
Netflix has a long-running policy of providing limited information on viewing figures for its platform and cuts the data it does give in various ways. The 28-day debut numbers it issued for “Bridgerton” and other shows included any account that watched an episode for at least two minutes.
Earlier, South Korean Internet service provider SK Broadband sued Netflix to pay for costs from increased network traffic and maintenance work because of the surge in viewers.
