Netflix India took to its Instagram to announce something exciting and bone-chilling at the same time. The OTT platform shared a teaser of one of the most-watched Korean thriller dramas, Squid Game, along with the announcement of a reality TV series based on it.
Unlike the series where the stakes are life or death, the worst possible fate in this 456-player competition will be leaving without the $4.56 million winnings, which Netflix claims are the largest lump sum prize in reality TV history.
“Squid Game” became Netflix’s most-watched series when it was released in September 2021 as it told the story of cash-strapped contestants who play childhood games for a chance to win life-changing sums of money.
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The first season holds the record as Netflix’s most popular series of all time, with over 1.65 billion hours viewed in its first 28 days, the company said.
The 456 participants are a nod to the fictional series, which features the same number of players, with its main protagonist Seong Gi-hun also referred to as Player 456.
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The South Korean thriller series tells the story of debt-ridden people competing for a huge cash prize in a deadly series of children’s games.
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It holds the record as Netflix’s most popular series of all time, and it was streamed by 111 million users in the first 28 days of its launch.
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Director, writer, and executive producer of Squid Game Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a statement on Monday: “It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever.”
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Netflix faces intense competition from streaming rivals but was also hit after it raised prices and left Russia.
In April, it revealed a sharp drop in subscribers and warned millions more are set to quit the streaming service.
This wiped more than $50bn off the firm’s market value as experts warned it faced a struggle to get back on track.
