‘Treasure Island’ has broken its own highest viewership ratings for four consecutive episodes. It is truly unstoppable.
SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Treasure Island’ (written by Lee Myung-hee, directed by Jin Chang-kyu) features Park Hyung-sik's (as Seo Dong-joo) bold acting transformation, the explosive combination of Park Hyung-sik and Heo Jun-ho (as Yeom Jang-seon) capturing both acting skills and buzz, multidimensional characters fiercely pursuing their desires, a whirlwind of developments, and highly immersive direction, all of which have garnered rave reviews and captivated home viewers.
Particularly noteworthy is the unusual upward trend of ‘Treasure Island’. The first episode aired on February 21 recorded a nationwide rating of 6.1%, 6% in the metropolitan area, and a peak of 8.2%, quickly rising to the top of the Friday mini-series. The second episode aired on February 22 showed a nationwide rating of 8.1%, a remarkable increase of 2 percentage points compared to the first episode, creating surprise. In the metropolitan area, it reached 7.8%, with a peak of 9.9%, raising expectations for a double-digit rating in just the second episode.
As two new dramas premiered simultaneously, competing for ratings, ‘Treasure Island’ secured the top spot in both the Friday-Saturday mini-series and weekly mini-series rankings from its first week, marking a pleasant start. In the integrated ranking of today's content on the popular content platform, ‘Treasure Island’ also topped the list, surpassing competing works.
In its second week of broadcasting, the upward trend of ‘Treasure Island’ continued. The third episode aired on February 28 recorded a nationwide rating of 8.8%, 8.9% in the metropolitan area, and a peak of 11.2%, showing another increase compared to the previous episode. The fourth episode aired on March 1 recorded a nationwide rating of 10.2% and a peak of 11.3%, comfortably breaking into double digits. The key indicator of channel competitiveness, the 2049 rating, also ranked first in its time slot for two consecutive episodes, with ratings of 2.4% (third episode) and 2.8% (fourth episode). The 2049 rating for the fourth episode topped all genres of programs aired on Saturday across all channels.
‘Treasure Island’ has broken its own highest viewership ratings for four consecutive episodes from the first to the fourth. Additionally, its buzz is steadily rising. Immediately after the broadcast, various articles related to ‘Treasure Island’ flooded social media and communities, as well as major portal sites, and the view counts for key video clips of ‘Treasure Island’ are also skyrocketing.
This is attributed to the classic revenge drama lowering the entry barrier for viewers, while the fast-paced developments and stylish, trendy direction heightened immersion, and the chilling performances of the actors added weight to the drama, creating a perfect synergy. In particular, the 'breath-holding ending' that makes it unbearable to wait for the next episode is considered the top contributor to the rising ratings of ‘Treasure Island’.
Only four out of the 16 episodes have aired so far. However, the upward trend is truly unstoppable. Expectations are high for the unbridled success of ‘Treasure Island’ in the remaining 12 episodes. SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘Treasure Island’ airs every Friday at 10 PM and Saturday at 9:50 PM.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
