The viewership rating of Disney+'s original "Casino," newly restructured on MBC, is precarious at 1%.
The 5th episode of the MBC special series "Casino" (written and directed by Kang Yoon-sung), which aired on the 18th, recorded a viewership rating of 1.5% based on Nielsen Korea's nationwide standard on the 19th. This number is a drop of 0.4 percentage points from the previous episode's rating of 1.9%.
Moreover, the noteworthy point is that the viewership rating of "Casino," which seemed to be rising stepwise, has turned to a downward trend. "Casino" recorded ratings of 2.1% when it first aired on MBC and 1.8% for the second episode. This number is contrary to the usual trend where dramas aired twice a week show rising ratings in the later episodes compared to the earlier ones.
In its second week of restructuring, the 3rd episode raised expectations with a viewership rating of 2.3%. Although it recorded 1.9% by the 4th episode, reflecting a drop of 0.4 percentage points from the previous day, it was still seen as an upward trend compared to the first week. However, the lowest viewership rating of 1.5% was recorded on the 18th, after the 3rd week's airing.
At the same time, the competing work, SBS's Friday-Saturday drama "Our Movie," also recorded 1.5% on the 18th broadcast, while KBS 2TV's "Blue Dragon Series Awards" part 2 recorded 1.9%. Given the characteristics of the restructured "Casino," a viewership in the 1% range is not unexpected. However, on that day, the momentary rating of "Casino" was also stuck at 4.2%, a significant drop compared to the previous momentary highest rating of over 5%.
Moreover, if the stepwise decline solidifies, there is a possibility that "Casino" may even break the 1% threshold in today's (19th) broadcast. It is a precarious moment for MBC, which expected a synergy effect through the relatively low accessibility of Disney+'s original restructuring.
"Casino" is a work divided into season 1 and season 2, with more developments expected after the 5th episode. Cha Mu-sik (Choi Min-sik) has successfully acquired the exclusive operating rights of the Bolton Hotel VIP Casino as he expands his VIP casino business, officially opening the second casino round, while another protagonist, Lee Seung-hoon (Son Suk-ku), has started to appear in earnest.
Ironically, while Cha Mu-sik conveys gravity to Yang Jeong-pal (Lee Dong-hwi) by saying, "It's a murder case," the fact that "Casino" was immensely popular means that information about the ending, developments, and twists has already become widely known. Can it overturn such weaknesses and demonstrate the series' value even in TV drama scheduling? Attention is focused on the performance of "Casino," restructured on MBC.
[Photo] Disney+, provided by MBC.
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