KOCOWA is the main producer and distributor of most Kdramas, but it also has its own streaming service. It’s not in Europe – of course 
– and you need to pay upfront, but it has exclusive Korean content that can’t be found on Viki, like Terius Behind Me.
With the sudden demise of DF, will KOCOWA’s own service gain traction?
I can’t use it even if I wanted too.
I know the feeling.
With the sudden downfall of DF, I think that viewers will scurry to whomever has the most decent quality dramas. While KOCOWA’s quality is good, their library is relatively of medium size in comparison to a place like Viki. If the DF’s exclusive contracts for current dramas goes to KOCOWA, then they might see a significant increase in memberships imo. We are an obsessive bunch lol and will follow the dramas to wherever they go.
Kocowa is a joint venture among the three major Korean Broadcast Networks KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) and SBS (Seoul Broadcasting System)
Someone correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to host only their own dramas, not the ones by other Korean TV channels (nor from other countries). So no, they couldn’t possibly get all the DF exclusives.
i would love to watch there…
To use as an example, for the drama ‘Terius Behind Me’, it’s a MBC drama so if they then return the exclusive streaming of it to KOCOWA, (and other dramas that belong to those three parent networks) then people would join KOCOWA to watch it there. That’s what I meant, but I wasn’t very clear about it, sorry.
If then, for the other exclusive dramas, would their exclusive contracts then be sold by Time Warner to other streaming sites or will TW hold them indefinitely to possibly put on their own streaming service? That is the question.
DF didn’t really have the exclusive rights to “Terius Behind Me” as Kocowa also streams it under the name “My Secret Terrius”.
Other exclusives like “The Third Charm” or “The Beauty Inside” still get English subs since the Asian platform VIU has them (ofc you need to watch them on illegal streaming sites then). However, there are still dramas that weren’t available anywhere else like “Devilish Joy” (but I think this gets fansubs from Ep 13+) or Chinese/Taiwanese ongoing dramas/movies like “Age of Legends”.
if Viki and the Kocowa are linked why do we pay for their services? or are they seperate all the way around? paying them And viki? I am not able to do that at this time
These are two separate companies. Viki is owned by Japanese Rakuten and Kocowa by the three biggest Korean TV channels.
Kocowa does not have any Viki dramas but Viki has some Kocowa dramas. So the link doesn’t go both ways.
Kocowa provides some extra Korean dramas to viki. Viki wants them, because Kocowa has popular and desirable dramas, and Viki without them will be too lacking in Korean content, and the customers will leave (Have you noticed we’ve been submerged by Chinese dramas in the past year? They do have their own passionate audience but the bulk of the users want Korean ones). That’s why Viki gives Kocowa some money for the right to show their dramas here.
Now, of course, the money which Viki gives Kocowa, it has to get back from somewhere. The subscribers who are interested in watching this extra content have to pay viki more (instead of viki pass, viki pass plus), in order to have more content, the Kocowa content which otherwise Viki wouldn’t have.
That’s the deal.
So like I have Viki plus need I get kocowa also?
thanks for that info! appreciate clearing that up.
Quotes from Viki Help Center:
Viki Pass is a monthly or annual recurring subscription service that lets you watch exclusive content, in HD, without ads.
Kocowa is a streaming service, launched by a partnership of KBS, SBS, and MBC, the three major TV networks in South Korea. A Viki Pass Plus subscription includes the best of both worlds; all the benefits of a Viki Pass Standard PLUS over 14,000 hours of additional Korean content.
Viki Pass Plus gives you access to all the great content from Viki Pass Standard PLUS additional content from Kocowa!
Viki Pass Plus is available only in North, Central and South America.
Here is the list of 160 shows available to Viki Pass Plus users. (122 TV series and 38 movies)
Obviously, Kocowa doesn’t have only 160 shows, so I understand - although it’s not clearly stated ANYWHERE - that it’s not ALL Kocowa content.
Here is the list of all Kocowa dramas. I think I see many which are not here on Viki.
And, it makes sense. If you were Kocowa, would you like all your audience to go to Viki to watch the dramas?
Something very strange
Looking at the Viki Pass Standard list, the Viki Pass Plus list and the Kocowa page, I found some of the shows are in all three!
Including Room 9, The Player, The Smile Has Left Your Eyes, Twelve Nights, Running Man and Where Stars Land - which moreover is a Viki original. What gives?
Viki Pricing:
There are 6 plans available, Basic, Standard, and Plus:
Basic (available only in select countries)- $2.99USD/month or $29.99USD/year -
A recurring monthly or annual charge will be processed to the credit card on file. Viki Pass Basic offers you the chance to watch our non-exclusive content, free of ads and in HD (where available). This plan is for users who don’t mind waiting for their favorite content to become available to all users.
Standard - $4.99USD/month or $49.99USD/year
Plus - $9.99USD/month or $99.99USD/year - A recurring monthly or annual charge will be processed to the credit card on file. This subscription is only available in the Americas (North, South, and Central), and only available on Web, Android, iOS, Roku, and Chromecast).
Here’s the whole article: https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009725447-Plan-benefits-for-Viki-Pass-Standard-Plus-and-Basic
Kocowa pricing:
Monthly Membership $6.99
Annual Membership $69.99
Daily Membership $0.99
Oh, nicely put together! Just one thing that I want to point out, though:
The Basic Pass is just $0.83 per month or $9.99 billed annually,
but as you’ve mentioned, it’s only available in select places.
