This October, the “Dorama” channel celebrates its seventh anniversary as Russia’s premier destination for high-budget series from South Korea, Japan, China, and Taiwan. With a loyal and growing fanbase, it continues to play a pivotal role in bringing the beloved world of doramas to Russian viewers.
“Series from East and Southeast Asia are at the height of their popularity in Russia,” says Stepan Kovalev, General Director of Time Media Group. “With more than 15 million searches for the word ‘dorama’ on Yandex each month, it’s clear that the genre resonates deeply with Russian audiences. Our channel has been instrumental in sparking and sustaining this trend. We were the first to introduce Russian viewers to the world of doramas, and today, ‘Dorama’ stands as a flagship project within our distribution portfolio.”
The “Dorama” channel’s extensive content library now boasts over 300 series—a total of nearly 5,400 hours of unique programming. Impressively, 45% of the catalog holds a Kinopoisk rating of 8.0 or higher, underscoring the quality of the content offered. Thanks to strong partnerships with major South Korean media companies, the channel is set to premiere 20 exclusive new series in 2024. Some of these will debut simultaneously with their South Korean airings, thanks to the channel’s in-house dubbing studio, which ensures rapid, high-quality adaptation of content.
In recognition of its industry-leading work, the channel has earned seven prestigious Big Digital National Awards in multichannel digital TV.
Initially launched with a focus on younger audiences, “Dorama” has since expanded its appeal to viewers of all ages. In fact, internal data reveals that one-third of the channel’s audience is over 35 years old, drawn in by the high-quality scripts, diverse genres, and intricate blending of different storytelling elements.
“We consistently measure key viewership indicators to inform our programming,” says Natalia Smirnova, Chief Editor of the “Dorama” channel. “In September, we saw an increase in average daily viewing time to 108 minutes, driven by the vibrant start of the television season and our ability to anticipate viewer expectations.”
Beyond TV, “Dorama” has cultivated a dynamic presence across platforms, including a VK community that has grown by 80,000 members in the past year, reaching 230,000. The channel also engages with its audience through offline events like the “Dorama Night” in Yekaterinburg and Krasnodar, hosted in collaboration with Tricolor, which brought thousands of fans together. To mark its seventh anniversary, “Dorama” is running a contest on VK, with a Korean language course as the grand prize.
As the channel embarks on its eighth year, it looks ahead to exciting new projects, ambitious plans, and plenty of surprises for its devoted fans.