Drama Fever has shut down!

Well some streaming sites think the world only contains Asia and the US. Just kidding but look at all the way popular streaming services… Dramafever (RIP), Hulu, Crunchyroll… All aim for US. I believe Amazon started with other regions recently but was US only for a long time too. Same goes for Netflix and HBO. The America’s could enjoy these services for years already before they even started the serve other regions too. Viki is unique at point, they are the only legal site which didn’t exclude all other regions then the US since the became legal. And I sometimes get PM’s about Roku player… ehh no idea how that works and is that even sold outside the US?!

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I’m very upset about the shutdown of DF and the lack of notice. I had so many shows to watch. I surprised myself when I actually cried.

I am an avid fan of kdramas etc. My first experience was in Netflix a few years ago, I was hooked. I then joined Viki, I kept looking for more and joined Dramafever. I’m a 56 yr old Canadian/Italian. I barely watch cable and other paid tv subscriptions. I love everything about kdramas.

Viki, please do your utmost to continue! Buy the shows that Dramafever had because there were so many great ones. I’m willing to pay for subbers!!

Netflix has such a minimum amount and lower quality Asian dramas, which I find hard to believe their paying large fees caused Warner to cancel DF.

Viki please do your part to save this kdrama lover and others from dispair. I’m totally disabled and truthfully these shows brought joy to my life!

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yup, agree with dudie. Without using VPNs, you’re options are limited if you live outside of the US / Asia when using most streaming services. That’s why I guess a lot of people were upset when Viki started blocking a lot of dramas in different regions, only to release them again soon after. I for example have Netflix and Amazon and the selection I have compared to my brother (who lives in the American region) is completely different, I have little options compared to him here in Europe.

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Dramafever isn’t the only one who is having (or had in their case) the well know Crunchyroll is facing some difficulties too.
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-10-18/funimation-crunchyroll-end-content-sharing-partnership/.138330

Can’t you use his account then? Or is that not a good idea?
It’s really stupid. When Netflix started here I was like yay an another source to watch Asian drama! What a disappointment it was when I saw what they offered. A while ago my bro asked me if I was willing to share an account and split the costs but it’s still not worth the money if I keep in mind what I want to watch. Sometimes I miss it though for interesting documentaries and such but to spend so much a month for that?! Nope.

Really it’s so stupid they all talk about globalisation of the world but at the same time they all stick to that very ancient idea to split the world into different regions which resulted in region codes for DVD’s and licenses strictly for certain regions could be bought restricting others. To make money of course and to prevent people buy stuff from an other region then their own because it’s cheaper, released earlier or whatever. Like when I was a little kid disney movies where sometimes already released on VHS in the states while they where still in the cinema’s in The Netherlands and the VHS will still take at least year to be released.

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Yes, I can use his account, but like I said, I can’t see the movies he sees because I’m in the Netherlands and it automatically updates to the regional selection. I don’t get the American one just because his is. In the beginning, before Netflix came here, that was possible, but not anymore. I also have Prime and the selection (via Germany) is way different than the American Amazon Prime :crying_cat_face:

I’m getting a VPN soon for security reasons and maybe I’ll use it for services like this, if that works…

I understand completely! I was trying to access Dramafever via my Roku on my tv and it wouldn’t link up, so I went on my laptop and logged in there. That’s when the floor dropped out from underneath me. I felt like the blood was draining from me as I read what had been posted about Dramafever shutting down. I literally felt the need to cry. I have been watching Kramas for a couple of years now, and honestly, had stopped watching regular tv. I watched Dramafever every day!! I’m just so shocked that this has happened. I’m still in disbelief about it really. Unfortunately, the Kdrama that I can watch on Netflix is limited in comparison to Dramafever, and many of the shows that I looked at here on Viki don’t seem to be completed as far as English subtitles. I understand that it is done by a group of volunteers. Does anyone know if it’s just a matter of time for these shows to be completely subbed? I really don’t want to start watching a drama if I can’t finish it to completion. I would love some input from viki subscribers about this. Pass the kleenex!

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Hello, fellow Canadian. I feel your pain, truly!! I got hooked on Kdramas a couple of years ago as well, and like you, they brought much joy to my life.

I confess I was very close to tears myself. Truth be told, it felt like someone had died. Dramafever was solid with the content that I was able to always access and the subbing was complete. I just can’t believe this has happened.

I was a bit surprise at the shut down of “Drama Fever” I was a premium member there and also here at Viki.
There was Dramas and movies that Drama Fever had that was not here at Viki, for example “GOBLIN” and there was time that both places had the exact same dramas. I remember I had to go to Drama Fever because the exact drama I was in the middle of watching here on Viki the episode was having problems, so I had to watch the rest of the episodes at DramaFever.

