Global IP powerhouse CJ ENM dominated 2025 end to end — from massive buzz to worldwide performance and solid artistry — proving overwhelming influence across the board.
Back in February, tvN pegged the year's content trends as "dopamine" and "harmless comfort," unveiling a stacked 2025 drama lineup. The slate included Monday–Tuesday dramas My Dearest Nemesis, Head Over Heels, and Shin's Project, plus Saturday–Sunday dramas Eonjengan-eun Seulgiroun Jeongongui Saenghwal, Our Unwritten Seoul, Seocho-dong, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, and Typhoon Family. Built on bona fide, well-made production values, these titles sparked major buzz at home and abroad.
According to Good Data Corporation's FUNDex, which analyzes K-content competitiveness, CJ ENM scored the most entries in the 2025 TV/OTT completed-drama Buzz Top 10. Five series — Eonjengan-eun Seulgiroun Jeongongui Saenghwal, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty, Head Over Heels, Our Unwritten Seoul, and Typhoon Family — landed in the Top 10, the highest count for a single platform. At the 3rd 2025 Fundex Awards, Bon Appétit, Your Majesty won in the TV Drama category, while Eonjengan-eun Seulgiroun Jeongongui Saenghwal leads Jung Joon-won and Go Youn-jung took Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
Their OTT performance was just as striking. My Dearest Nemesis hit No. 1 in 136 countries and regions on global platform Rakuten Viki just one week after release, and also topped U-NEXT's Korea/Asia drama category in Japan. Head Over Heels proved K-rom-com's strength by winning Best Comedy Programme at the AACA Asian Academy Creative Awards, Asia's largest content awards.
Seocho-dong also ranked in the Top 5 across 150 countries and regions on Rakuten Viki, while grabbing No. 1 and No. 3 on U-NEXT's drama chart and main chart, respectively. It further achieved the strongest performance among tvN titles aired in 2025 on tvN Asia, the largest K-drama service in Southeast Asia. Leads Lee Jong-suk and Moon Ga-young held a star tour in Kuala Lumpur, sharing a meaningful meet-up with about 20,000 Malaysian fans.
Industry watchers credit more than just box-office style success — they point to CJ ENM's rock-solid brand power and the pitch-perfect synergy of "work–director–cast." Nuanced direction that never misses the details, a clear world-building and message, and magnetic performances combined to deliver binge-worthy immersion, as tvN rolled out one well-made benchmark K-drama after another.
This momentum was naturally verified throughout 2025 by domestic and international buzz metrics. All eyes are now on which titles will capture pre-release attention in 2026.