Now that DF is no more. My thoughts lead me to this: What does this mean for Viki? Our fanbase? Comments? And Korean dramas?
DF viewers and faithfuls will eventually come to us. Are we ready to take them on?
DramaFever shut down? That’s odd, they are doing so well. It could be a temporary thing since they would have to refund all their subscribers money.
Drama Fever is owned by Warner Bros I find really hard to believe is a permanent thing.
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yup my sister just upgraded viki because of DF shut down
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It is permanent. Go to their website. It was also reported via: https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/dramafever-k-drama-shutting-down-warner-bros-1202982001/?fbclid=IwAR358NCEfl1k13FaErXY7lvFeXFqOsRHQg_iQIScftL2-X3eR-kFiB6LjAE
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I’m actually quite upset! I use both DF and Viki because different dramas I want to watch are only aired on one or the other. I was literally in the MIDDLE of watching the new drama “Beauty Inside” when it shut down all servers. People where charged for their subscriptions just YESTERDAY so it’s also so last minute!!
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Shocking…RakutenViki is going to have to pay $$$$ to subbers/segmenters etc… to keep up with the high demand.
I’m sure not working for free anymore.
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Total disrespect for DF’s subscribers from WarnerMedia. No advance notice, just a black screen. Per Variety, “According to a source familiar with DramaFever, licensing costs for U.S. distribution commanded by top K-dramas have rapidly increased in recent years, bid up by larger SVOD players like Netflix and Amazon — making the genre-focused over-the-top video business unsustainable. A show that used to cost $800,000 to license for streaming now goes for around $1 million per season, according to the source.”
After AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner and the formation of WarnerMedia, the company will be launching a broad subscription-streaming entertainment service anchored by HBO that “would pull in content from other parts of Time Warner,” so maybe they will keep some content, but it doesn’t sound promising.
As for Viki, I’d venture to guess that most DF fans already view content on both sites. Let’s hope Rakuten believes in investing in this growing subscriber base and buys up DF’s drama backlist. Viki, fighting!
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All of a sudden and they didn’t prepare or warned the subscribers. This is a total disrespect.
9 years of loyalty? and all they get is a measly THANK YOU. Wait for that refund they won’t ever get.
Thank you for nine great years
As of October 16, DramaFever has been shut down.
For nine years, DramaFever offered a place for streaming the best Korean, Chinese and Japanese dramas on-demand, straight to your device. We appreciate the passion of our fans and it’s been a privilege to deliver you this content.
While this decision is difficult, there are a variety of business reasons that have led to this conclusion. We appreciate each and every one of our fans and their passion for the content DramaFever was able to bring into your lives.
We’d like to take this time to extend our thanks and gratitude to you, our loyal subscribers. We’ll be issuing refunds as applicable, and subscribers will receive an email from us with details in the coming days.
Sincerely,
The DramaFever Team
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I am beyond frustrated with the lack of respect DramaFever (aka Time Warner) has for subscribers. I hope Viki doesn’t negatively because of this but that they only get better. It was frustrating when they changed (also without warning) their subscriber service and made those who pay already, either pay more or become 2nd class paid subscribers by limiting access. Please, Viki, please rise to the ocassion and find a way to become the number one Kdrama streaming service not because you are the only one left but because you truly deserve the title of number one.
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What??? I am a subscriber. How can they do this without telling people. What about the money, I paid this month. Are they serious? I am going to have to get some answers. You can’t charge me for the month and I do not have that service. This is not good. IMO Viki needs the competition. There are many shows that Viki was not getting but DF had them I am truly disappointed. There were drams I had to watch for later on there.
Just saw their note. I am disgusted by their actions. Wow, what a horrible way to treat their customers. While, I feel bad for anyone who was employed there and lost their job. I find it truly despicable that they didn’t tell the consumer. There isn’t even a way to contact them to receive a refund. I find it hard to believe they just up and decided to do it, today. Who just stops running a video service in the middle of the week. Again, there were a ton of shows on there that Viki does not have.
