The Originals’ ruse

Netflix Brazil’s instrumentalization of the Korean Wave

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54786/revistaeptic.v28i2.24587

Abstract

Here we examine the instrumentalization of the Korean Wave by Netflix in Brazil in order to highlight the imperialist strategies underlying its transnational expansion. Based on an analysis of the Netflix Brazil catalog, the “Netflix Original” category, and a mapping of the available South Korean productions, we argue that Netflix symbolically reconfigures authorship, erasing the South Korean industry while consolidating itself as a hegemonic mediator. The study reveals how U.S.-based platforms deepen global asymmetries by subordinating non-Western peripheral industries to their corporate interests and reproducing dynamics of platform imperialism.

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Author Biographies

Daniela Mazur, Fluminense Federal University

Daniela Mazur is a postdoctoral researcher in the Graduate Program in Communication at Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), with a fellowship from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). Her research interests include East Asian media studies, Hallyu, transnational media counterflows, television and video streaming industries in the Majority World, and media sovereignty. Some of her work has been published in the journals Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, Series – International Journal of TV Serial Narratives, and Comunicación y Sociedad.

Melina Meimaridis, Fluminense Federal University

Melina Meimaridis is a postdoctoral researcher at the National Institute of Science and Technology in Informational Disputes and Sovereignty (INCT-DSI), Brazil. Her research investigates transformations in television and audiovisual cultures, with a focus on television series, video streaming, and fan communities. She analyzes the transnational expansion of streaming platforms and services in Majority World markets. She is a member of the Global Internet TV Consortium and contributes to the fields of media industry and television studies.

Daniel Rios, Fluminense Federal University

Daniel Rios is a postdoctoral researcher in the Postgraduate Program in Communcation at Universidade Federal Fluminense, where he receives a fellowship from the Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ). He holds a Ph.D. from the Postgraduate Program in Communication at Universidade Federal Fluminense. His current research explores how video streaming services’ affordances, business models, and content strategies displace established labor practices in Brazil’s video industry. Other areas of interest include television industries, transnational video streaming services, serialized fiction, and audience practices. His work has been published in International Journal of Communication, Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, and Comunicación y Sociedad.

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Published

2026-10-19

How to Cite

Mazur, D., Meimaridis, M., & Rios, D. (2026). The Originals’ ruse: Netflix Brazil’s instrumentalization of the Korean Wave . EPTIC - International Electronic Journal of the Political Economy of Information, Communication, and Culture, 28(2), 222–240. https://doi.org/10.54786/revistaeptic.v28i2.24587

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2026): Imperialismo, informação, comunicação e cultura na era da digitalização

Section

DOSSIÊ TEMÁTICO

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Daniela Mazur, Melina Meimaridis, Daniel Rios

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