Here’s what your monthly entertainment expense can look like, if you have a severe kdrama/cdrama addiction like I do.
Netflix: $25/month
I see this as reasonable expense since we don’t go to the movies anymore after Covid, and a movie date for two comes out more expensive than a monthly Netflix membership. ($13 x 2, then add jumbo popcorn and sodas.)
With Netflix, there’s standard with ads for $8, standard without ads for $18, and premium for $25. We don’t have time for ads so we generally pay to go ad-free.
Youtube: $15/month
With premium membership, you don’t have ads, but you can always watch youtube for free. I just don’t like ads.
Viki: $12/month
Is there still a free option? You can watch ad-free for $8. I just pay for the vikipass because I can see better on Full HD.
iQiYi: $12/month
You can watch for free up to a certain number of episodes, then you’ll have to wait until the site releases them all. With paid membership however, you get to watch the shows as they’re released.
I paid for a yearly subscription. I wanted to pause it while I was traveling because I didn’t have time to open the app. Now, it’s the most-used entertainment app since I’m watching “Coroner’s Diary” almost daily.
I see that there’s an ongoing special/sale. $2 monthly subscription. Check it out then binge-watch all the cdramas if you sign up.
Amazon Prime: $140/year or $12/month
The videos are part of the Amazon prime package. Since we signed up for Amazon for the online shopping (saves us time!) anyway, I consider this a “free” service.
Note: I listed them neither to shame nor to brag, but to tell you what your options are so you can decide where you want to spend your hard-earned money on. Priorities, priorities, priorities. The one consistent theme here is I prioritize my time so I pay for it.
Anyway, I calculated that I’m not a starving student anymore and that if I order the half dozen raw oysters instead of my regular dozen, and the bar special instead of my usual cocktail during Happy Hour after work, then I don’t feel guilty about my Viki and iQiYi “splurges.”
I treat myself well.
What about you? What do you do to support your kdrama and cdrama habits?
Hi! What about WeTv? I was actually trying to decide between that and IQIYi.
WeTV?
It’s the first time I heard about this. But they’re supposed to be owned by AMC, as in the AMC movie theaters. I see that they have a TenCents link. I think I prefer iQiYi to TenCents for now.
Sigh. I used to go to Dramafever for all my dramas. Then Netflix came, and Dramafever closed so I joined Viki to balance Netflix. Netflix didn’t have an extensive library of Asian shows back then.
I dropped Disney+ so useless it was.
I think I still have Paramount+ just because it came with our Walmart+ membership. Covid had everything to do with the Walmart+ membership. We had everything delivered to the house so we didn’t have to go inside the store and wear masks.
There’s nothing Asian on Paramount+ anyway that I can’t find on either Netflix or Viki. I thought “Queen Woo” was there but I never liked the main actress.
I have very occasionally wanted to watch something on We or tencent and could not figure out how to sign up In north america.
I find shows I want to watch are more often on IQIYI. I think WE may put some of their shows on youtube.
I have found that tubi here in north america , a free service, Sometimes has dramas I cannot find elsewhere like the queen and I and some of the older korean dramas. I have watched at least one or two dramas on tubi that we watched for our group rewatch.
@pm3 Thank you for Your summary above.
There is also kocowa which I have occasionally signed up for, usually for harder to find korean dramas.
@monmor,
Viki and Kocowa confused met at first because I thought they were sister companies.
Viki = streaming platform for all Asian shows. Chinese, Thai, and so on. It includes many, but not all, Kocowa shows.
Kocowa = streaming platform for only Korean shows. It has the shows from the three major networks, KBS, SBS, and MBC. Not sure about tVN.
Kocowa is cheaper than viki. $8 per month for no-ad premium membership, $7 per month for regular membership with ads. It’s also offered through Amazon Prime but we need to pay the extra $7.
I think with a Netflix and Viki memberships, a regular kdrama/cdrama viewer should have everything covered. If the show’s not on either one, in your region, then the alternatives are to request Viki and wait for it to be picked, or to look into the “other” sites.
