Squid Game scores staggering new viewership numbers ahead of season 2 debut

Los Gatos, California - Korean drama Squid Game has reached a staggering 330 million views, billing more than 2.8 billion hours of streaming, Netflix revealed on Wednesday, three weeks before season 2 of the hit TV show is set to be released on December 26.

Korean drama Squid Game has reached a staggering 330 million views, billing more than 2.8 billion hours of streaming, Netflix revealed on Wednesday.
Korean drama Squid Game has reached a staggering 330 million views, billing more than 2.8 billion hours of streaming, Netflix revealed on Wednesday.  © IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

This means the show, which first premiered in 2021, is Netflix's most popular show of all time.

"It took 12 years to bring Squid Game Season 1 to life, but only 12 days for it to skyrocket to Netflix's most popular series ever," the streaming giant said in a press release.

A week after the launch of season 1, Squid Game had already reached the top spot in Netflix's US ranking, the first Korean show to do so.

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Following the release of the trailer for season 2 at the end of October, weekly views of season 1 skyrocketed by 60%, according to the streaming service.

Those starring in Squid Game have also seen their number of online followers bumped up considerably.

Hoyeon Jung, who portrays Kang Sae-byeok, also known as Player 067, had 404,000 followers before Squid Game was released. Now it's 17.7 million.

Lee Jung Jae – or Player 456 – had 1.01 million followers before the release of Squid Game, now it's around 4 million.

Sales of the white slip-on Vans worn in the series have increased by 7,800%, according to Netflix.

The show has even spawned interactive experiences where fans in cities like New York can try their hand at real-life Squid Game – with no risk of death.

Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

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