With pay-TV already penetrating 85.3% of South Korean households in 2023 and terrestrial viewing time slipping 7.3% to 2.8 hours daily, the market is clearly shifting under everyday viewing habits. At the same time, OTT consumption averages 145 minutes a day per user and OTT spending runs about 18,500 KRW per household, a mix that helps explain why broadcasters are rethinking formats, platforms, and even what counts as “reach.”
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, OTT video consumption averaged 145 minutes daily per user in South Korea
- Netflix held 28.4% market share among OTT platforms in South Korea 2023
- Domestic OTT Wavve subscriber base reached 8.2 million in 2023
- In 2023, broadcasting industry employed 52,400 full-time workers in South Korea
- KBS workforce numbered 6,200 employees across TV and radio in 2023
- Regulatory compliance audits by KCC covered 145 broadcasters in 2022
- In 2023, MBC radio listenership averaged 1.2 million daily unique listeners
- KBS Radio 1 had 18.5% market share among radio audiences in 2022
- SBS Power FM peak listenership hit 2.8 million during drive time in 2023
- In 2022, the total revenue of South Korea's broadcasting industry was 14.8 trillion KRW, marking a 2.1% increase from the previous year
- The advertising revenue in South Korea's broadcasting sector reached 5.3 trillion KRW in 2023
- South Korea's pay-TV market generated 8.2 trillion KRW in subscription fees in 2022
- In 2023, average daily TV viewership in South Korea was 163 minutes per person for terrestrial channels
- KBS TV1 held 15.2% audience share in prime time slots during 2023
- SBS terrestrial TV viewership averaged 12.8% nationwide rating in 2022 evenings
In 2023, South Koreans boosted OTT and mobile streaming while the broadcasting industry grew steadily.
Related reading
01 · Category
Digital and Streaming18 stats
01
In 2023, OTT video consumption averaged 145 minutes daily per user in South Korea
02
Netflix held 28.4% market share among OTT platforms in South Korea 2023
03
Domestic OTT Wavve subscriber base reached 8.2 million in 2023
04
Tving OTT service reported 12.5 million monthly active users in Q4 2023
05
YouTube video views from Korean broadcasters totaled 15 billion in 2022
06
IPTV OTT hybrid usage grew 29% with 22 million subscribers in 2023
07
Short-form video platforms like TikTok captured 35% of under-30 streaming time 2023
08
5G-enabled mobile broadcasting streams averaged 450 million monthly in 2023
09
VOD content downloads hit 4.8 billion on domestic platforms in 2022
10
Live streaming events on AfreecaTV drew 2.1 billion viewer hours 2023
11
OTT subscription households reached 65.3% penetration rate in 2023
12
Average monthly OTT spend per household was 18,500 KRW in 2023
13
Chosun TV+ app users grew 41% to 3.4 million in 2023
14
Multi-platform streaming sessions totaled 120 per month per user 2023
15
Korean drama exports via OTT platforms generated 500 billion KRW in 2023
16
8K streaming trials reached 1.2 million test views in 2023 pilots
17
Social media video consumption by broadcasters averaged 2.3 billion views monthly 2023
18
VR/AR broadcasting experiments engaged 850,000 users in 2023
Interpretation
Digital and Streaming Interpretation
While Netflix lords over nearly a third of the market, South Korea’s own vibrant ecosystem of OTT platforms, hybrids, and viral short-form videos has the nation so deeply committed to streaming that the average citizen spends over two hours a day in the glow of a screen, proving that the future of broadcasting is a multi-platform, multi-session, and multi-billion-view obsession.
