On the afternoon of December 6, the social media accounts of the Korean television station MBC officially announced: “Episodes 5 and 6 of the drama “When the phone rings” aired on December 6 and 7 will be canceled due to a special news report.” MBC hopes that the audience will understand this change.
Previously, "When the Phone Rings" was scheduled to air at 9:50 p.m. every Friday and Saturday (Korean time).
According to the media, due to the political situation in Korea, domestic TV stations have canceled entertainment programs and dramas to replace them with other special news programs.
However, this information angered international audiences. Under MBC's Instagram post, as of the evening of December 6, there were nearly 15,000 comments expressing outrage, saying that MBC was unprofessional and disrespectful to viewers.
One comment, which received 3,600 likes, said: “If this show’s ratings are dropping, it could be because it keeps getting canceled. Viewers have been very engaged with the show, but if it keeps getting canceled, viewers may lose interest and start watching other shows.”
Others were angry because they had paid Netflix to watch the show twice a week, but now they had to wait because the network announced it was canceling it.
International viewers are asking MBC to let Netflix release the drama on a regular schedule in other countries, if MBC cannot broadcast it seamlessly.
Some others regret that “When the Phone Rings” was transferred to MBC. They said that if it was another channel like tvN, the show would not have been interrupted.
One comment that received a lot of support stated: “K-dramas are not just for Korean audiences anymore, they have a global fan base that eagerly awaits each episode. It’s disappointing that the episodes are not released on time.
Netflix, it's 2024 and K-dramas are being watched more than ever. It's time to really care about the global audience and ensure a timely release schedule for all shows.”
It is not uncommon for Korean dramas to be postponed in the past. But at the moment, “When the Phone Rings” starring Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin is a hot drama, ranking No. 2 in terms of views last week on Netflix globally.
Therefore, the audience reacted more harshly when the show was not broadcast on schedule, even though there were only 2 episodes a week.
Meanwhile, movies produced directly by online platforms always release multiple episodes at the same time, or broadcast an entire season in 1 day.
Netflix viewers are impatient as the platform has to depend on the schedules of Korean TV stations.
