Netflix CEO says ‘Squid’ could become his most popular show of all time

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) — Netflix’s new survival drama “Squid Game” could become the most successful original content on the free-to-air (OTT) streaming service globally, according to Ted Sarandos, one of its CEOs.

Sarandos said Monday (US time) that “Squid Game” will certainly be his most successful foreign language show in the world, during Code 2021, an annual tech conference held in Beverly Hills, California, by US digital media company Vox Media.

“It’s only been available for nine days and very likely our most successful show ever. It’s very popular.”

He noted that “Squid Game” tops all previous non-English-speaking Netflix hits, including the Spanish crime thriller “La Casa de Papel” and the French mystery series “Lupine.”

The nine-part suspense series, written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, is about a group of people who participate in a series of killer games to win 45.6 billion won ($38.6 million).

A few days after its official release, on September 17, the series was placed in the top ten of the popular “ratings” of the Netflix TV series from the analytics company for these platforms, FixPatrol. It topped the list for about 10 days.

In addition, it became the first South Korean show to reach number one in the 10 most successful Netflix TV shows in the United States.