Netflix's live broadcast on the 21st, 'BTS comeback live: ARIRANG,' was evaluated as a cultural event that introduced Korea's beauty to the world, and it was reported that 18.4 million viewers worldwide enjoyed BTS's comeback performance on Netflix in a single day during the live broadcast.
'BTS comeback live: ARIRANG,' the first Netflix live event to be streamed from Korea, demonstrated renewed global interest in BTS and K-pop by reaching the weekly top 10 in 80 countries and ranking No. 1 in the weekly charts in 24 countries.
Fans shared reactions in real time and experienced the historic moment together. On social media, responses emphasizing the meaning of the global simultaneous experience continued, such as "It's impressive that the whole world is paying attention to one place in Seoul at the same time, even though it's not the Olympics," and "It felt like being at the venue together, enjoying the same performance at the same time from overseas."
The live event was broadcast live around the world, connecting global viewers as one. Netflix used technologies optimized for live environments — including its own content delivery network 'Open Connect,' load balancing, automatic switching of multiple encoders, and a live-dedicated encoding pipeline — and worked to ensure that global viewers could enjoy BTS's comeback performance in the best possible conditions.
BTS's live performance that turned Gwanghwamun into a purple wave showed unprecedented scale not only in technology but also in production and operations. To achieve a balance of tradition and modernity and a sense of scale and intimacy, staff from 10 countries collaborated in eight different languages, and a filming infrastructure was built that deployed a total of 23 cameras, 124 relay monitors, and broadcasting equipment weighing 164.5 tons (t). About 9.5 km of power cables were installed at the performance site, and power of 9,660 kVA was supplied. Production concentrated on large-scale live production and transmission capabilities, including 40 terabytes of server capacity and 108 terabytes of recorded data being processed.
A Netflix representative said, "Netflix has participated in the global spread of Korean culture through K-dramas and K-films. This performance is an example of how that role has expanded into K-pop together with BTS, and we will continue efforts to promote Korean content worldwide through a variety of formats and genres."
The 'BTS comeback live: ARIRANG' currently on Netflix can be viewed in Dolby Vision, which offers rich color, and Dolby Atmos, which provides sound as if you were at the venue. In addition, newly revised subtitles have been provided in more than 34 languages after the live broadcast.
In particular, Netflix provides Korean·English audio descriptions (AD) and subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH) so that anyone can enjoy 'BTS comeback live: ARIRANG' without restrictions.<
[Photo] Netflix
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