Serving up Asian content for S’porean viewers

All the latest Korean dramas and shows

South Korean video streaming service DramaFever offers Korean dramas as well as popular variety programmes. PHOTO: DRAMAFEVER

www.dramafever.com

Type of shows: Mainly Korean television programmes and movies, although there are also several British and Latino shows available.

Platforms: Web, iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Roku, several brands of smart TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Xbox.

VPN needed: Yes

Premium membership: From 99 US cents a month to US$9.99 (S$1.40 to S$14.30) a month. Perks include ad-free viewing, access to a wider range of shows and high-definition streaming.

South Korean video streaming service DramaFever was established in 2009, and was acquired by Japanese telecommunications company SoftBank last year for a rumoured US$80 million to US$140 million.

It currently hosts over 15,000 episodes of content from 12 countries. The majority of shows are Korean, and the site's homepage is chock-full of the latest Korean dramas, like medical tearjerker Yong Pal and police series Mrs. Cop.

It also hosts popular Korean variety programmes such as Running Man and Infinity Challenge.

DramaFever has partnerships with all three major South Korean broadcasters - Korean Broadcasting System, Seoul Broadcasting System and Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation - giving it unrivalled access to the latest South Korean content.

On top of that, the company began co-producing its own content in 2013, and since then has created exclusive drama series such as Heirs and Tomorrow's Cantabile.

Strangely enough, DramaFever also has one page dedicated to British period dramas, such as the definitive BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, as well as Cranford, a series based on three books by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Fans of contemporary British programmes like Sherlock and Doctor Who will be disappointed though, as DramaFever does not host those.

The English-language site is easy to navigate, with the latest episodes and popular shows sorted into categories for easy browsing.

Most of the shows have English and Chinese subtitles available, with helpful user reviews and ratings accompanying each listing.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 30, 2015, with the headline All the latest Korean dramas and shows. Subscribe