On Sept. 30, Naver TV — once Naver’s answer to YouTube — shut down. The timing was striking: 2026 marks 10 years since Netflix entered Korea. Naver is now betting on its short-form Clip service. Here is how video consumption in Korea has changed over the decade, and what it means for marketers.
Viewing used to follow a fixed sequence: theaters first, DVD later, then a holiday broadcast on TV. Dramas meant sitting down at a set time. Netflix broke that model — watch when you want, binge as much as you want. Streaming films now compete for Oscars as a matter of course.
In Korea, Netflix became both a gateway for global content and a channel for Korean content to reach the world, from Kingdom to Squid Game. That success also raised concerns about Korean IP being tied to a global platform and a production ecosystem heavily dependent on it.
Two films crossed 10 million admissions in 2026: Jang Hang-jun’s Wang-gwa Saneun Namja drew 16.92 million to become the second-highest-grossing Korean film ever, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey also passed 10 million. Audiences are getting pickier about what they see in theaters. Director Lee Chang-dong’s Venice prize winner Possible Love opened in cinemas on Sept. 23 and arrives on Netflix on Nov. 6 — a theater-first, streaming-second path. Meanwhile, Netflix itself now faces pressure from YouTube.
The question is no longer “theater or streaming,” but how to reach more people.
For how YouTube is reshaping video discovery, see YouTube rolls out Ask YouTube AI search to all US users. For creator content moving onto the TV screen, read Vizio adds 40+ creator channels to WatchFree+.
According to WiseApp·Retail, Netflix has about 15.5 million monthly active users in Korea — roughly 30% of the population — and about 58% of usage time among major OTT apps.
Attendance fell about 14% in 2025 to roughly 106 million, but rebounded to about 57 million in the first half of 2026, up more than 34% year over year, as audiences became more selective.
Give each channel a distinct role, separate premiere and amplification channels, and keep core assets on owned channels in case a platform shuts down.
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