So far, 2017 has not been a good year for the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). With the exception of their weekend and weekday dramas, the only time slot which had or has popular K-dramas airing on it is the Wednesday and Thursday time slot at 9:55 p.m. KST. K-dramas "Chief Kim" and "Mystery Queen" have both earned double-digit viewership ratings across the board. As for the other time slots, their K-dramas are floundering about in single-digit viewership.

However, that may all change as "Fight My Way" is set to earn double-digit viewership ratings across the board with its upcoming episodes.

In turn, this will make it the most popular K-drama to air in its time slot for the network.

"Fight My Way" almost had double-digit viewership ratings across the board with sixth episode

As of June 6, 2017, six episodes of "Fight My Way" -- which is also known as "Fight for My Way" -- have aired. Initially, it started out with single digit ratings averaging 5.5 percent for the nation and 6.3 percent for the Seoul National Capital Area.

The sixth episode however earned 11.4 percent for the nation and 12.1 percent for the Seoul National Capital Area under AGB Nielsen Korea and 11.4 percent for the Seoul National Capital Area under TNmS Media Korea.

Unfortunately, it was shy of 10 percent for the nation under TNmS Media Korea with 9.4 percent for the nation.

With the upward trend for "Fight My Way," it is believed among K-drama fans that it will earn double-digit viewership across the board in either the seventh or eighth episodes.

MBC and SBS dropped the ball this season giving "Fight My Way" a fighting chance!

It is showing that "Fight My Way" is growing in popularity but we can also credit both the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) for its popularity too. MBC has been struggling to air a popular K-drama in the same time slot as "Fight My Way." Their current K-drama "Lookout" is stagnant between six to eight percent in viewership.

This means it has topped off in its viewership base.

The surprise comes with SBS. The network has dominated the Monday and Tuesday at 9:55 p.m. KST time slot with suspense thrillers. "Defendant" and "Whisper" are two of the most popular K-dramas to air in the first half of 2017. However, SBS switched gears with "My Sassy Girl," a period romcom. Apparently, the established viewership did not like the sudden switch as "My Sassy Girl" is earning high single-digit viewership so far.

We will see if "Fight My Way" can continue to grow in popularity with the remaining ten episodes is has yet to air. Fans are hoping by the end of the series, it would have crossed over the 30 percent viewership rating threshold just to see if the "joke" ratings promise of the series' main leads, Park Seo Joon and Kim Ji Won, getting married is indeed a joke.

Korean viewership ratings matter for international viewers especially in the U.S.

For many international viewers of K-dramas, Korean viewership ratings don't seem to matter. The truth is they do matter as video-on-demand streaming sites are more willing to pick up K-dramas that have excellent Korean viewership or at least air on a time slot known for showing K-dramas with excellent Korean viewership.

If a Korean network's K-dramas on a specific time slot are known for not being popular in South Korea, it may affect if international VOD streaming sites, such as DramaFever, will pick up K-dramas airing on them. It is possible that is why many KBS K-dramas have not been streaming on DramaFever. As mentioned earlier, "Chief Kim" is probably the most successful K-drama to air on KBS this year and it was only available on Viki during its airing.

It became available on DramaFever only after it was proven to be successful. Right now, "Mystery Queen" is available on DramaFever but that is most likely because it came right after "Chief Kim."

The success of "Fight My Way" may cause more VOD streaming sites who air Korean content in the U.S., such as DramaFever, to pick it up after it airs as well as other K-dramas that will take its place after it concludes. To be frank, the success of "Fight My Way" may push DramaFever in picking up the next K-drama "School 2017" the latest in a series of School K-dramas spanning back to 1999.

"Fight My Way" airs on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9:55 p.m. KST on KBS. For K-drama fans in the United States, it is exclusive to watch only on Viki.
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