Thank you very much but I was more asking what to do see i subbed to both here and DF now since DF is closed should I get Kocowa realistically im also in Canada so fees are higher vikipass plus costs me as much as a Netflix sub so adding would seem crazy but if its worth it ill do it
I personally think that if people put their foot down and don’t give in to this money hungry business people, they would stop making these schemes to get the last penny of poor subscribers. If you have Rviki and Netflix, there is plenty of dramas for you to enjoy already! If there’s one drama you want to see but is not available, just wait bc sooner or later it will also be available on Netflix or anywhere else, even Rviki!!! Waiting won’t kill anyone, and that’s all we have to do, wait. Not giving in to the scheme of it all, and pay more money to make a rich person get the little money we poor people have.
It became clear to me now what I was saying all along about the merger of companies that want to milk money out of subscribers. So, Kokowa has the korean content now, which you now have to pay additional money? The new RakutenViki owned by Japanese are now providing dramas that bring little to no interest to subscribers (mainly Chinese) old movies or documentaries etc…
The reason why DF was Shut down was bc it was the plan all along. All of a sudden Rviki didn’t get the licence but DF did but …wait a minute ‘‘DF HERE is no more’’. Desperate people make desperate decisions, and there is where their scheme starts working.
If the new owners of Rviki has any decency and respect for people and know that in this life you only receive good things when you do good, they will work in a way and find a solution where they can provide subscriber the dramas they like at a decent price they can afford.
In this world, we all know money has always been the root of all evil, and when injustice like this are committed, and they get away with it, it cries in the eyes of the Lord. I have seen many heartbreaking comments of people that feel lost without DF and all this extra money thing going on, bc they can’t afford to pay more. How can they think that such greed will triumph?
Please, don’t sacrifice yourself and pay more making these companies mergers mega rich. There is in life other things we can do that can bring us entertainment and might cost less or nothing at all. Hiking the mountains, volunteering in Hospitals, schools. Learning new things, hobbies, cooking. The world is out there for all of us to enjoy. Being glued to a screen for a 45 minute drama, begging for subtitles, is not what life should be all about.
I understand some might have other limitations like wheelchair bound, poor health and sick but even then, don’t let that stop you from enjoying life in other ways without having to sacrifice yourself for the gain of others that already have more than enough.
Let’s hope that Rviki new owners have better plans for its subscribers and many future subscribers by providing them very fairly, good dramas that they will all can enjoy. Not dramas the subscribers have no interest to watch and still has to pay for that. Don’t ever forget ‘‘THAT BY GIVING IS THAT WE RECEIVE’’
We have a saying in Spanish; ‘‘Lo mal quitao’no reina’’ that is like ‘‘no evil deed goes unpunished’’ if this was all a ploy to gain more subscribers and jump the prices I hope ppl. open their eyes already.
Oh my… It’s quite a lot to take in. Of course, I agree that life should be more than a screen. I should make a similar post on Facebook and Twitter. Lots of screen zombies there, myself included. 
lmao…me included, I have my zombie’s dramas days too. But Iately I have read so many comments were they feel like they can’t live without Drama fever in their life (you didn’t even had the chance to enjoy DF) Some even sound like is the end of the world for them, almost like suicidal when they say certain things. Is really scary to see how attach they are to these sites.
One of the comments I read that broke my heart and made me write what I wrote was from a person that stated she/he was disable and had a very limited income, and saw no way to this dark situation in front of him/her. that broke my heart bc there are people that see Asian dramas as their only entertainment and nothing else can replace that for them. it shouldn’t be that way, they should not feel like that.
You know what we learned about supply and demand in school? Business people never see the human side, the pain of the person who sacrifice themselves just to see these Asian dramas. I wonder how much they have sacrificed just to pay for a streaming service and it gets shut off, and there are no other options for them and they were left in limbo. Now it will require more money from them, money they most likely don’t have. I just pray to G-D Drama Fever does the right thing and refund their money. I’m telling you from what I read that DF had a policy that they don’t have to refund their money.
I consider myself blessed and wish I could help them, too. But I’m not rich and even if I was, there are too many out there right now in pain, distraught over this, with little to no hope of affording this other sites.
Unless of course Viki becomes again what it was years back the best site, with the best drama from all over the world, translated in so many different language, and with one decent affordable price.
I can’t post what other’s write here bc I don’t have that right to do so, but is really heartbreaking the way some of them feel and the despair you feel in the words they wrote. I really hope this situation have a happy ending.
Great information you made it every clear to understand better, At this point I hanging in the air I am a long time premium member here on Viki, I have not yet decided to upgrade to Viki Plus. What I don’t like about Kocowa is they do Not have an app for using ROKU on TV, I watch all my Viki Dramas and movies on my TV using the device ROKU. Very rarely do I watch any drama on my desk top computer all those I do have a large size monitor and HD feature I just love watching drama on my TV.
I think at this point with just Kocowa’s alone you can only view all their contents on their web site and to pay for no ads.But if you upgrade to Viki Plus with Kocowa’s added you can watch on TV using Roku, only because Viki have a Roku feature for TV.
But still that do not mean you will get all of Kocowa Contents, At this point I am surprise that Kocowa do not have an Roku app for TV, I am not sure if they even have it for Chromecast user, for TV as well. Maybe they will later but it just make no sense that their viewing is only on their web site.
if the user paid through paypal and calls in and speaks with a agent they will cancel any agreement you have and once you explain they will comp you in good faith without DF input i think that should be out there more