In Hunt for Next ‘Squid Game,’ Streaming Services Battle for South Korean Shows.

Netflix, Apple and Disney could push up acquisition costs as they try to ride wave of interest in K-dramas.

South Korea’s television industry is experiencing a post-“Squid Game” bump as the country becomes a content battleground for the global streaming wars. Now it has to keep delivering.

“Squid Game,” the dystopian drama that became Netflix Inc.’s most watched show, reached new heights for South Korean content and created expectations for repeat success. That came last month when “Hellbound,” a dark fantasy series, topped Netflix’s global charts upon its debut. Four of Netflix’s six most watched non-English-language TV shows in recent weeks have hailed from South Korea.