Mnet Plus's travel variety original content 'ON THE MAP' has hit the global fandom's sweet spot.
The original variety show ON THE MAP (hereafter "ON THE MAP" / CP Lee Han-hyeong, director Lee Seon-young, Ham Ga-hyeong) from global K-pop content platform Mnet Plus is gaining favorable reviews as it spreads by word of mouth among global fandoms, settling in as a "harmless healing variety show you can trust to watch." Its immersive quality makes viewers unable to escape once they start watching, even sparking a voluntary "N-times viewing" craze.
Cumulative combined views including on social media (as of Feb. 1) surpassed 25 million views, and upon release related keywords such as "Mnet Plus," "NCT WISH," and "ON THE MAP" have dominated the top ranks of X (formerly Twitter) real-time trends, increasing its topicality day by day.
The buzz also translated directly into platform traffic. Immediately after release, global users poured into Mnet Plus, driving platform activation. In fact, within a week of the launch viewing regions surged by more than 35%, showing a spread reaching densely across global areas beyond Asia to the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. Above all, compared with episode 1, global users' "fantractive" participation in live streaming and real-time chat also increased by 160%. This demonstrated a strong IP power by effectively producing a "lock-in effect" that keeps the global core fandom on the platform.
One reason ON THE MAP could boost immersion and win love is the sincere attitudes of NCT WISH (NCT WISH / Sion, Riku, Yuushi, Jaehee, Ryo, Sakuya) members. As they set off for their first overseas trip to Mongolia, they could not hide their excitement from the moment they packed at their accommodation. Also, since six charm and strength keywords personally chosen by NCT WISH became a challenge, members showed enthusiasm by shouting "NCT WISH is giseji" to prove it, offering a different kind of fun from before. In addition, with the release of ON THE MAP, members directly shared behind-the-scenes of the trip or left real-time viewing impressions through fan communities, attracting fans' attention with "over-immersive communication."
The exotic setting of "Mongolia," rarely seen on conventional variety shows, is also a strength. Against the backdrop of vast nature, it offered special sights such as the Genghis Khan equestrian statue observatory, modern gers, interactions with nomadic children, and horseback riding experiences. The members' pure energy enjoying challenges in an unfamiliar environment delivered an unstimulating "harmless healing" that drew favorable reviews. Expectations are growing about what kind of emotion the six youths' pure energy and friendship will present amid the vast nature and pouring stars they will encounter on the remaining journey.
Meanwhile, amid well-made praise and global love, Mnet Plus's original ON THE MAP is a "K-pop idol global adventure" program in which the cast travels the world, takes on hidden challenges in various places, and through them completes a single map. Live streaming is held every Tuesday at 8 p.m. on Mnet Plus followed by VOD releases, and it also airs on the Mnet channel at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. Episode 4 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, Feb. 10.
[Photo] "ON THE MAP"
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