tvN Announces Changes To Broadcasting Schedule + Return Of "You Quiz On The Block"

tvN has announced that they will be making changes to their scheduling in order to adapt to changing lifestyle patterns of viewers!

On February 3, tvN announced changes that they will be implementing from March. The change comes as 52-hour work weeks mean that people get off work earlier, which has led to differences in time slots that viewers are tuning in to watch TV. Notable changes include how time slots have been allotted depending on target audiences and genres for dramas, and tvN will be making efforts to have a strong showing in weekday variety shows.

First, Monday-Tuesday dramas will be pushed up to air at 9 p.m. KST, 30 minutes earlier than the current 9:30 p.m. KST time slot. The dramas that air will be aimed at a wide variety of target audiences, and the first drama up to bat is “Half of Half” (working title) starring Jung Hae In, Chae Soo Bin, Lee Ha Na, and Kim Sung Kyu. The drama will begin on March 23 and tell the story of artificial intelligence programmer Ha Won and classical music engineer Seo Woo.

Wednesday-Thursday dramas will be moved from 9:30 p.m. KST to 10:50 p.m. KST, and dramas that air in this time slot will be tailored to suit the late hour. Yoo Seung Ho and Lee Se Young‘s “Memorist” will premiere on March 11 and is based on a webtoon of the same name, telling the story of a detective with supernatural powers and an elite profiler as they hunt down a serial killer.

From March, viewers will be able to watch variety shows on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9 p.m. KST. Notably, “You Quiz on the Block” is set to make its return with a new season on March 11. The show had previously aired at 11 p.m. KST and has now been pushed up two hours, responding to viewers’ requests for the show to air earlier in the day.

Upcoming drama “Doctor Playbook” (working title), which will be helmed by producing director (PD) Shin Won Ho of the “Reply” series and “Prison Playbook,” has been scheduled to premiere on March 12 and will air every Thursday at 9 p.m. KST. The drama will be a drama that follows the lives of medical professionals who work in a hospital, experiencing ordinary but extraordinary days, and show the chemistry of people who have been friends for 20 years. The drama will star  Jo Jung Suk, Kim Dae Myung, Jung Kyung Ho, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Jeon Mi Do.

After the drama ends, tvN will schedule a variety show in the time slot, and they plan to alternate between variety shows and dramas that air once a week.

Lee Ki Hyuk, the director of planning at the CJ ENM media contents division, stated, “As the media environment continues to change quickly, we are trying to break the traditional way time slots are set up as we believe a flexible strategy is necessary. Through the new changes, we hope to cater more viewers and create a greater variety of contents to enjoy.”

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