'Netflix' to give bonuses to Squid Game's producers
Netflix' is considering giving an additional reward to the Korean producers of 'Squid Game', the platform's biggest-ever original show, a senior official of the company was quoted as saying.
Dean Garfield, vice-president of public policy at 'Netflix', said his company is in talks with 'Squid Game' production crews, including director Hwang Dong-hyuk, over special bonuses, representative Kim Yeung-shik told reporters.
The 'Netflix' official remarked during a meeting with representative Kim while visiting Seoul for meetings with South Korean officials from the information service authorities and national assembly, including Kim Hyun, who is the vice-chairperson of the 'Korea Communications Commission'. It was the first comment by a 'Netflix' official on the controversial issue, reported Yonhap News Agency.
'Netflix' came into the spotlight since the phenomenal success of 'Squid Game' spiked a controversy in South Korea over the streamer's monopoly of the entire intellectual property of Korean-language shows the company invests in with no additional reward to local creators.
Korean-language thriller 'Squid Game', released in September, became the most popular 'Netflix' original show in any language, attracting more than 140 million households over the first four weeks of release.
According to US news outlets, 'Netflix' spent 21 million dollars on 'Squid Game' but enjoyed an estimated 900 million dollars in profit from an increase in subscribers and a rise in stock prices.
But director Hwang and crew members, who had reportedly agreed to a fixed 10 percent margin to the total production cost, have had no additional income and incentives following the show's global success.
Garfield also said that 'Netflix' is seeking other alternative ways to iron out disputes with South Korean telecommunications companies and regulators over the cost of using the local network. The streamer lost a lawsuit against local internet service provider 'SK Broadband Co.' in June.
