[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] The notion that “primetime broadcasts are watched on TV” is being challenged. This is due to a growing number of cases where TV networks are belatedly airing dramas that were first released on Over-the-Top (OTT) services. Whereas in the past, TV served as the “primetime broadcast” platform and OTT as the “replay” platform, OTT is now taking on the role of the premier release channel, while TV is shifting to a secondary platform aimed at securing additional viewership.

◇OTT as the “Premiere” Channel, TV as the Follow-Up Platform
The recent TVING original “Even a Lottery Winner Goes to Work” is a prime example. This series premieres two episodes at a time on TVING every Thursday at 6:00 p.m., followed by one episode each on tvN four days later, on Monday and Tuesday. The first episode, which aired on tvN on the 15th, recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 3.9%. This structure means that while OTT users have already watched episodes 1 and 2, TV viewers are catching up to the first episode belatedly.
“Yumi’s Cells Season 3,” released in April of this year, followed a similar pattern. Two episodes were released simultaneously on TVING every Monday at 6:00 p.m., followed by a single episode airing on tvN on the same day and the next. This effectively gave OTT priority in terms of release speed while maintaining simultaneous distribution across OTT and TV.
Going a step further, there is a growing trend of TV networks rescheduling shows for broadcast years after their release on OTT platforms has concluded.
Last month, MBC premiered the Coupang Play original “Anna” on TV for the first time. The series, which debuted in 2022, made its terrestrial broadcast debut approximately four years later. The premiere’s viewership rating was 5.2%, surpassing the 1–2% ratings of some content previously scheduled in the same time slot. This demonstrates that a series already proven successful on OTT can also demonstrate a certain level of competitiveness on TV.
MBC had previously scheduled Disney+’s “Moving” and “Casino,” and in July of this year, it aired “Killers’ Shopping Mall Season 1,” which was released in 2024, during the Friday-Saturday time slot. In particular, “Killers’ Shopping Mall” was rebroadcast on TV ahead of the release of its next season, aiming to both refresh viewers’ memories of the existing series and promote the new season.
tvN also scheduled Seasons 1 and 2 of the Apple TV+ original “Pachinko” from June to August, and “Dear X,” which premiered on TVING last year, was moved to television in June of this year. This marks the full-scale emergence of “secondary distribution,” where shows that have run their course on OTT platforms are given new life on other platforms.
Behind this shift lie the intertwined interests of broadcasters and OTT platforms. From the broadcasters’ perspective, acquiring shows that have already proven their quality and popularity reduces the costs associated with producing new content and the risk of box-office failure. It is also an efficient way to fill scheduling gaps caused by production delays or a lack of programming.
In fact, the financial burden on the broadcasting industry is growing steadily. In 2025, broadcast advertising revenue fell 12.3% year-over-year to 2.0134 trillion won, while terrestrial broadcast advertising revenue dropped 17% to 693.6 billion won. With advertising revenue declining but production costs remaining high, purchasing proven third-party content has become a practical alternative.

◇Broadcasters Reduce Risk, OTT Services Extend Content Lifespans
This isn’t a losing proposition for OTT platforms either. An OTT official stated, “We can expose content—previously available only to subscribers—to a broader age range through TV, and we can also expect the effect of re-promoting both the content and the platform itself.” They added, “By redistributing content that has already concluded its run, we can extend the lifespan of the intellectual property (IP) while also attracting new users through follow-up seasons or related works.”
“Anna” is a prime example. Four years after its initial broadcast on MBC, the series has garnered renewed interest and been re-featured on Coupang Play. In this way, TV serves not only as a “rerun channel” for OTT content but also, conversely, as a promotional channel that directs viewers back to the original OTT platform.
Ultimately, the criteria for content distribution are shifting from “where it premieres” to “where and for how long it is consumed.” Rather than tying a single work to a specific platform, a cyclical structure is emerging: first generating buzz on OTT, then broadening its appeal to the general public via TV, and finally redirecting interest back to the original platform.
However, not all OTT content can be transferred to TV as-is. Since OTT services are relatively free from broadcast content regulations, they differ from terrestrial broadcast scheduling standards in terms of violence, sexual content, and runtime. A broadcasting industry official noted, “The actual TV scheduling process often involves the burden of editing certain scenes or restructuring episodes,” adding, “The industry anticipates that as the boundaries between OTT and TV continue to blur, re-editing for broadcast and rating adjustments will become increasingly important challenges.”