MBC·SBS Scheduling Conflict... "Unfair Competition" vs "Different Broadcast Days, No Problem"

Drama Starring Im Suhyang Scheduled to Air Concurrently

Im Soo-hyang / Photo by FN Entertainment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] MBC and SBS are in conflict over the scheduling of dramas starring actress Lim Soo-hyang.

MBC scheduled the drama 'Doctor Lawyer' on Fridays and Saturdays starting May 27. The drama stars actor So Ji-sub as the lead, with Lim Soo-hyang as the female lead.

SBS also scheduled the drama 'We Are From Today,' starring Lim Soo-hyang, on Mondays and Tuesdays starting May 9.

Previously, SBS was preparing 'The Police Station Next to the Fire Station' as a follow-up to the Friday-Saturday drama 'Those Who Read the Mind of Evil,' which ended on the 12th of last month, but filming was halted due to a joint labor-management investigation committee probing the death of the late PD Lee Him-chan. As a result, 'Again My Life,' which was planned to air as a Monday-Tuesday drama, was moved to Fridays and Saturdays, and 'We Are From Today,' known as an OTT drama, was scheduled for Mondays and Tuesdays.

On the 5th, MBC expressed regret, stating, "Despite knowing that 'Doctor Lawyer' was confirmed for pre-scheduling and in production, SBS caused a situation where the lead actor's appearance periods overlapped, which is a decision beyond fair play even considering SBS's unfortunate scheduling circumstances."

They added, "SBS proceeded unilaterally without even the minimum courtesy of consulting us during the scheduling process," and criticized, "We suffered damage due to the sudden disrupted scheduling. This kind of behavior is against industry norms."

Regarding this, SBS stated on the 6th, "'We Are From Today' was originally planned to air as the follow-up Monday-Tuesday drama to 'Business Proposal' on April 11, but due to circumstances at the production company Group Eight, the scheduling was inevitably moved to May," and added, "Since it was a planned April production, we had no prior knowledge of the scheduling or overlapping appearances of other dramas."

They further stated, "Since the first broadcast date, airing days and times, and the themes of the works are completely different from other dramas, we believe there will be no issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.