Broadcasting vs. Streaming Evolution: How Terrestrial Platforms and New Streaming Giants Adapt to Change
Terrestrial dramas have long been established as mainstream TV programs, produced and broadcast through traditional broadcasting stations. In contrast, Over-the-Top (OTT) services are web-powered streaming platforms, with global streaming giants, Watcha, and Wavve being leading competitors. As viewing trends evolve, competition between network-produced series and digital streaming platforms has heightened. Consequently, each platform is creating unique content and employing adaptive strategies to strengthen its competitiveness.
Differentiation Strategies of Terrestrial Dramas
Terrestrial dramas focus on providing productions with widespread popularity while maintaining classic narrative structures. In particular, they actively feature renowned leads to attract audience interest and produce narratives that appeal to a wide range of age groups, thereby securing a broad viewer base. Additionally, leveraging their decades of industry presence and brand trust, they continue to present familiar content, ensuring reliable audience numbers. This allows audiences to find more ways to engage with traditional content through various distribution channels.
Differentiation Strategies of OTT Services
OTT services are expanding their market by employing approaches distinct from traditional terrestrial broadcasting. Firstly, they actively adopt emerging trends and unique structures, prioritizing creative risk-taking and cinematic quality over broad popularity. Secondly, they offer personalized selections that aligns with niche preferences, targeting unique fan bases. Lastly, they focus on producing international releases aimed at the worldwide audience, allowing them to attract subscribers not only within their region but also on a global scale. Through these approaches, OTT platforms are strengthening their competitiveness in ways distinct from legacy channels.
Competition and Collaboration Between Platforms
As terrestrial broadcasters increasingly expand into the OTT market, competition has escalated. For instance, one of Korea’s leading networks and a long-established broadcaster operate their own OTT services, 'KBSon' and 'MBC Digital', respectively, distributing their read more existing TV shows on internet-based distribution channels. This initiative helps sustain the relevance of traditional broadcasting platforms while attracting new viewership. Meanwhile, the growth of new media services is changing consumer behavior towards more user-controlled content access.
Conversely, OTT services are also solidifying their influence by collaborating with terrestrial broadcasters. Netflix has gained a global following with K-content hits like the breakout survival thriller and 'Hellbound', leveraging the storytelling expertise of traditional industry leaders. This strategic alliance helps both parties complement each other’s strengths, fostering a richer content environment. As a result, the boundaries between network TV and streaming continue to become less defined.
Ultimately, legacy TV series and streaming platforms are both competing and working together through their respective market tactics. network-produced content maintain established storytelling and mass appeal, whereas digital platforms provide genre-defying and globally targeted content. As strategic partnerships and cooperation between these platforms continue to grow, audiences can expect a wider-ranging and elevated media landscape in the future.