Thursday, June 7, 2012

MBC, KBS, SBS, Who Will Sweep The Ratings Battle?



Between the drama competitions held by the three broadcasting studios, Monday-Tuesday dramas are being highlighted for showing a definite winner between the three.
The Wednesday-Thursday and weekend dramas are still waiting for a clear winner.

Monday-Tuesday, Who will shoot down Light and Shadow?

KBS’ Big, the highly anticipated new drama written by the Hong Sisters, aired on June 4. Following after the low-ratings of Love RainBig, according to AGB Nielson Media Research, recorded 7.9 percent with its first episode, placing in third between dramas of the same time slot. It’s rival production, MBC’s Light and Shadow recorded 20.3 percent, taking the top, and SBS’ The Chaser took 9.2 percent. 




The following results show one strong winner, and two weaklings. Initially, it was predicted that the Monday-Tuesday battle would be slightly change Light and Shadow’s standing with the entrance of Big, but as of now, Big and The Chaser haven’t made much of dent just like Love Rain and Fashion King.

Especially with Big, although it did have higher ratings than the 5 percent of Love Rain, as one of the most talked about dramas, the low ratings have come as a disappointment. It was highly anticipated for being a Hong Sister’s production as well as its star-studded casting of Gong Yoo, Lee Min Jung, and miss A’s Suzy.

However, with the Hong Sister’s unique characteristics, there are plenty of chances to rebound. That is why most of Hong Sister’s productions receive solid responses from the middle of the story. With the interesting concept of soul-swapping, Big has been highlighted as an exciting drama. The first episode might have had a split of opinions, but the potential of a Hong Sister production is something you cannot ignore.

The Chaser is also a production that has been receiving positive comments from viewers for its solid story and great acting from Son Hyun Joo and Kim Sang Joong. There is plenty of room for the drama to excel at any point.

So the crucial point is, who will catch Light and Shadow? It is an interesting time to see what changes will occur for the Monday-Tuesday battle. 




No clear winner for Wednesday-Thursday

There are no obvious winners.
That is why it will be interesting to see the Wednesday-Thursday ratings battle.

KBS’ Bridal Mask aired on May 31 and recorded a rating of 12.4 percent. The drama recorded less than its initial number of 12.7 percent for its May 30 broadcast. However, even with the lower rating, Bridal Mask was able to continue sitting on the throne after its first broadcast.

The reason was because there were no close competitors.

MBC’s I Do I Do was able to secure second place, recording a 9.8 percent rating, which also fell from its initial 10.5 percent.

But the rise in ratings of SBS’ Ghost is fearful. The first broadcast started out with a lose 7.6 percent, but in the second episode, the drama experienced a 1.3 percent rise with a total of 8.9 percentage, closing the gap between its competitor. It is constantly still in third place, but with the percentage of its competitors going down and the drama’s rating going up, the possibilities are endless.

With the three Wednesday-Thursday dramas set, they are officially now in a battle of ratings. As there was no definite winner in round one, this competition will become a fun sight to watch. Just as the fluctuating ratings of the previous dramas of Equator Man, Rooftop Prince, and The King 2Hearts, this season of Wednesday-Thursday dramas are expected to be the same. 




A Gentleman’s Dignity vs Time Slip Doctor Jin. Who will be laughing in the end?

The close fight between the weekend dramas is also happening. The competitors in this battle is Jang Dong Gun’s SBS A Gentleman’s Dignity and Song Seung Hun’s MBC Time Slip Doctor Jin.

On the June 3 broadcast, A Gentleman’s Dignity recorded a 14.8 percent, while Time Slip Dr. Jin had a 14.4 percent rating, showing a very close difference of 0.4 percent.

When the two dramas first aired on May 26, Jang Dong Gun took the victory with 14.1 and 12.8 percent for the first two episodes, while Time Slip Dr. Jin took 12.2 and 11.8 percent. As of now, A Gentleman’s Dignity is in the lead, but there’s enough possibly for that to quickly change. Especially with the extremely small gap between the two, it is expected for the weekend drama battle to be fiercely close.