'Dead-End Job' tops Netflix non-English charts as streamer battles slowing growth

Netflix original "Dead-End Job" [Netflix]

"The clown is genuinely terrifying." "It's bizarre, but I can't stop watching." (Viewer reactions to Netflix's "Dead-End Job")

"Dead-End Job," a Netflix original series released Oct. 30, is generating an early wave of breakout momentum. In its second week, the show claimed the No. 1 spot in Netflix's global non-English TV category and has sustained that momentum worldwide.

Netflix has been accelerating a major organizational overhaul amid slowing growth, making it all the more urgent to secure global blockbusters that attract new subscribers and retain existing ones. The Korean series "Dead-End Job" is drawing attention as a potential bright spot in that effort.

According to Netflix, "Dead-End Job" ranked No. 1 in the non-English TV category on the platform's global Top 10 chart for the week of Nov. 2–8.

The show topped the charts in 22 countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, and landed in the top 10 in 76 countries in total.

"Dead-End Job," which topped Netflix's non-English TV chart [Netflix Top 10 website]

"Dead-End Job" is set at a peculiar staffing agency that exclusively offers jobs paying 50 times the standard hourly wage. The horror series follows a young man named Hyeokjun as he is dispatched to a series of nightmarish worksites in a desperate bid to make ends meet.

The show logged 5 million views in its first week, then surged to 8.7 million in its second — a steep upward trajectory. It stands out as one of the strongest-performing Korean titles Netflix has released this year, alongside "Is There a Translator for This Love?" and "Hierarchy."

The show's success comes as welcome news for Netflix, which has seen its growth stall both at home and abroad. According to mobile analytics firm Mobile Index, Netflix's monthly active users in South Korea fell to about 15.51 million in September, down 4.3 percent from the previous month. The figure partially recovered to about 15.76 million in October but remains stuck in the 15 million range after peaking above 16 million.

The growth slowdown is playing out in global markets as well, where Netflix is losing ground to YouTube.

According to market research firm Nielsen, Netflix accounted for 7.8 percent of total TV streaming time in the United States in July — roughly half the 14.2 percent share held by YouTube.

Despite pouring vast sums into content investment, Netflix has not seen viewing hours grow at the pace it had hoped. Streaming time in the first half of this year rose just 2 percent from a year earlier.

Quarterly sales growth also fell to its lowest level in three years, underscoring the reality of the company's slowdown.

That sense of urgency translated into sweeping layoffs. Netflix announced last month that it would cut 1,000 jobs, equivalent to 6 percent of its total workforce — the largest round of reductions since 2022.

Earlier in 2022, Netflix had already cut 150 full-time employees and some contract workers in May following a drop in subscribers. In June of that year, it laid off an additional roughly 300 employees, representing about 3 percent of its total staff.

sjpark@heraldcorp.com