So for me personally I will miss Drama Fever if you love Asian drama and movies you really need more than one place to watch it. What one site may have the other site may not. I watch all my drama on Roku on TV, I really enjoyed doing so businesses comes and goes that life and the world we live in.

Hopefully this will open the door here at Viki for even more members and even more Asian dramas and movies since it seem to now be an open market. I hope in the near future that Drama Fever maybe under a new name perhaps will resurface again. Anyway I been a member premium member here on Viki for many years.

I am totally willing to spend double or even triple if Viki gets the shows DramaFever would have gotten! I was just getting ready to watch Goblin again - my favorite drama!

Well crap! I hate HBO. I don’t want to pay for HBO to get my kdramas!

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I am also afraid Asian dramas will get lost in another big American streaming services. At least they won’t be put in the spotlight they deserve to be, especially because not all Asian dramas have the same audience appeal. The cultural context of some of these dramas can be hard to or intimidating to follow at first unless you put in the time or are a natural Asian history / culture buff. Like following the court politics and etiquette of Qing dynasty dramas for example. I also don’t want to see Asian show productions changed to appeal to a more western audience.

I also got nervous about DF’s future when they started adding seasons of the American Bachelorette. This move was a warning that a big American company didn’t understand DF viewers. I am American myself, and I used both DF and Viki to get away from most American tv shows I can’t stand anymore. Even on Netflix it’s not convenient to search for shows by country.

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I’m right up there with you…I’m a 63 year old Brit, fortunately I’ve been living in Arizona for quite a while now…:slight_smile: so I got to feed my addiction for Asian Drama’s. One of the reasons I love their work is because there is no gratuitous sex and violence, its there if it needs to be. I’m like you too, I barely watch anything on cable anymore. Dramafever was my braincandy! After a day spent with inmates in Prison (I’m a therapist) I loved to come home and relax by transporting myself to a whole different culture, and way of life! I don’t mind paying for good service, but I refuse to pay for HBO, or anything AT&T is involved in. They sold me phone service years ago, knowing that they did not have a tower in my area. I could not get out of the contract, because I had already signed it…they will never get my business again! I’m just going to keep my fingers crossed that Viki remains solvent, and probably revisit some of the content I have already watched on Netflix.

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I’m glad you brought this up as I was really really PO’d at the sudden shutdown. Out of respect they could have held on to let some of the series finish at least! AT&T (though Time Warner Entertainment) demonstrated an incredible disrespect for their DF subscribers, of which I was one for nearly 8 years. Frankly I think there should be a class action lawsuit to teach this company some damn manners.

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I was a DF subscriber and just found out about it shutting down (so glad we finished our last drama over the weekend!). I’ve used Viki before through the Samsung TV app, which I see they don’t support anymore (I wasn’t a fan of it anyway). I’ll likely subscribe to Viki now and will need to pick up something to stream it on the TV. We have Alexa at home so I’m leaning towards a Fire Stick, but any insight on Roku vs. Chromecast vs. Fire Stick?

A cheap option without having to buy extra stuff is to use any laptop, joined to the TV monitor via HDMI cable.

That’s what I’m doing for more then 15 years already. Well not the HDMI cable but I used an other cable to do the same before the HDMI cable became the standard. Along with my wireless keyboard and mouse my non smart TV turns into a smart tv :stuck_out_tongue:

Have you people seen this?
https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/dramafever-demise-other-korean-drama-streaming-services-1202984586/
It has some interesting details we were not aware of.

  • Lately DF, desperate for content, has been spending extravagantly and aggressively to acquire licenses - the ones we lamenting losing to them. Then it was wise from Viki not to try to overdo it like them.
  • Kocowa is a little more expensive than Viki, although it offers fewer titles.
  • Kocowa has only 500.000 users while Viki reaches more than 40 million fans through its platorms, Viki and Soompi.
  • Kocowa had reached out to DF to make a deal similar to the one it has with Viki, but DF was only interested in exclusives.
  • Amazon Prime Video had a distribution deal with DramaFever; those titles are listed as no longer available on Prime Video.
  • There is a petition to bring back dramafever. In two days it has already more than 6000 signatures!
  • as of right now you can still watch DramaFever shows on VRV . Not if you’re in Europe, though.

The best comment under that article:

“I hope a chaebol buys off Drama Fever from Warner.”

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So basically DF got greedy and that became their downfall. Now I’m happy Viki was more smart and made a deal with Kocowa.

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I have a Samsung TV too and when Viki discontinued the support I purchased the Roku stick and it works beautifully. Since I haven’t used a Fire Stick or Chromecast I can’t provide imput.