It’s not available in my region…
That’s what usually happens; The ones I like to watch are not in my region.
Thanks a lot!
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i can relate but let’s cross our fingers and wait for them to be available in your region. there were some dramas that i wanted to watch on viki but were not availabe in my region but some of them (the untamed) are available now. So crossing my fingers!
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Yes a lack of variety. I’m just waiting for a big big wuxias that will take away my heart. Unfortunately it seems that they’re all on Chinese platforms. We are all waiting for English subs. But seeing those big titles here is a hope to watch on my native language. I will not lie that it’s quite better and less tiring when you are watching very late at night.
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I love Viki community but it seems that all the best K-dramas seem to get licensed elsewhere lately. I find myself spending less and less time at Viki, both as a viewer and a contributor.
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true, the discussions were the best part (apart from much better subtitles) but there is nothing to talk about now…
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A good deal of us moved to Discord, and the discussions there are quite lively still 
For all drama lovers:
For all Viki contributors:
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In addition to Viki Pass Plus, I subscribe to Netflix and Amazon Prime, and I also have Disney Plus available to me through other means. Since I am fluent in Korean, the quality of subtitles is not an issue. For me, what makes Viki stand out among them is the sense of community. I met many drama lovers and language lovers in this Discussion forum and I have been a quite active participant. However, lately, I have noticed that less people are visiting the Discussion. Even at Discord, after the initial enthusiasm has died down, it’s a lot quieter.
After the demise of Drama Fever, there was a short period of time when Viki seemed to be the most obvious choice for Asian content. However, with the popularity of Korean movies and dramas exploding globally, Viki needs to realize that it now has serious contenders when it comes to securing choice Korean dramas.
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I would immediately take out a subscription (affordable, of course) to a platform that exclusively shows all Korean shows. Not because we have too much money, but:
Netflix - shows series in North America first, even though we have English as our default setting.
Prime - doesn’t show some stuff at all, some stuff only dubbed, etc.
Disney+ - doesn’t let us watch Snowdrop or Rookie Cops and so on at all
Apple+ - even we can’t afford all the sites that come into question
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I think it also depends on the time of the year… i was just lookin through the NSSA graduates list, and the number of graduates has a pattern - the busiest/most active time of the year is around August to January, and then the number keeps declining/ there is a slight lull from March - May till it picks up again in August-September
Maybe its just because of our schedules… i remember feeling like it was too quiet last year but it picked up again after some time. I’m currently very busy with studies, and Queendom 2 takes all of my spare time. I do visit Discussions every day but i dont talk much and just answer whoever tags me.
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I still think there are quality K-dramas being produced. It’s just that Viki is not getting a lion’s share of them as it used to.
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This is an interesting topic of discussion for me because I am still relatively early in my Kdrama (and all Asian drama) journey. I just reached my second year here at Viki, though I had about half a year of drama watching on other services prior to that. Because of that, I still feel like there is so much content that I haven’t gotten to. I also can’t really speak to how the quality and/or quantity has changed in the recent past, though I’m sure the increase on other services affects Viki to some extent.
I haven’t been too interested in a lot of the newer content and I wasn’t sure if that was affecting my perception of how much is actually being offered. I was curious, so I did a quick search of on-air Kdramas, and there are more than I anticipated, but again they are not within my interest area. And Viki has had several very visible/popular dramas over the last several months - some of which I watched and some I did not. It’s true, though, that it seems like other services, namely Ntflx, are getting a larger percentage of the high-profile dramas.
Now that I think about it, it occurs to me that Soompi has been carrying a lot of news about dramas that appear on other streaming services, but isn’t Soompi supposed to have some kind of connection to Viki? Or am I imagining that connection in my head from somewhere?
Edit to add: I forgot to mention: I wonder how much the addition of the watch party function has affected the social aspect of Viki (which is what sets Viki apart from all the other streaming services)? I have taken part of so many WPs now, and it allows you to speak your mind on the drama in real time, so I am less likely to come to the discussion boards or other social areas to discuss it. Maybe just maybe that plays a tiny role in the reduced traffic.
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Yeah, I meant that strictly from the perspective of less traffic at the discussion boards and maybe in the discussions on the show pages. It’s a separate issue from the quantity and quality of content.
Is there somewhere one could go to get concrete evidence that Viki is losing paid subscribers? Not that I am debating they are or are not, but places like Ntflx put out reports on subscriber numbers and whatnot, so it would be interesting to know for sure. It might also give some insight into whether we should be legitimately concerned that Viki might disappear one day. I was not around when the other place suddenly vanished. I’d hate for that to happen here.
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Well, I’m a bit ‘‘nosey?’’ so I go to comments, and check profile page to see if they are paying subscribers or not, and in my rough calculation 60 to 80 % watched with ADS and were not even viki standard pass. If you have time, do the work. I no longer do that since I am busy with packing. I come here when I want to take a break only. So, I’m off back to packing. Let me know if you do a ‘‘little search?’’ What is your finding so far…? I suggest you do 10 and take it from there.
