Reality competition show ‘Physical: 100’ tops Netflix’s TV Program category

▲ This photo, provided by FlixPatrol, shows the top TV shows on Netflix. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows 'Physical: 100' topping the Non-English TV category chart. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- Netflix’s original reality competition show “Physical: 100” has officially reached the “Top 3 Most-Watched Shows” spot, topping the global rankings in just 15 days after its release.

The riveting survival show topped Netflix’s TV Program category as of Wednesday, according to FlixPatrol, an online content service providing daily updated VOD charts for 818 streaming platforms, Thursday.

According to the ranking by country, the show ranked first in 38 countries, including South Korea, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K., Greece, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Vietnam. It also scored second place in 15 countries, including the U.S., Brazil, Hungary, Kenya, the Philippines, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia; 11 other countries, including Egypt, Bolivia, Indonesia, Italy, and Spain, had the show sitting on third.

This is the first time ever for a Korean-based reality show to top the global rankings on Netflix. The reality dating show “Single’s Inferno” did make it to the “Top 10,” but its highest record was fifth.

Above all else, the fact that “Physical: 100” ranked high in major North American and European countries such as the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and the U.K. draws attention to whether the show will be able to create a global sensation similar to that of the mega-hit drama series “Squid Game,” which holds the record for Netflix’s most-watched TV season ever.

Netflix also announced that the show had scored second in the non-English TV category in terms of viewing time. According to Netflix’s official site “Netflix Top 10,” the show accumulated 31.3 million hours of viewing time in the first week of February. The Spanish mystery thriller television series “The Snow Girl” touched down in first place (5.23 million hours).

“Physical: 100” is a survival reality show where 100 of the fittest and most brawny Korean participants are gathered to compete against one another until there is only one winner left to be dubbed as the one with the perfect physique. The winner gets to head home with the grand prize money of 300 million won. Director Jang Ho-ki, a documentary producer of MBC, was in charge of bringing this “Squid Game”-like games to the small screens.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)

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