Sustaining Cultural Phenomena: The Balance of Entertainment Franchises

The gory, dystopian South Korean thriller Squid Game is the most popular series Netflix has ever released. This week, it drops season two — in the midst of the company’s efforts to grow the show beyond the screen.

On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, host Rebecca Choong Wilkins talks to Bloomberg’s Sohee Kim and Lucas Shaw about the new season, the story of how the show was nearly never made and all the ways Netflix is trying to expand Squid Game into a global franchise — from reality TV and video games to in-person fan experiences. 

Read more: ‘Squid Game’ Returns in Test of Netflix Global Marketing Muscle

Further listening: K-Pop’s Big Bet on Becoming Less Korean

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