Not the Highest Ratings—But Still No.1: The K-Drama That Dominated May’s Brand Buzz!

In a surprising turn, JTBC’s weekend drama ‘Heavenly Ever After’ has claimed the No. 1 spot in the May 2025 drama brand reputation rankings, surpassing other major hit series with viewership ratings over 20%. This ranking, which reflects a composite score based on a drama’s buzz, ratings, and fan loyalty, highlights the growing influence of Heavenly Ever After.

The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute analyzed over 51.34 million pieces of brand big data from 19 dramas over the past month. The analysis included participation, communication, media exposure, community reactions, and viewership. Despite an overall 28% drop in total data volume compared to the previous month, Heavenly Ever After stood out with a brand index of over 6.06 million, securing the top spot.

Coming in second was ‘The Haunted Palace’, a historical fantasy drama blending mythology and royal intrigue. Its strong narrative and production values have garnered a devoted fanbase, with a brand index of approximately 4.98 million.

Third place went to ‘For Eagle Brothers’, which had recently dominated the weekend time slot with over 20% viewership ratings. However, its brand index lagged behind at around 4.37 million—suggesting that ratings alone don’t guarantee brand strength.

The success of Heavenly Ever After is credited to its warm, cheerful tone, excellent performances, and overwhelmingly positive viewer response. Link analysis revealed high-ranking keywords like “heartwarming,” “uplifting,” and “well-acted.” The most mentioned names included Son Suk-ku, Kim Hye-ja, and Lim Young-woong. Its positive-to-negative sentiment ratio was a staggering 93.8%, indicating strong emotional resonance and brand impact.

In contrast, For Eagle Brothers—despite its viewership success—fell short in brand reputation. As a family drama, it had relatively limited engagement on social media and online communities. In key metrics such as participation and communication, it scored significantly lower than Heavenly Ever After. This outcome reaffirms that drama influence cannot be measured by ratings alone; multi-channel engagement and cultural relevance are crucial components of brand reputation.

A representative from the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute commented, “While total buzz and engagement across dramas decreased this month, Heavenly Ever After managed to strengthen its presence, showing resilience and impact.”

Also making the top tier of the rankings were ‘Resident Playbook’ and ‘Cinderella Game’, demonstrating a healthy genre diversity and broad audience appeal across the board.

Overall, the results underscore that in today’s media landscape, viewership is just one of many factors that define a drama’s cultural footprint.

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