Reading Filipino Remakes

Glocalization of Popular Culture in Filipino Remakes of ‘Koreanovelas’

Abstract

Since the introduction of television in the Philippines, the broadcast industry has broadcasted both international and local programs on a regular basis. With the popularity and hype of Koreanovelas at the turn of the 21st century, the trends of the TV shows, the content of the drama series, and the storyline are changing. The rising popularity of these Korean drama series prompted local TV channels to create remakes or adaptations. Taking this into consideration, this article investigates the creation processes of Filipino remakes, the elements of Filipino culture that were integrated, the motives of the television stations to produce glocalized content, and the prevalence of glocalization through the Filipino remake content. A semiotic framework is employed to explore how the glocalization of popular culture unfolds as a result of the collaboration between the South Korean and Philippine entertainment broadcast sectors. The study reveals how an ecosystem created by these countries fosters the development of a popular culture that is no longer restricted to a specific culture in any region but rather to a global community of consumers and producers.