http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/Features/20030215103331/Article/#full
Last October more than two million people watched a melodramatic South Korean soap, Autumn In My Heart, on TV3. A month earlier, another love story from the country, Winter Sonata with a "killer" opening song (which has now been recorded in Bahasa Malaysia by Hazami, titled Sonata Musim Salju) attracted more than 1.3 million viewers per episode. Purity, yet another South Korean drama aired by the station, had a similarly large following (1.3 million).TV3's corporate communication department, in a statement, says: "We bought these programmes based on their popularity in their countries. Both Winter Sonata and Autumn In My Heart were blockbusters in South Korea.
"These programmes have successfully attracted a high number of viewers who are interested in their storyline, beautiful scenery, gorgeous actors and actresses, and, most of all, their universal themes." A fan of South Korean serials, Fadzillah Jaafar, claimed she has watched the 20-episode Winter Sonata more than 200 times on VCD which she bought for RM99.90.
"I would stay up until 2am to watch all the episodes which I would watch from evening onwards. They are not boring no matter how many times I have seen them. I still cry whenever I watch... the love story and the conflicts are so engaging," said Fadzillah, who works with an insurance company in Kuala Lumpur.
"What attracted me initially to the series was the beautiful scenery which has winter as the backdrop it really set the mood for this love story. Of course the good-looking cast members made it more endearing, but really, the characters they play are the real gems here. And then there are the secondary roles, like the hero's officemates, who complement the main characters," she said, adding that she has been urging her friends to watch the series too.
The response towards Winter Sonata, released on VCD since April last year with English subtitles was so encouraging that its local distributor, PMP Entertainment in KL, plans to release it on DVD this month.
"So far we have sold more than 40,000 copies and the number is still increasing. With the release of the DVD version, which will feature English, Malay and Chinese subtitles, we can cater to a bigger market," said manager Lim Seeh Eng, adding that apart from South Korean TV series, the company also releases Taiwanese titles.
Last October more than two million people watched a melodramatic South Korean soap, Autumn In My Heart, on TV3. A month earlier, another love story from the country, Winter Sonata with a "killer" opening song (which has now been recorded in Bahasa Malaysia by Hazami, titled Sonata Musim Salju) attracted more than 1.3 million viewers per episode. Purity, yet another South Korean drama aired by the station, had a similarly large following (1.3 million).TV3's corporate communication department, in a statement, says: "We bought these programmes based on their popularity in their countries. Both Winter Sonata and Autumn In My Heart were blockbusters in South Korea.
"These programmes have successfully attracted a high number of viewers who are interested in their storyline, beautiful scenery, gorgeous actors and actresses, and, most of all, their universal themes." A fan of South Korean serials, Fadzillah Jaafar, claimed she has watched the 20-episode Winter Sonata more than 200 times on VCD which she bought for RM99.90.
"I would stay up until 2am to watch all the episodes which I would watch from evening onwards. They are not boring no matter how many times I have seen them. I still cry whenever I watch... the love story and the conflicts are so engaging," said Fadzillah, who works with an insurance company in Kuala Lumpur.
"What attracted me initially to the series was the beautiful scenery which has winter as the backdrop it really set the mood for this love story. Of course the good-looking cast members made it more endearing, but really, the characters they play are the real gems here. And then there are the secondary roles, like the hero's officemates, who complement the main characters," she said, adding that she has been urging her friends to watch the series too.
The response towards Winter Sonata, released on VCD since April last year with English subtitles was so encouraging that its local distributor, PMP Entertainment in KL, plans to release it on DVD this month.
"So far we have sold more than 40,000 copies and the number is still increasing. With the release of the DVD version, which will feature English, Malay and Chinese subtitles, we can cater to a bigger market," said manager Lim Seeh Eng, adding that apart from South Korean TV series, the company also releases Taiwanese titles.