Asian TV dramas from South Korea, Taiwan, and other countries saw a record-breaking 83.42 million rentals from January to July (110% increase compared to the same period last year).

2012.08.03 Press Releases
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. TSUTAYA Company

—We're starting a "Love Asia Book" giveaway today for fans of Asian dramas—

TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo) is pleased to announce that the number of rentals of Asian TV dramas, including those from Korea and Taiwan, at its 1,476 TSUTAYA stores nationwide from January to July 2012 reached 83.42 million, surpassing last year's record high number of rentals.

Asian dramas, particularly Korean dramas, continue to be watched by a wide range of ages, mainly women, as was the case last year. Looking at the rankings for the first half of 2012 (January-June) (see separate table), works in a wide range of genres, such as "pure love," "romantic comedy," and "historical," are also popular. Even among works that didn't make it into the first half of the year's rankings, popular titles such as "Flower Boy Ramen Shop" and "The Greatest Love" have been released one after another.

TSUTAYA is launching a campaign today, August 3rd, to give away the latest Asian information in a TSUTAYA original book, "Love Asia Book," on a first-come, first-served basis to fans of increasingly popular Asian TV dramas, including Korean TV dramas, Taiwanese TV dramas which have recently gained popularity due to the appearance of Korean actors and actresses, and Chinese TV dramas that are attracting attention for their historical epics.

[“LOVE Asia BOOK” Giveaway Details]
■Gift period: August 3rd (Fri) - September 12th (Wed), 2012
■ How to receive the gift: During the campaign period, purchase eligible Asian TV dramas, Korean soundtracks, K-POP, etc. at TSUTAYA.
The first customers to rent five or more eligible titles will receive a gift.
■Format    : B5 size, first fold-out cover, full color, 58 pages in total
■Contents   : Cover: "Jang Keun-suk & Yoona", "Kim Rae-won", "INFINITE"
Special Feature: New dramas "A Thousand Days' Promise" and "Brain" that can only be seen at TSUTAYA
_ "Vampire Prosecutor," "TEN - International Version," etc.
_ Plus, there's a wealth of information including new dramas, movies, K-POP features, and interviews with notable actors.

*Distribution will end once supplies run out. * "Love Asia Book" is not sold in stores.

■ "LOVE Asia BOOK" 3-page cover image
(Please check the attached PDF file.)

■ Asian TV Drama Rankings for the First Half of the Year (January-June 2012)
1st Place: Miss Ripley (Complete Version)
2nd place: You like me, don't you?
3rd place: Try lying to me
4th Place: Sungkyunkwan Scandal (Complete Edition)
5th place: Thorn Birds
6th Place: My Princess (Complete Edition)
7th place: Lee San
8th place: Romance is necessary
9th place: Red and Black
10th place: Dong Yi

■Trends in the number of Asian TV dramas rented at TSUTAYA
(Please check the attached PDF file.)

Documents related to this matter

We're starting a "Love Asia Book" giveaway today for fans of Asian dramas.

Inquiries regarding this matter
Culture Convenience Club Co., Ltd. TSUTAYA Co., Ltd.
Public Relations Representative: Yasunori Takahashi, TEL: 03-6800-4764