The mad scramble by Asian streamers and broadcasters to secure Korean TV drama content continued with the announcement by Viu that it is poised to deliver another original series.
The Hong Kong-based pan-Asian streamer is poised to release period romantic drama “River Where the Moon Rises” on Feb. 15, 2021. In Korea, it will be broadcast by KBS2 from the same date.
“River Where the Moon Rises” is produced by established South Korean production house Victory Contents. The series is directed by Yun Sang Ho (“Kingmaker: The Change of Destiny,” “Saimdang, Memoirs of Colors”) will direct from a screenplay by Han Ji Hoon (“Temptation,” “Women of 9.9 Billion”).
The story is adapted from a section of the “On Dal” Korean folktale recorded in “The History of the Three Kingdoms,” tome some 900 years ago. It focuses on Princess Pyeonggang, who was raised as a soldier, and her romance with On Dal, the son of one of her generals. Lead roles go to Kim So Hyun (“Love Alarm”) and Ji Soo (“My First Love”).After the soldiers express surprise that a woman wants to be involved in matters of state, the Empress and the general are assassinated. The princess and On Dal team up to uncover the kingdom’s plots and conspiracies.
Viu, which operates a fremium model, with both ad-supported and paid subscription tiers, operates in 16 markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. It claimed over 36 million monthly active users as of June last year.
Though it has since broadened its roster, Viu enjoyed early success by getting a head start on other streamers in the quest to deliver Korean TV drama to Asian audiences. In recent weeks rival Netflix has said that it will open two physical production sites in South Korea. Similarly, Chinese streamer iQIYI recently announced its first Korean original series production, which it hopes will help it connect with audiences in Southeast Asia.
“With an exceptional script and amazing talent, River Where the Moon Rises is not to be missed.” said Virginia Lim, Viu’s chief content officer.
Other Korean shows on Viu include “True Beauty” and “Mr. Queen.” Upcoming are “The Penthouse 2,” “Mouse,” “Luca” and “Dear M.”