Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo excels internationally; Garners 1.1 billion views in China

Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo has finally managed to follow the successful traits of its preceder Doctors and other Korean dramas, such as Uncontrollably Fond and Descendants of the Sun.

Despite the negative reviews it received after the premiere, the SBS period drama has become one of the most talked about shows in and around Asia. It did not just cross a billion views in China, but also become the most popular Korean mini-series of this year in Singapore and Malaysia.

Recently, SBS informed its followers in Twitter that Scarlet Heart Ryeo garnered more than 1.1 billion views in a Chinese streaming site called Youku.

On the other hand, the latest statistical reports indicate that the period drama achieved 73 per cent of time-slot among the four Korean entertainment channels in Singapore and Malaysia, according to Hello Kpop.

Thanking his fans for making the show a great success, cast member Lee Ji-eun wrote on Instagram: "Thank you 1 billion angel's !! Love You all."

Meanwhile, citing the reasons for the increase in viewership, Virginia Lim, Senior Vice President and Head of Content, Production & Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks, stated that extensive promotional and publicity efforts have led to the success of Moon Lovers.

"The thrill of being able to catch the drama at the same time as Korea for the first time ever in Southeast Asia has helped to boost Scarlet Heart's ratings," Lim explained.

Additionally, the SBS drama has been going through a neck-to-neck rating war with its competitors Moonlight Drawn by Clouds and Monster. According to a recent rating report by AGB Nielsen, the KBS drama topped the list with 19.6 per cent nationwide viewership. While MBC show received 12.1 per cent ratings, SBS series was moved to the third position with 6.2 per cent ratings.

SBS will air the next episode of Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo on Monday, September 26, 10pm KST. Watch the trailer of episode 10 below: