JTBC entertainment cruel history that stayed in the 1% range

JTBC's entertainment programs are suffering the humiliation of having the lowest viewer ratings of around 1%. Although he was successful with the drama 'The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family' starring Song Joong-ki and Lee Sung-min, he is not using his full power in the entertainment industry.

JTBC's 'Serious About Marriage', which has recently been criticized due to controversy over its sensationalism, posted a painful performance with a 1.0% viewership rating on the 3rd. Previously, last month, 'Serious About Marriage' became a hot topic with the cast's provocative comments and uninhibited skinship.

At the time, the scene of a male performer without hesitation resting his hand on the body of a female contestant wearing a bikini at the beach was portrayed. In addition, dizzying and embarrassing situations continued as important body parts touched each other's bodies. It's hard to believe that it's rated for ages 15 and over.

In the next scene, a man and a woman spend the night in the same room. The male cast members looked more excited than the person involved and asked Kim Gwang-seok, “Have you changed your panties?” He made 19 Venus comments without hesitation, such as “You shouldn’t wear anything when you sleep.” The production team also crossed the line by describing them as "men full of spirit" through the subtitles.

Did the intentional sensationalism work? The viewer ratings for that episode soared. Afterwards, it gained momentum and showed high viewership ratings for two consecutive weeks.

However, after the sensational controversy, the viewer ratings plummeted as soon as the rather realistic and rational image of a couple was broadcast. The last broadcast last month suffered humiliation by recording a rating of 0%.

JTBC's 'Over the Top', 'Let's Eat GO', 'Teachum', 'Day Without Hands', and 'Buddy Boys', which were newly launched in the second half of last year, also failed to keep up with the buzz. All of them are at a standstill, with viewership ratings hovering around 1%. 'Buddy Boys', which has a format where male idols go on trips and enjoy golf, experienced the humiliation of recording a viewership rating of 0% from episode 1 to the most recently aired episode 6. It was a lukewarm topic and even the viewership ratings were shabby.

JTBC's signature entertainment show, 'We Must Come Together 2', is also in jeopardy. In 2021, it was upset by the controversy over the 'biased decision', and last year, it turned into a survival program with an all-day audition party.

The team of 'We Must Come Together 2', which aimed to change the atmosphere, recruited a large number of players, but it was not enough to dominate the topic in terms of awareness. Because the customers and customers were once turned away, the once broken flow has not returned.

The only thing that is holding on to the dying JTBC variety show is the crisis-ridden 'We Have to Come Together 2'. JTBC created more than 5 new programs last year alone. The answer to the classic problem lies within JTBC. Rather than focusing only on increasing the number, the drama bureau's formula for success was to present proper programs such as 'The youngest son of a chaebol family'. This is a time when choice and focus are needed more than ever.

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr