“Lovely Runner” Surged in Popularity with MZ Generation: High Viewership & Topicality

The MZ generation has been particularly captivated by tvN’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Lovely Runner,”showcasing its incredible relevance and popularity among viewers.

In the latest installment, Ryu Sun-jae (portrayed by Byun Woo-seok) and Im Sol (played by Kim Hye-yoon) shared a heartfelt kiss, solidifying their romantic connection. However, the audience was taken aback when the villain launched a sudden attack on Sun-jae. The mystery deepened as it was revealed that the attacker was a notorious serial killer who had previously targeted Sol’s life 15 years ago, leaving viewers eagerly anticipating the next episode.

lovely runner-kim hye yoon-byun woo seok

“Amidst all of this, “Lovely Runner”has gained recognition as the most talked-about drama of the year among the MZ generation. According to the Good Data Corporation’s recent report on the popularity of TV-OTT K-dramas, “Lovely Runner”achieved the highest first-week topicality of any TV drama aired in the past year.”

The record-breaking streak of this continues as it maintains a record-high topicality rate of 33% for the 4th week of April, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down.

Following the recent episode, there was a notable surge in references to “Lovely Runner” on various SNS platforms including communities, Twitter, blogs, Naver Talk, and YouTube. In particular, YouTube comments saw a substantial rise of over 90% from the previous week, resulting in a remarkable sevenfold increase in total mentions compared to the average for TVN Monday-Tuesday dramas released in the second half of 2023.

The 7th episode of “Lovely Runner” garnered an average viewership rating of 5.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area, with a peak of 6.3%. Nationally, it averaged 4.5% and reached a high of 5.3%, as it fiercely competed for the top spot in ratings.

Within the targeted age group of 20-49, the Seoul metropolitan area achieved an average rating of 3.1% with a peak of 3.8%. Nationally, it maintained an average of 2.7% with a peak of 3.2%, solidifying its position as the highest-rated program in the same time slot across all channels, including terrestrial channels.

It is evident that the initial target viewership rating of 1.2% in the first episode (nationwide) significantly increased by more than double in just three weeks. This has resulted in the show maintaining its top position across all channels for four consecutive weeks.

“The viewership for “Lovely Runner”was dominated by women aged 10 to 50, as it captured the hearts of female viewers across different age groups. The 7th episode also broke records for weekday dramas aired in 2024, achieving impressive ratings of 4.9% among women in their 20s and 4.1% among women in their 30s.”

As of May 2nd, the combined views for “Lovely Runner”on various platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, SMR, Instagram, and Facebook PGC-UGC had reached a total of 353,882,475 views from February 26th to May 2nd.

Additionally, the self-composed OST track “Sudden Shower”by Ryu Sun-jae, a member of the idol group Eclipse featured in the drama, has debuted on the Melon TOP100 chart on May 2nd. This demonstrates the track’s popularity as it reminisces about the protagonist’s first love, Im Sol.

As a result, “Lovely Runner”has not only gained a strong presence in online discussions, but it has also continuously broken viewership records until 2030, solidifying its position as a highly sought-after drama among the MZ generation. Fans have even coined it as a remedy for Monday blues, eagerly awaiting its weekly broadcast. The immense popularity and consistently impressive topicality of “Lovely Runner”demand attention towards its future prospects.

The source of the information can be found on Daum’s website at //v.daum.net/v/20240503095151762.