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I didn’t even know you could find that on someone’s profile. I’ll check into it. I was an ad watcher for 1-3/4 of the 2 years I’ve been at Viki, but I did finally get a pass at the end of last year.
I would also be curious what the revenue difference is between someone who is a paid subscriber and what Viki gets from the ads that people are watching if they are not pass holders. Either way, Viki is getting revenue, it just depends on how much.
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This is still available at Viki. It was under another title, Splendid Politics. But there has been a change in title to the above.
I agree. For some reasons, Viki doesn’t seem to be getting (or failed in bidding for licensing rights) many good K-dramas lately. I don’t see Rakuten as being inferior to NFlix, or any other streaming platforms. I guess there has been a change in policy.
True. That is a pity. I’m being “pushed” to watch elsewhere. Like many of you, Viki isn’t the only streaming platform for me.
Yes. There is a connection. Soompi is a subsidiary of Viki. Back in 2015, Viki acquired Soompi after it was itself acquired by Rakuten in 2013. Now, Viki and Soompi are subsidiaries under Rakuten, and Soompi is a subsidiary under Viki. I believe that is how the connection goes.
I’ve been wondering for a long time… When Viki removed the comments section underneath each episode of any drama, I thought they would introduce and lead/link viewers to Soompi forum for discussions because that was the main reason for the acquisition(?), and also because many are not aware of it. Moreover, discussion level over at Soompi seems to be dwindling as well. I made such a suggestion several times. But I am still left wondering… 
Anyway, it is also why I included such links in the C-drama thread of channels wanted. Perhaps more will know of the existence of it, and participate in it.
I don’t think those WP groups adversely affect Viki, just like other streaming services’ WP (in other name forms) would affect them likewise. However, I do think Discord and other SM factions did.
Some years ago, Viki did try to introduce Viber, another SM mode which Rakuten acquired in 2013. However, it did not fare well and… I still have fond memories of using Viber. 
Agree. the decline in traffic here at Discussions and on the show pages is a separate issue. TBH, Viki still has a sizeable content (depending on what one likes/dislikes), and quality (in titles and subtitles) is still largely intact, though on a gradual decline (and likewise for other streaming sites ). IMHO.
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jadecloud88
Hwa Jung, the Princess of Light ,
This is still available at Viki. It was under another title, Splendid Politics. But there has been a change in title to the above.
Watching this one now. Thanks for the link. Did my packing quota. Relaxing today since the dark rainy days make me so sleepy. lol
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Thanks @angelight313_168. After you mentioned it, I did figure out where you could find the pass status of users. I randomly chose a bunch of users, but I realized part way through that many of them are clearly volunteers, and that obviously makes a difference as to whether or not they are paying for their pass. Oh well, at least I know about this now.
It does seem as though the new content tends to come in waves in terms of genre. For example, there was a large influx of BLs recently, which is cool for users interested in those. There always seems to be a constant flow of historical dramas, though not a lot of the Kdrama variety. But again, that targets a specific audience.
Part of it is my own fault. Like you, I have developed more and more pickiness over time, and I also become ‘moody’ in my drama watching - meaning my genre of choice depends on my mood. If my mood and what is currently being offered don’t match, too bad for me. 
What’s really frustrating is that, even with all these streaming services getting in on the Kdrama action, there are still dramas I read about and want to watch but cannot be found on any of the sites.
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I think we’ve all been through this. I actually was going through it for the last many months, which is why I haven’t really been watching dramas for a while. I’ve been sticking mostly to variety shows or learning more about the Kpop groups I like. I just recently started getting back into dramas over the last couple weeks. I guess sometimes you just need a break.
I’ll take note of that resource you mentioned. If I get desperate, I will look into it. Right now, there is really only one specific drama that I really wanted to see but is not available on any US streaming services. Maybe it will be one day. 
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I agree. Cool for those who love that genre. However, I feel that if Viki wants to reach this segment, why not extend the reach further to include genres for GL, webtoon, manhua and donghua (not those drama adaptations, but the real productions)? There is a huge following for those respective genres too.
Which is this? I may be able to help you.
Now I’m curious. Which is this? Perhaps I can find a source? 
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Very true. It’s one of the many lingering questions about content here at Viki.
It is ‘Tracer’ starring Im Si Wan and Go Ah Sung. It is a Wavve original. My search for this led me to some interesting new knowledge about how Korean content is being distributed. For example, Viki has a cooperation with Kocowa, which also has a cooperation with Wavve. Supposedly, according to some articles I read, all Wavve content is supposed to be available through Kocowa’s site, but I did not find this particular drama there. And I didn’t realize that not all Kocowa’s content was available through the Viki cooperation. For example, Yoon Shi Yoon’s new drama is through Kocowa, but you can only get it on their dedicated site. Way to make everything super confusing when it comes to trying to find all the Korean content you are looking for.
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