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Better than 'Squid Game': Young Indonesians still love local 'sinetron'
Younger Indonesian viewers swoon over local soap operas, once considered tacky and made for the lowest common denominator.
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Addictive drama: Many viewers feel emotionally invested in their favorite soap operas. (JP/Hengky Wijaya) (JP/Hengky Wijaya)
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ounger Indonesian viewers are not all about foreign shows; they also swoon over local soap operas, once considered tacky and made for the lowest common denominator.
An increasing number of international TV series are raking in millions of views across the globe, in large part due to streaming services. And with it, social media platforms are also abuzz with conversations around the latest hit shows, from Spain's Money Heist to South Korea's Squid Game.
But the buzz is not exclusive to foreign series. Based on Indonesia's daily trending tweets, many Indonesian viewers are currently in love with the latest sinetron (soap opera) airing on local TV stations.
"I started following Ikatan Cinta [Love Ties] in late January because there were so many comments on Instagram asking 'Who here hasn't watched Ikatan Cinta?'" 25-year-old Baran (not her real name) told The Jakarta Post on Oct. 11.
Surprisingly, Baran had zero interest in TV series before, let alone soap operas. But the hype around Ikatan Cinta was so big and inescapable, she said, that curiosity got the best of her.
"So, I opened YouTube and watched it from the very first episode," she said.
Baran is active on Twitter and Instagram, where she discusses and swoons over the latest Ikatan Cinta episodes with fellow fans. The local fandom culture turned out to be no different from that of international TV series, driven by younger audiences excited about every episode that comes out.
