Comedian Park Na-rae and singer Ki have left I Live Alone, and crisis talks about I Live Alone continue. It plunged again to the 4% range in ratings, marking the lowest ratings in four years.
According to ratings company Nielsen Korea on the 7th, the household rating for episode 637 of the MBC variety show I Live Alone, which aired on the 6th, recorded 4.9% in the Seoul metropolitan area. The 20-54 rating, a core indicator of channel competitiveness reflecting changes in media consumption environment, was 3.0%.
Also, I Live Alone's nationwide rating for episode 637 recorded 4.6%. That corresponds to second place among Friday variety shows and eighth place overall. It was 1.1 percentage points lower than the previous week's rating of 5.7%.
I Live Alone recorded its lowest rating when episode 626, which aired on Dec. 12 last year, recorded 4.7% nationwide. After that it had been recording ratings in the 5% range, but it recorded the lowest rating again two months into this year's broadcasts. This time it recorded its lowest rating in about four years, raising concerns about I Live Alone's downward trend.
In particular, I Live Alone faced a crisis when core members Park Na-rae and Ki, who were mainstays in December, left amid controversy. Park Na-rae became embroiled in controversy after former managers raised allegations of workplace harassment and special injury and other abuse of power, and then she suspended activities entirely after the so-called "injection aunt" scandal broke. Afterwards Ki was also swept up in the "injection aunt" allegation and left all the programs he was appearing on.
Because Park Na-rae and Ki were the core and popular members who had kept I Live Alone going, their departures caused considerable damage. Three months have passed, but reactions say the aftereffects of the two people's departures continue.
In this episode, actor Lee Ju-seung was shown challenging Seongsu-dong fashion people with fashion mentor Son Woo-hyun. Also, Tsuki, a member of the group Billlie who has lived in Korea for 10 years, appeared as the protagonist of the fourth installment of the "Let's ride the rainbow horse" special and revealed a surprising daily life.
Next week's broadcast will feature Kian84 visiting his idol, Japanese manga artist Junji Ito, drawing attention. It remains to be seen whether Kian84 can save I Live Alone, which is in crisis.
[Photo] MBC broadcast screen capture.
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