From Niche to Global: The Asian Entertainment Takeover

Image credits: Top-left: Squid Game (2021) Netflix/Netflix; Top-right: When Life Gives You Tangerines (2025) Pan Entertainment/Baram Pictures/Netflix; Bottom-left: Crash Landing on You (2019) Studio Dragon/Culture Depot/Netflix; Bottom-right: KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix

It wasn’t long ago that mentioning K-pop at a party meant having to explain what the “K” stood for. Today, it’s common to argue over which BLACKPINK member ruled Coachella, or whether Crash Landing on You is the best entry point for K-drama newbies. But the path from subculture to mainstream dominance has been anything but linear. And along the way, Asian pop culture has offered a fascinating case study in how entertainment crosses borders, where it thrives, and where it sometimes falls short.

Quality Isn’t Created Overnight

The global success of BTS, BLACKPINK, Parasite, and Squid Game didn’t happen overnight. Making it big in entertainment requires hard work and dedication, and it’s no different in Asia. Behind the scenes, K-pop groups endure years of training before debuting. Korean dramas developed their signature emotional, cinematic storytelling over the industry’s decades-long history. It’s not something today’s audiences always think about, but Asian entertainment has been a long time coming.

In fact, the quality of Asian entertainment has always been there, especially in film. Before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Ang Lee created Eat Drink Man Woman. Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli classics go all the way back to 1979. Park Chan Wook, before his renowned Revenge Series, created emotional movies like Joint Security Area that explored the humanity of North and South Korean soldiers at the DMZ. These works were all hailed for their remarkable storytelling and execution, yet without the same global fervor. So what’s the difference now? One of the key differences today has to be the infrastructure surrounding the content.

Platforms, Algorithms, and a New Kind of Fan Power

Streaming changed everything. Netflix’s $2.5 billion investment in Korean content — the largest it has made outside the U.S. — was pivotal in turning Korean shows into global hits. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched series ever, reaching 142 million households, and K Pop Demon Hunters the most watched movie with 325 million views at the time of writing. YouTube’s algorithm now turns a BTS music video drop into a global splash within hours. In fact, ever since Psy’s Gangnam Style video reached 1 billion views, the first for any YouTube video, the platform has been instrumental in bringing more audiences to Asian content. The kind of distribution we have today has completely changed how Asian entertainment is viewed around the world.

Fans became marketers. Then there is the fervor of Asian entertainment fandom that is unlike any other, not just in passion, but also in its power of evangelism. These fans love sharing their obsessions. At concerts, they often give away home-made items like key chains, charm bracelets, and photo frames featuring their favorite members. BTS’s ARMY has also been credited with boosting chart positions through coordinated streaming campaigns. When fans become ambassadors, it’s not a surprise when every new release creates organic marketing success.

And audiences got more open minded. Unlike previous generations, Gen Z doesn’t mind reading subtitles. Today’s young American audiences are more multicultural than ever before. Not only are they naturally more accepting of and comfortable with other cultures, they often identify with them for shared qualities other than heritage. It seems for them, language is just another setting. Spotify reports K-pop streaming grew 362% globally between 2018 and 2023, with nearly half of that growth coming from the U.S. alone.

Psychology at Work: Niche Becomes Aspiration

It’s no secret that scarcity drives demand, and once something is hot, it becomes social currency. Early K-pop and K-drama adopters acted as gatekeepers, making the fandom feel exclusive, even a little underground. As audiences grew, this sense of exclusivity continued to fuel a sense of desire, and made newcomers feel like they were joining a movement. Very soon, luxury brands, largely built on this psychology, noticed. Dior appointed Jimin as global ambassador and Lisa became the face of Louis Vuitton. The feedback loop of pop culture and commerce pushed “niche” beyond cool, into aspirational.

But the Road Isn’t Always Smooth

Although it may feel like everything Asian is a hit these days, not every show or act wins global popularity. For every Squid Game, there’s a When the Stars Gossip. It was a high-budget, star-studded drama criticized for poor plotlines, pacing, and a lack of attention to detail. It fizzled, disappointing critics and fans alike. Other shows, like Nevertheless and True Beauty, flopped domestically but became international hits on Netflix, proving how global audiences don’t always share local tastes. Even K-pop isn’t bulletproof. Industry watchers worry about what happens after BTS and BLACKPINK. Without equally dominant successors, global attention risks splintering.

It’s worth noting that failures often share a pattern. They involve a mismatch between hype and storytelling, formulaic execution, or simply, market saturation. Streaming makes access easy, but it can be a double-edged sword. With so many choices, audiences have no patience for mediocrity. If they’re not engaged after one or two or three episodes, they’ll drop the show and move on.

These misfires matter because they reveal what really turns niche into mainstream:

Hype Isn’t Enough: Star power or a buzzy premise can launch a project, but weak character arcs or chemistry will tank it.
Global ≠ Domestic: What works in Seoul might not click in L.A. — and vice versa. Success is measured by international streaming numbers, social buzz, and chart impact, not just domestic TV ratings.
Saturation Breeds Fatigue: Too many sound-alike groups or cookie-cutter dramas can dilute excitement. Innovation matters.

Asian Entertainment is Mainstream Entertainment

It’s clear that Asian pop culture’s mainstream moment isn’t a passing fad, but a restructuring of the global entertainment economy. It proves that audiences are borderless, platforms are powerful, and fandom is an engine.

But if there’s one takeaway, it’s this: going mainstream is not just about quality or timing — it’s about sustaining momentum. To stay relevant, creators have to evolve, innovate, and keep audiences emotionally invested.

With entertainment borders increasingly being erased, the next breakthrough might come from Thai BL dramas, Japanese city pop, or Filipino horror films. And when it does, you can bet that audiences won’t just watch, they’ll review, comment, meme, and make it a global conversation by next Tuesday.

At APartnership, we help brands authentically engage with multicultural America. Want to build something great together? Let’s talk.