As Non-English Content Consumption Surges, South Korea Emerges as Global Streaming's Core Supplier
Korea ranks No. 1 in local original production, No. 2 as U.S. TV offshore filming hub; Netflix commits $2.5B investment
Hollywood's era of dominance is fading. One in four Americans now seeks content made outside the United States. And at the center of this shift is K-content.
Hollywood's era of dominance is fading. One in four Americans now seeks content made outside the United States. And at the center of this shift is K-content.
According to Parrot Analytics, the U.S. demand share for non-American content surged from 17.1% in 2019 to 25.3% in October 2025—an 8 percentage point jump in just six years. Streaming has torn down the barriers of language and borders.
South Korea stands as both the biggest beneficiary and driving force of this transformation, now ranking as the No. 1 country for local original production among global streamers including Netflix and Prime Video. K-content, the game changer of global entertainment, is rewriting the Hollywood-centric world order.
English-Language Content Retreats as Non-English Surges
According to Axios, while British content still holds the largest share of foreign content demand in the U.S., its share has fallen from 33% in 2019 to approximately 24% as of November 2025.
The combined share of English-speaking countries—the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand—also dropped from 47% to 37% over the same period. American viewers are looking beyond subtitles, turning their attention to non-English programming.
K-Content: Top Priority for Global Streamers
Luminate's "Global Entertainment Trends" report, released at MIPCOM 2025, quantifies Korea's rising stature. In 2024, major streamers including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, Max, and Apple TV+ produced approximately 60 local originals in South Korea—a 58% increase from 38 titles in 2022. This dwarfs second-place Japan (35 titles) and third-place Brazil (22 titles).