Tubi? I haven’t looked into that service. But if it’s free, then it’s bound to have ads. Ads are simply a nuisance for me. Lol. Can’t you tell? There are no ads on this blog. 🙂
I find that we here in North America are lucky because we have a lot of platforms available to pick from, especially if we’re willing to pay for them. America is still the biggest — and wealthiest — market there is so they want our dollars.
Region: CA, USA
Amazon Prime: $139 Yr ($12 Mth)
Disney/Hulu Bundle: $36 Yr ($3 Mth)
Netflix: $216 Yr ($18 Mth)
Viki: $100 Yr ($8 Mth)
Total: $587 Yr ($49 Mth)
Usage: Viki > Netflix > Disney/Hulu > Amazon Prime.
Disney/Hulu Bundle was a promotion at $3/mth. I may cancel when it expires and jumps to $10.99/mth. I hate that some of the Kdramas are only offered in English Dubbed (Hulu side). I wish they had the option (Netflix) to change the audio to the native language. I am not fond of the ads as well.
My usage varies, John L.
Usually, it’s Netflix > Viki > Youtube > Amazon Prime > Iqiyi
But this month, it’s Iqiyi > Viki > Youtube > Netflix > Amazon Prime
I use Youtube for lifestyle news and tips like gardening, cooking and dogs. We don’t own a dog but I find clips on dogs restful to watch. Right now I’m obsessed about border collies.
Yes, I don’t like English dubbed shows. Prefer to watch them in their native language, too.
I forgot that I have another kdrama/cdrama expense: this blog. Lol. I don’t know how much I pay to keep it running. I justify the expense of owning the blog as stress-reliever. It’s like the gym membership but I don’t end up with a sweaty body; the wine club membership but I’m not pressured to buy more; the spa membership but the glow/warm feeling lasts longer; and the airport lounge membership but I can bring in more people with me. So I don’t count the cost of this blog. It’s my guilty pleasure. 😂😂
Awww @pkml3, I never knew I’d feel so moved knowing that we’re likened to a club membership LOLOL. It is a very apt analogy for this blog. Membership is open but controlled, members can participate as little or as much as they wish, engage with each other or keep a polite distance, and they can come and go at will.
It’s good to know that this blog is so worthwhile to you. It’s my go to place when I want to get away as well, but have no physical place that I can hang out at, late into the night!
This blog is my respite in the middle of the day when my brains need a break from technical writing, but still want to be reflecting on something, and preferably something fun and different.
I’ve found over time that I keep losing the words I want to say, and writing here enables me to keep up with vocabulary old and new. It keeps me researching bits of stuff that I’d never think I’d want to know. I am amused at myself for wondering about odd facts I picked up from dramas and our discussions.
Reading the thoughts of others here continues to be engaging and enlightening. I like how different we are and yet how we are the same and gives me hope for greater unity and peace. I find a sense of community here: acceptance, consideration, provocative thought amidst respect.
This is a sanctuary in times of personal and social upheaval and a fun place to unwind. A great club to belong to indeed, and the membership is free!!!
@Packmule3, I love your club membership analogies regarding this blog. We can’t forget the value added by BoD’s Shallow Island!
My paid streaming services mirror yours, @Packmule3. I also go lengths of time without being drawn to anything on iQIYI, then have spells when I watch it a lot when Mainland China releases good content. (Have you watched To the Wonder, from last year? It is one of my favorite shows on iQIYI.)
Although not good for Asian dramas, I recommend (for those in the USA) the streaming service Kanopy, available for free through some public libraries.
Hi all! Just adding Viu (which I subscribe to on an annual basis at $70 SGD). I use it for my C-dramas over Netflix (the episode releases come on earlier – Prisoner of Beauty is an eg) but the UX could be improved.
There is also “Korea on demand” which I have not used much at all. A while back, I used it for a few older Jaanese dramas I could not find elsewhere. It did seem to have a number of reality type shows but only some shows were translated into English. I had the impression it was more oriented towards native speakers living in North America.