Kakao Entertainment noted on the 11th that the drama 'Secret Relationship,' which was released on the 27th, has topped the charts in South Korea, Japan, and the Americas, achieving global success in box office performance, and that domestic and North American views and sales of the original Kakao webtoon 'Secret Relationship' have also increased.
'Secret Relationship' is a case of the IP value chain established by Kakao Entertainment, from the discovery of original intellectual property rights (IP) to its expansion into visuals. It is expected that as the full story of the drama unfolds, the synergy with the webtoon will be further solidified.
The webtoon 'Secret Relationship' saw its views increase fivefold and sales triple during the week leading up to the drama's release on the 27th, based on data from Kakao Page and Kakao Webtoon in South Korea. In North America, views rose twelve times and sales increased eightfold. Despite the webtoon being completed last year, the drama's immense popularity has reignited binge-watching fervor.
Since its release, the drama 'Secret Relationship' has maintained the top position globally, recording No. 1 from the very first week through to the release of episodes 3 and 4 last week. It has ranked first for two consecutive weeks on the South Korean platform Watcha, first among Asian dramas on Japan's FOD, and it has gained immense popularity across twelve countries including Thailand, Singapore, Germany, and France.
As the drama releases new episodes weekly, the synergy between the webtoon and drama is expected to strengthen as the main story unfolds. Furthermore, the recently launched web novel 'Secret Relationship' on the 13th is also gaining popularity, raising expectations for the success triangle encompassing the webtoon, drama, and web novel.
'Secret Relationship' is also attracting attention as a successful case of the 'IP value chain,' showcasing Kakao Entertainment's original story IP produced into a drama. The drama 'Secret Relationship' is based on the Kakao webtoon 'Secret Relationship' and was planned and produced in collaboration with Fuji TV, a Japanese broadcast company, and Playlist, a comprehensive content studio.
A representative from Kakao Entertainment stated, 'Kakao Entertainment has built strategic collaboration know-how to effectively expand original IPs while discovering high-quality ones, and a variety of video lineups born from the IP value chain are set to be announced this year.'