The Art of Negotiation grabs biggest Saturday audience yet
The ongoing JTBC drama The Art of Negotiation, Episode 9 aired in South Korea last night to its best-ever Saturday ratings.
Not a total surprise, of course, as the Lee Je Hoon-led drama’s ratings have been almost double those of its first episode through its previous seven episodes and rising slightly with almost every episode.
According to Nielsen Korea, The Art of Negotiation, Episode 9’s nationwide rating on Saturday night was 6.93 percent — up a solid half a percentage point from the K-drama’s previous Saturday high of 6.45 percent for Episode 5.
The Korean drama also performed similarly in Seoul where it grabbed a viewership of an even higher 7.06 percent — compared to its previous Saturday high rating of 6.39 percent also for Episode 5.
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With just three episodes of The Art of Negotiation left to air, its latest ratings then are very promising for its series finale weekend next week.
Congratulations to the K-drama’s cast, director and staff.
The Art of Negotiation‘s ratings from international viewers
While the same tired users of My Drama List who downrate anything that requires thinking are still rating the Korean drama a ridiculously low average of 7.8 out of 10, others are, thankfully, not as ignorant.
Over at IMDB, The Art of Negotiation is earning a much higher 8.3 out of 10, which actually proves how well-written and acted the K-drama has turned out to be, as viewers over there tend to downrate series that don’t feature the typical, rehashed romantic plot as well.
Meanwhile, over on Viki, which is streaming the series for its international subscribers, The Art of Negotiation is earning more like what it deserves — a 9.7 out of 10 average from almost 1,000 people’s ratings (although I contend that is probably a little too high, but at least viewers are appreciating the drama, so there’s that).
It also suggests they believe The Art of Negotiation stars Lee Je Hoon, Kim Dae Myung, Sung Dong Il, Jang Hyun Sung, Oh Man Seok, Ahn Hyun Ho, and Cha Kang Yoon are doing a great job. (They are!).
Look out for the next episode of the Korean drama later on tonight as, with just three episodes left to air, things are really beginning to heat up.
Last night’s excellent ratings suggest tonight’s viewership may heat up as well.
Brit-American journalist based in Austria,. Former radio DJ at 97X WOXY, and Founder/CEO of Leo Sigh. I’ve covered K-drama, K-pop, anime, and manga news for over a decade.