02 · Category
Employment and Regulation19 stats
01
In 2023, broadcasting industry employed 52,400 full-time workers in South Korea
02
KBS workforce numbered 6,200 employees across TV and radio in 2023
03
Regulatory compliance audits by KCC covered 145 broadcasters in 2022
04
Female representation in broadcasting management reached 28.5% in 2023
05
Terrestrial broadcasters operated under 12 national licenses renewed in 2023
06
Cable TV operators totaled 50 SOs with 18,000 affiliated staff in 2023
07
KCC imposed fines totaling 2.3 billion KRW for violations in 2022
08
Freelance content creators in broadcasting grew to 15,200 registered in 2023
09
Public broadcasting license fee set at 2.5% of electricity bill, collecting from 25 million households 2023
10
Foreign ownership cap in broadcasting at 20% per KCC rules 2023
11
Annual training programs reached 8,500 industry workers via KOBA in 2023
12
Diversity quota for regional content mandated 20% airtime minimum 2023
13
IPTV providers licensed to 4 major operators serving 16 million subs 2023
14
Labor union membership in broadcasting stood at 12,400 members in 2022
15
5G broadcasting spectrum allocation covered 28MHz bandwidth in 2023
16
Content rating board reviewed 4,200 programs annually under KMRR 2023
17
Emergency alert system compliance achieved 100% across 300+ stations 2023
18
OTT regulation under revised Broadcasting Act effective Jan 2023
19
Average salary in broadcasting industry was 68 million KRW annually in 2023
Interpretation
Employment and Regulation Interpretation
South Korea's broadcasting industry in 2023 was a tightly choreographed show: a cast of 52,400 full-timers and 15,200 freelancers performed under the watchful eye of 145 compliance audits and 2.3 billion KRW in fines, all while balancing 28.5% female leadership, a 20% foreign ownership cap, and the delicate art of collecting fees from 25 million slightly annoyed electricity bill payers.
03 · Category
Radio Listenership18 stats
01
In 2023, MBC radio listenership averaged 1.2 million daily unique listeners
02
KBS Radio 1 had 18.5% market share among radio audiences in 2022
03
SBS Power FM peak listenership hit 2.8 million during drive time in 2023
04
Total radio listening time per week was 9.4 hours per person in South Korea 2023
05
FM radio stations captured 76.3% of total radio listenership in 2022
06
Regional radio stations reached 15% of national listenership in 2023
07
News radio programs averaged 25.1% share during morning slots 2023
08
Music content dominated radio airtime at 58.7% in 2022
09
Car radio listenership penetration at 82% among drivers in South Korea 2023
10
Podcast integration boosted radio app users by 34% to 4.5 million in 2023
11
Youth 18-29 radio listenership declined to 12% from 18% in 2020-2023
12
Elderly radio listeners over 60 averaged 14.2 hours weekly in 2023
13
Traffic info radio programs had 3.1 million daily listeners in urban areas 2023
14
DAB digital radio adoption rate was 22.4% of radio households in 2023
15
Total radio stations numbered 112 nationwide including affiliates in 2023
16
Morning drive time slot captured 41% of daily radio listenership in 2022
17
Women aged 30-49 represented 28% of total radio audience in 2023
18
Radio listenership via smart speakers grew 52% to 1.8 million users 2023
Interpretation
Radio Listenership Interpretation
Even as South Korea's radio landscape remains robust, driven by captive car audiences and vital traffic updates, it faces a quiet generational shift, with podcasts and smart speakers offering a digital lifeline while youth increasingly tune out from the traditional airwaves.
