Special Issue Topic: Netflix and East Asian Audiovisual Culture

Netflix has been on the constant lookout for new genres and themes that have proven successful elsewhere, including in East Asia. Netflix has also driven changes in audiences’ consumption habits in Hong Kong, Singapore, and other countries. The ongoing evolution of global over-the-top (OTT) platforms asks scholars from diverse fields, including media/cultural studies, film studies, area studies, sociology, and anthropology, to entertain under-addressed issues and explore new approaches to understanding digital platforms’ effects in the East Asian cultural sphere and beyond. The articles in this special issue commonly discuss the impact of Netflix in tandem with Asian popular culture and the dynamic interplay between Netflix and local cultural creators. They use a case study approach to address recent developments and help unpack our understanding of East Asian popular culture and OTT platforms. Through interdisciplinary and transnational discussions, we hope to shed light on current debates and place them in perspectives that have relevance for future transnational cultural and audiovisual media studies.