Kang Ho-dong, crisis of mukbang program with less than 1% viewer rating

Attention is being paid to whether broadcaster Kang Ho-dong's challenge to a mukbang program will bring back vitality to mukbang programs, which have recently waned in popularity.

Kang Ho-dong hosted the mukbang program ‘Meet Me at Gogi’, which premiered on the 11th. Musical actor Kim Ho-young and singer Song So-hee are regular cast members. 'Meet Me at Gogi' is also a program that introduces delicious restaurants and shows reactions after eating the food, like other mukbang programs. However, what sets it apart is that it deals only with meat. The evaluation is that Kang Ho-dong's dependable image and meat go well together.

Mukbang content has pursued various format changes. Even start-up entertainment shows about opening a restaurant are broadcast in a form combined with mukbang, and even famous mukbang YouTubers such as Hibab are joining the broadcast, leading to criticism that it is a 'flood of mukbang'. As a result, viewer interest has naturally decreased, and the viewership ratings of most mukbang programs do not exceed the 1% level.

A representative example is that the viewership rating of JTBC's 'Global Töchelin, A Meal After Work', which began broadcasting for the first time in March, remains in the 1% range and is not enjoying the 'opening effect'. We tried to win the sympathy of office workers by using the concept of a restaurant where office workers visit after work, but it is still not enough.

iHQ's 'Delicious Guys', the representative mukbang program. A program that first aired in 2015 and has been running for 8 years, having already surpassed 400 episodes. However, ‘Delicious Guys’ does not even exceed 1% in viewership ratings.

‘Delicious Guys’ presented a member replacement card. Among the existing members Yoo Min-sang, Moon Se-yoon, Kim Min-kyung, and Hong Yun-hwa, all except Yoo Min-sang are leaving. Defconn, Suji Lee, and Haejun Kim are new members. However, since it is ultimately a mukbang, viewers' expectations are not high.

This is not the first time that ‘Delicious Guys’ has faced a crisis. When it first aired in 2015, the original members Kim Jun-hyun, Yoo Min-sang, Moon Se-yoon, and Kim Min-kyung suffered a huge blow after Kim Jun-hyun was removed from the 'Dung 4' system. When Kim Jun-hyun, the main MC, left the show, viewership ratings also began to decline.

Afterwards, Kim Tae-won and Hong Yun-hwa came in, but the viewership ratings did not recover. The broadcasting industry's assessment is that rather than the members being the problem, viewers are tired of the mukbang program itself. This is why even ‘Delicious Guy’, which returns with new members, does not receive great expectations.

There are many alternative programs that feature mukbang as a side feature. MBC's 'Point of Omniscient Interfere' (hereinafter referred to as 'Point of Omniscient Interfere'), which covers the daily lives of stars and managers. In 'Presentence', stars' mukbangs, especially Lee Young-ja's mukbangs, are a hot topic. The vivid taste expression along with the cooking process stimulates the mouth.

YouTube is also full of mukbang creators. Popular mukbang YouTubers Hibab, Short-Ipped Hat, and Tzuyang have all surpassed 1 million subscribers. In particular, Tsuyang has about 8 million subscribers and has dozens of videos exceeding 1 million views.

Will Kang Ho-dong be a turning point in this sluggish mukbang program? Viewers are looking forward to whether Kang Ho-dong's unique lively energy can provide more enjoyment than 'meat mukbang'.

Ten Asia Reporter Kim Seo-yoon seogugu@tenasia.co.kr