More related reading
04 · Category
Revenue and Market Size23 stats
01
In 2022, the total revenue of South Korea's broadcasting industry was 14.8 trillion KRW, marking a 2.1% increase from the previous year
02
The advertising revenue in South Korea's broadcasting sector reached 5.3 trillion KRW in 2023
03
South Korea's pay-TV market generated 8.2 trillion KRW in subscription fees in 2022
04
Broadcasting content production expenditure in South Korea totaled 3.1 trillion KRW in 2021
05
The OTT platform revenue within South Korea's broadcasting ecosystem hit 1.9 trillion KRW in 2023
06
Total broadcasting ad market share held by terrestrial TV was 42.5% in 2022, amounting to 2.8 trillion KRW
07
Cable TV operators' revenue in South Korea was 4.1 trillion KRW in 2022
08
IPTV service revenue reached 3.7 trillion KRW, representing 45% of pay-TV revenue in 2023
09
Public broadcasters KBS and MBC combined revenue was 2.4 trillion KRW from license fees and ads in 2022
10
Satellite broadcasting revenue contributed 0.8 trillion KRW to the industry in 2021
11
Overall broadcasting market growth rate projected at 3.4% CAGR from 2023-2028
12
Terrestrial TV revenue declined by 5.2% to 2.1 trillion KRW in 2023 amid digital shift
13
Radio advertising revenue stood at 0.45 trillion KRW in 2022
14
Total industry investment in 5G broadcasting tech was 0.6 trillion KRW in 2023
15
Export revenue from Korean broadcasting content reached 0.9 trillion KRW in 2022
16
Pay broadcasting market penetration rate at 85.3% of households in 2023
17
Digital broadcasting revenue share increased to 28% of total in 2023
18
Annual license fee collection for public broadcasting averaged 1.2 trillion KRW per year 2020-2023
19
Cable TV ad revenue dropped 8.7% to 0.7 trillion KRW in 2023
20
OTT ad revenue surged 45% to 0.4 trillion KRW in 2023
21
In 2022, South Korea's broadcasting market size valued at USD 11.2 billion
22
TV advertising spend per capita was 102,000 KRW in South Korea 2023
23
The terrestrial broadcaster revenue forecast for 2024 is 2.0 trillion KRW
Interpretation
Revenue and Market Size Interpretation
While terrestrial TV’s crown may be slipping, South Korea's broadcasting empire, fueled by 85% household pay-TV penetration and a 45% surge in OTT ads, is shrewdly investing its 14.8 trillion won revenue into the content and digital pipelines that will rule its future.
05 · Category
Television Viewership19 stats
01
In 2023, average daily TV viewership in South Korea was 163 minutes per person for terrestrial channels
02
KBS TV1 held 15.2% audience share in prime time slots during 2023
03
SBS terrestrial TV viewership averaged 12.8% nationwide rating in 2022 evenings
04
MBC's drama viewership peaked at 18.5% for top programs in 2023 Q4
05
Cable TV channel JTBC had 8.1% viewership share in urban areas 2023
06
IPTV viewership hours totaled 45.2 billion in 2022 across households
07
Terrestrial TV penetration rate at 98.7% of South Korean households in 2023
08
Average prime time viewership for news programs was 10.4% in 2023
09
TVN entertainment shows captured 9.7% share among 20-49 demographics in 2022
10
Overall TV viewing time decreased 7.3% to 2.8 hours daily in 2023
11
Regional terrestrial TV stations reached 4.2 million viewers daily in 2023
12
Sports broadcasting on SBS drew 22.1% peak viewership for Olympics 2022
13
Children under 12 TV viewership averaged 112 minutes daily in 2023
14
Elderly over 65 group TV viewing time at 4.1 hours daily, highest demographic in 2023
15
Drama genre held 32.4% of total TV viewership share in 2023
16
Variety shows accounted for 28.6% viewership in prime time 2023
17
Pay TV viewership share rose to 62% from terrestrial's 38% in 2023
18
HD TV adoption rate reached 95.2% in broadcasting households 2023
19
4K UHD content viewership grew 18% year-over-year to 12 million hours in 2023
Interpretation
Television Viewership Interpretation
Despite Korean viewers spending less time glued to the box overall, their loyalty remains fierce, with terrestrial giants like KBS and MBC still commanding major prime-time drama and news audiences, even as pay-TV quietly captured the majority share and our elders officially became the nation's most dedicated couch potatoes.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). South Korea Broadcasting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-broadcasting-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "South Korea Broadcasting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/south-korea-broadcasting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "South Korea Broadcasting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/south-korea-broadcasting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level