What is DramaFever?

We created DramaFever to give you a better way to find and watch the best TV and movies from around the world, and create a community you can enjoy being a part of.

We're particularly big fans of television dramas and telenovelas, especially those from Asia and Latin America. With engaging story lines and top notch talent, these dramas are incredible entertainment. Unfortunately in the past, it's been difficult for American viewers to watch their favorite dramas and discover new ones. Before DramaFever, the best options were websites with pirated videos and bootleg DVDs.

Since our launch in August 2009, we quickly became a leading online distributor of international video entertainment, particularly in North America. We license videos from major media companies around the world and distribute them fully subtitled via DramaFever.com as well as syndication partners such as Hulu. Our content partners include KBS, MBC, SBS, CCTV, Sanlih E-Television, Shanghai Media Group, MediaCorp, FUNimation, Asahi TV, ABS-CBN, Group Eight, ISplus, JS Pictures, and many others.

Our investors include AMC Networks, Bertelsmann, NALA Investments, and MK Capital as well as founders/CXOs of YouTube, Machinima, LowerMyBills, Badoo, StubHub, GraphEffect, Capital IQ, Wikets, and many others.

Is DramaFever Free?

Yes, it's really free. We pay the bills by running advertisements from a select group of sponsors. We offer an optional subscription plan with DramaFever Premium accounts for users that would rather watch commercial-free.

What's the difference between a user account and DramaFever Premium subscription?

It's always free to create a DramaFever user account. You'll get great features like your own private "History" page so you can keep track of episodes you've watched -- and resume watching where you last left off, even if it was mid-episode. You'll also be able to write drama reviews.

A DramaFever Premium subscription adds great features to your account: all episodes will be commercial-free for the best drama viewing experience, you get faster access to new episodes, and mobile device access. All for a low monthly fee of $9.99 or less. Click Here to learn more.

What content providers does DramaFever work with?

DramaFever is the first online American company to work all three major Korean broadcasters (SBS, KBS and MBC). For more details, see the DF Blog post titled "KBS, MBC and SBS to Distribute with DramaFever". Other content partners include Sanlih E-Television, FUNimation, Asahi TV, ABS-CBN, Joyplex, Group Eight, ISplus, JS Pictures, and many others.

Is DramaFever just for Korean Dramas?

Not at all. We just had to start somewhere. We've started adding more hit shows from Taiwan, China, Singapore and the Philippines. We're also planning on adding telenovelas and Bollywood movies. We're more than just dramas too, expanding with documentaries, music shows, short films, and full length movies.

Who is behind DramaFever?

Based in New York City, we are an eclectic bunch who came together with a shared interest in international entertainment. We have media, technology, and licensing backgrounds from successful careers at other startups as well as Fortune 500 companies.

What are people saying?

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  "[DramaFever] sees the investors less as a source of capital than as future strategic partners as DramaFever looks to expand, both in North American and internationally."

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  "Films will become a bigger part of our service, and by year end we'll have a substantial library of theatrical feature films from Asia as well as a host of independently produced documentaries and films."

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  "New York’s DramaFever announced today it raised another $1.5 million with backing from AMC Networks, NALA Investments, Bertelsmann Digital Media, and others."

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  "[There] are great opportunities to attract millions of new users by adding Latin American telenovelas, Bollywood movies and expanding the service to potential new viewers in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia"

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  "DramaFever wants to build a site where North American audiences can watch TV from around the world, and it has won the support of some key figures from YouTube’s past."

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  "Are Boys Prettier Than Flowers? And Other Questions Answered By DramaFever, A Hulu For Asian TV"

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  "One of the [DramaFever's] advantages is that its great relationships with local content partners, leading to deals that secure content for up to 8 years. Licensing this content has been getting much easier, now that DramaFever has shown that it can actually deliver revenue. "

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  "DramaFever has around 400 series from South Asia, mostly Korea, totaling over 10,000 hours of content, which is watched by an audience that is, surprisingly, 75% non-Asian and 60 percent caucasian."

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  "DramaFever, a site that specializes in bringing Asian videos to English language speakers, has raised a $4.5 million B round led by MK Capital, along with angel investors including YouTube co-founder Steve Chen."

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  "I was hooked. I watched all 25 episodes of the series and had serious withdrawal after it ended. Luckily, Hulu’s DramaFever channel had more than 20 more series, and there are thousands of episodes, all subtitled in English, available to watch for free."

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  "This month, DramaFever unveiled a partnership with Hulu. The online video site features five Korean shows courtesy of DramaFever. Bak and co-founder Suk Park said they will add fresh titles to Hulu on a monthly basis. They're also planning to add shows from other Asian countries to DramaFever's lineup."

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  "DramaFever will become the first to offer U.S. watchers a large library of Korean TV drama content in a legal and accessible format. Korean dramas are hugely popular in their home country and the rest of Asia, but on this side of the Pacific, would-be watchers can only see them on some premium cable channels, through bootleg DVDs bought in Chinatowns, and via P2P file-sharing."

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  "All they had was one great idea and a Powerpoint presentation, and it took around eight months of business meetings and going to Korea to pitch to content owners before DramaFever signed its first licensing agreement with MBC. After that, two other major Korean broadcasters, several independent drama and documentary producers followed suit."

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  "Korean dramas are popular throughout much of Asia and are a part of the "Korea wave" of the 21st century. DramaFever hopes to tap into fans of Korean dramas and offer a legal option to view the popular shows, complete with English subtitles."