KOCOWA, the overseas counterpart of Korean streaming platform Wavve, is reporting strong subscriber growth in Europe and Oceania, underscoring the accelerating global demand for K-content.
Operated by Wavve America, the U.S.-based Korean content streamer, KOCOWA recorded an average monthly subscriber increase of 20 percent in Europe and Oceania since its regional launch in April 2024. The platform attributes this growth primarily to the enduring global appeal of K-pop, complemented by a rich library of variety shows featuring Korean idols.
Despite competition from established global streaming services and local broadcasters in those markets, KOCOWA says demand for Korean dramas, variety shows and K-pop content continues to grow, reaching new and diverse audiences across Europe and Oceania.
Jung Han, CEO of K EnterTech Hub and an adviser to KOCOWA, views the global sensation of the animated series “KPop Demon Hunters” as an example of K-pop’s expandability.
“The consumption of K-content is directly linked to the popularity of K-pop and we determined there was significant market potential, which led to KOCOWA’s initial venture into the European market,” he said.
The “2024 Global Hallyu Trend Analysis Report,” published by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, also confirms that K-pop is at the heart of hallyu (Korean wave) content. K-pop accounted for the largest proportion of hallyu-related news coverage, making up 35.4 percent in Asia, 25.1 percent in Europe and 34.9 percent in Latin America.
Older audiences tune in
The platform now boasts a library of over 40,000 hours of content, with subtitles available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Vietnamese, many of which released within six to eight hours of their original Korean broadcast, allowing for near-simultaneous viewing across the globe.
Subscribers in Europe and Oceania welcomed the platform as a legal and accessible gateway to Korean content. User reviews include comments such as, “Glad this app exists in Australia, bringing K-content in a legal manner,” and “Best app for K-drama and K-variety.” To deepen fan engagement, KOCOWA hosts interactive events like BTS-themed viewing parties and real-time fan chats curated around major K-pop fandoms.
However, the demand is not limited to K-pop music alone. The global streamer also found success with dramas and variety shows prominently featuring K-pop idols.
Among KOCOWA’s most-watched titles in Europe are variety shows such as “Running Man,” “Home Alone,” “2 Days and 1 Night,” “The Manager,” “Heart Pairing” and “NANA bnb with SEVENTEEN.” Popular dramas on the platform include “Oh My Ghost Clients,” “Queen’s House” and “The Woman Who Swallowed the Sun.”
A notable trend in KOCOWA’s audience analysis is an increase in viewers over 45 years old in Europe, a demographic often considered more conservative.
Han pointed out that Europe poses unique challenges compared to English-speaking markets, due to its linguistic diversity, numerous countries and relatively lower proportion of Asian immigrants as key barriers to entry.
“For Korean content to truly gain global popularity, those middle-aged men need to watch it. Originally, women in their 20s are the core K-content consumers but it is expanding,” he said.
“The fact that conservative men over 45 in the U.K. and Spain have started watching a lot is our biggest achievement, because this demographic rarely cancels subscriptions. All of this demonstrates K-content’s broad appeal beyond just younger audiences.”
Strategies for European market
London-based Korean content platform Hallyu Con believes that although its recognition in the U.K. is still low, KOCOWA has strengths in areas such as Korean variety shows that are not yet available in Europe.
“While it has a strong presence among core hallyu fans, it hasn’t yet gained significant mainstream visibility. But there’s clear and growing appetite. We absolutely believe the U.K. and European audiences would be open to subscribing to a dedicated Korean content platform — particularly younger viewers and globally-minded Gen Z audiences,” said Lashai Ben Salmi and Nilza Anibal, co-founders of the platform engaging K-pop and Korean culture fans, noting KOCOWA needs to provide great user experience, ease of access and compelling exclusive content.
They say the area that KOCOWA could stand out is the variety shows.
“From Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ to ViKi, only a handful include variety shows as part of their offering and most are not available in Europe,” they said.
Suggesting bundling with telecommunications providers or integrating with student perks or entertainment packages as a strategies to scale more quickly in the European market, they emphasized that one major opportunity lies in localization and cultural touch points.
“Creating bespoke content and collaborating with events such as Hallyu Con or Comic Con — which already engage Korean culture fans directly — and building influencer- and creator-led content to promote shows on the platform might help increase its presence in Europe,” they said, recommending casting British foreign residents in reality shows as an example.