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I hope so, too. They had an extensive collection of K-dramas and J-doramas.
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I guess we are never getting that Heirs sequel, right? Sorry, I know that is a bit much! I just cannot believe it. I knew NF was getting more of the market but, I did not believe it was as much as a challenge for DF or Viki. Should we worry about Viki, too. I cannot imagine going back to the time when these wonderful shows could not be found and people greatly depended on independent MB’s and independent subbers to get shows subbed. That was how I was able to watch Muneca Brava. I love, love, love those dedicated individuals yet, I cannot see going back to scouring the web to find a show that Viki does not have… Let’s face it, K-dramas, J-dramas, and all the other great genres are not a priority for NF.
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Seriously, I’m so disappointed. I’ve used both sites for years now. I hope that means Viki will be picking up more of the licenses then. I was in the middle of 4 currently airing programs that I have no way of watching now. And I don’t see how Netflix is a real competitor because their selection is real slim and not the currently airing shows either, it’s mostly self-produced stuff. Is Hulu even worth it? Last time I checked there, their selection was terrible, mostly just clips.
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aka AT&T who I think bought out Time Warner.
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I am curious if Viki will now start airing the shows that were on DF and not here on Viki. This is a heavy blow. I am (was) a premium subscriber on both channels and watch both equally. Now I will have to watch other channels on my computer to see the shows I used to watch on DF via my Roku on my TV. I watch Viki the same way. Watching these shows on my computer is a real pain. I am sincerely hoping Viki will be able to pick up the slack. And Viki people, if you’re reading this, I will be willing to pay more for the privilege. Viki and DF were the only two channels I watch these days. Im kinda freaking out actually.
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I am of course upset because people have lost their jobs, but subscribers won’t lose their money (According to an update from Warner Bros., “All current subscribers will be refunded.”). And surely for Viki it is a good thing, it will have less competition. We will be able to watch more dramas without paying two subscriptions.
When Kocowa closes down I’m going to do a happy dance.
What is disquieting is what they say about the rising costs of drama licenses because of Netflix and Amazon. I wish they could leave their paws off Asian drama…
(Shall I find myself moderator of five more dramas simultaneously, those which were in limbo in the past few months?)
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I find it so strange that they shut down all of a sudden with no sign it was about to happen or anything like that. Makes me wonder if it’s even real and not just a stupid joke like they are hacked or something.
I mean they just licensed some new drama and all of a sudden everything is gone. If I knew this would happen I would have quickly finished “Devilish Joy” which Viki doesn’t have and I was watching over there.(Yes yes I know don’t mention other illegal sites shall we?). It makes me a bit worried about Viki honestly as Warner Bros is huge! If Warner Bros can’t or is not willing, can Rakuten pull it off? But at least Viki can save some costs because the subbing is done by mostly volunteers…
And I think due this there will be more pressure on Viki/volunteers because Plan A or B is (depending on where they went first for their drama needs)
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It might, but I’m working on a show that’s lacking manpower and is honestly a lot of work to finish, but now Viki has put their own staff in place to “help” finish the project. Maybe that’ll be the new normal? Idk…
Btw shocked at this announcement. I was finally going to check DF out haha. Too late now…
The strangest thing is I emailed them Monday and got this response on Tuesday:
Gracy Maan (DramaFever)
Oct 16, 12:24 PM EDT
Hello,
Thank you for your response!
We’re sorry about that. These episodes will be released at a later date. Thank you for your patience!
As this is a temporary issue and would be fixed in a while and everything will be back to normal again.
Best,
Gracy
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I am the same way. I was watching “Beauty Inside” as well as “The Third Charm” ,100 Days My Prince and Devilish Joy, which only had a few episodes left. I tried the app on my phone at 8:20 PM CST and it gave an error. I thought that was odd. I then went to the app on my tv and it said It wasn’t connected to the Internet. I finally fired up my laptop and there that black screen was. A huge feeling of disappointment took over.
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