A scene from "Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia" [Netflix]
A scene from "Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia" [Netflix]

"I've never seen a doctor like this before." — viewer reaction

"Doctor X: Age of the White Mafia" has shot to No. 1 on Netflix just one day after its premiere.

According to Netflix, the series — whose first episode dropped Friday — immediately claimed the top spot on the platform's Top 10 Series chart and has held it since. The show is also posting dominant linear television ratings, and the combination of strong OTT and broadcast performance has fueled expectations of a major hit.

"Doctor X" is a medical noir following Gye Su-jeong, a genius surgeon who knows neither failure nor compromise, as she takes on the entrenched power and corruption of the medical establishment.

The series is adapted from the Japanese drama "Doctor-X: Surgeon Michiko Daimon."

According to Nielsen Korea, the second episode of SBS's "Doctor X," which aired Saturday, drew a nationwide household rating of 14.9 percent. The Greater Seoul rating reached 14.7 percent, with a peak of 17.4 percent. That figure was the highest of any mini-series airing in the same time slot and across all of Saturday's mini-series programming. The show's 20-to-49 demographic rating — a key indicator of buzz — averaged 4.6 percent and peaked at 5.4 percent, the highest of any program broadcast during the week.

The first episode recorded a nationwide rating of 11.4 percent, the highest debut figure for any mini-series that has premiered this year.

A scene from "Doctor X" [SBS]
A scene from "Doctor X" [SBS]

"Doctor X" airs on both SBS and Netflix under a content partnership the two companies have established, through which most major SBS dramas are also available on the streaming platform.

With "Doctor X" showing all the signs of a breakout hit, viewership is expected to consolidate further around Netflix.

Competing directly against "Doctor X," tvN and its streaming arm Tving have launched "100 Days of Deception," a period drama set in 1932 colonial-era Seoul, making the rivalry between the two titles one of the season's most closely watched.

According to Nielsen Korea, the first episode of tvN's new Saturday-Sunday drama "100 Days of Deception," which aired Saturday, drew a nationwide household rating of 5.3 percent.

A scene from "100 Days of Deception" [Tving]
A scene from "100 Days of Deception" [Tving]

"100 Days of Deception," a special production marking tvN's 20th anniversary, is directed by Yoo In-sik, who helmed "Extraordinary Attorney Woo." The show also entered Tving's Top 10 within a day of its release.

The competition between Netflix and Tving for monthly active users is also intensifying. According to the Mobile Index compiled by data platform company IGAWorks, Netflix's monthly active users in September reached 15.5 million.

Tving, by contrast, posted 9.99 million monthly active users — just shy of the 10 million mark — a 22.6 percent increase from the previous month. Tving said the growth was driven by the popularity of its September originals, licensed content, tvN programming and professional baseball coverage.

Coupang Play, which had crossed the 10 million user threshold for the first time in August, slipped to 9.19 million — an 8.6 percent decline from the previous month — ceding second place to Tving.


park@heraldcorp.com