CHS 100 minute Talk 26-4: Netflix Dilemma
- Date: June 22nd, Monday, 2026, 12:00 – 13:40
- Online via Zoom
Netflix Dilemma is a book in which a media and cultural studies scholar analyzes the contemporary ecosystem of Korea’s broadcasting and audiovisual industries through interviews with professionals working in film, television drama, and broadcasting, as well as a wide range of documentary sources. The book compellingly demonstrates how Netflix’s success story is intertwined with the structural crises facing the Korean audiovisual industry, while asking what may be lost under the banner of “global expansion.” Drawing on sharp cultural studies insights and extensive interviews with producers and industry practitioners, the author meticulously traces the contours of a new regime of power created by Netflix—the phenomenon of “Netflixization.” Through a multidimensional account of the globalization of Korea’s broadcasting and audiovisual industries over the past three decades, the book offers a rich understanding of the transformations that have reshaped the industry in the Netflix era. More than a critique of platform capitalism, this work raises an urgent question: how can the foundations of Korea’s content ecosystem and its cultural diversity be sustained and renewed? Rare in its balance and analytical depth, Netflix Dilemma is highly recommended for researchers, producers, and policymakers seeking to think seriously about the future of Hallyu and Korean content.