Popularity of online streaming service surpasses TV variety shows ... competition to star BTS, Patti Kim, and more

▲This photo, provided by SBS, shows BTS JIN on "Running Man." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by TV Chosun, shows new variety show "GO" (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲This photo, provided by KBS, shows Patti Kim, (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, November 6 (Yonhap) -- TV variety shows have been trying to star celebrities on their shows when it is hard to be the talk in this time when contents are over flowing. 
 
TV broadcasters have been trying to bring popular celebrities, such as BTS members who started their solo activities, Patti Kim, who retired ten years ago, and famous trot singers such as Song Ga-in, Kim Ho-joong, to star in their shows, according to the industry on Sunday. 

BTS members, who did not show much appearance in Korean variety shows due to global activities, are the most wanted celebrities. 
 
Jin is the first member to appear on a variety show. Jin will star as a guest in SBS TV's representative variety show, "Running Man."

Jin, whose real name is Kim Seok-jin, will race in teams called "Seokjin VS Seokjin" with the celebrity Ji Seok-jin, who has the same name. The episode was scheduled to be aired on October 30, however, it was postponed to November 6 due to the Itaewon tragedy. 
 
Leader RM (real name Kim Nam-joon) will be one of the two hosts of the new tvN variety show "The Dictionary of Useless Human Knowledge," along with director Jang Hang-jun.

The upcoming show will explore various figures all over the world from various perspectives in such fields as literature, physics, forensic medicine, and astronomy, and it is set to be broadcast this year. 
 
There are opinions saying that the show goes well with RM as he is someone who has shown interest in diverse things. RM also showed a great performance when he appeared at the tvN variety show "Problematic Man" seven years ago. 

KBS 2TV's music variety show "Immortal Songs" will star Patti Kim, the "Legendary Diva," who retired ten years ago. 
 
Patti Kim made it clear that her appearance in the show does not mean that she is back, however, her fans are already excited just by the fact that they will be seeing Patti Kim back on stage after a long time. 
 
"Immortal Songs" is a program in which performers reinterpret masterpieces of various genres, and expectations are high on what kind of songs Patti Kim, who has made numerous hit songs such as "Seoul's Hymn," "Thornbird," "Forgot," and "Love Left Fall," will perform and comfort the audience. 
 
"Immortal Songs," starring Patti Kim, will air for a total of three weeks, on November 26 of this month, December 3 and December 10.
 
TV Chosun will showcase its new entertainment show "GO," hosted by trot singers Song Ga-in and Kim Ho-joong, who rose to fame with "Miss Trot" and "Mr. Trot," on November 9. 
 
In this show, Song Ga-in and Kim Ho-joong unite as "the nation's blessed brother and sister" and run from remote villages to overseas countries to present laughter, emotion, and comfort with songs.
 
The reason entertainment programs are aiming to star famous celebrities on their shows is because it has not been easy to attract viewers' attention these days when entertainment contents are pouring out from streaming services and YouTube.
 
Popular variety shows have been barely holding on with a viewing rate of 5%. 

"Running Man" and "Immortal Songs," which have been on air for more than a decade, are struggling to secure new viewers. However, it is difficult to make big changes to the program as loyal viewers might leave.
 
New programs are struggling worse. TV variety shows targeting the public find it difficult to keep up with the popularity of online contents produced to suit the tastes of certain viewer groups.

The golden card broadcasters decided to use was the appearance of "Special Guest" and "Special Host." With the help of the celebrities' fans, long running shows will be able to attract new viewers, and new shows will be able to increase their popularity. 

However, it is unknown whether the appearance of these celebrities will be effective in maintaining the popularity of the program in the long run.
 
Jung Duk-hyun, a pop culture critic, said, "The appearance of famous celebrities will definitely draw attention, but it will not be effective in catching viewers in the long run," adding, "If the guest changes, viewers who flow along with the star will leave, and programs dependent on the fandom will not attract the public."
 
Recruiting popular stars for their show has long been an attempt to create something new in familiarity, but in this era of overflowing content, its power has decreased, he said. "This is why entertainment shows have recently introduced a season system to change the composition every season and change the fixed members."

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Dowon Kim.)
 
 
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