[HanCinema's News] "Hospital Playlist Season 2" Begins Streaming in China

This past April 11th the Chinese streaming platform Bilibili began broadcasting "Hospital Playlist Season 2" to its users. The move accompanies official broadcasts of "Hospital Playlist Season 2" on Chinese television. This makes "Hospital Playlist Season 2" the eighth South Korean drama this year to pierce the THAAD boycott by Chinese companies of South Korean media properties, relating to the placement of antimissile weapons in South Korea back in 2017.

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Despite this seeming antipatriotic sentiment, comments by Chinese persons on the Internet ahead of the airing were mostly positive, with compliments being paid to the first season of "Hospital Playlist" as well as the second season's original soundtrack. Much of the backlash against South Korean dramas appeared to have died down for this year, with several projects of interests to Chinese consumers appearing in their market this year.

"Saimdang: Light's Diary" was the first such project to see official release this year, premiering on the MangoTV service in January. "Saimdang: Light's Diary" had originally been produced with the Chinese market in mind, mainly due to the popularity of lead actress Lee Young-ae in the region. However, THAAD-adjacent hostility in 2016 forced even a domestic premiere of the historical drama back to early 2017.

Other titles only made legally available this year include "Queen In-hyun's Man" and "Another Miss Oh" also on Bilibili. Elsewhere, on iQiyi, "Pretty Sister Who Buys Me Food" and "What's Wrong With Secretary Kim" are now making their official Chinese debut. YOUKU rolled out "Now, We Are Breaking Up" which is one of the few newer dramas being made available. Other recent popular titles are also expected to receive official Chinese releases in the months to come.

Written by William Schwartz