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‘Produce 101′ tops TV chart, ‘Rebel’ finale attracts buzz

May 30, 2017

This composite photo shows highlights from Mnet’s all-male audition show “Produce 101.” (Yonhap)

This composite image shows highlight scenes from MBC TV’s Monday-Tuesday series “Rebel: Thief Who Stole the People.” (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) — Season two of “Produce 101,” Mnet’s all-male idol audition show, topped a TV popularity index for the seventh straight week, while the finale of “Rebel: Thief Who Stole The People” also garnered a huge amount of buzz, data showed Tuesday.

“Produce 101″ scored 264.3 points on the Content Power Index (CPI), becoming the most popular TV program from May 15-21.

CPI, developed by entertainment company CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea, measures the popularity of TV shows based on the number of views of related news stories, online search tallies and buzz on social media.

In the show, a group of viewers called “public producers” choose by popular vote members of a new project idol group from a pool of 101 trainees from various entertainment companies, along with the team’s roster, concept and debut song. Last year’s first season featured a pool of female singers and culminated in the project girl group I.O.I. Season two features only male trainees.

“Rebel,” MBC TV’s period series based on the lore of Joseon-era bandit Hong Gil-dong, came in second with 236.9 points, soaring 11 spots from the previous week. The finale that aired May 16 fared well among TV viewers, recording a 14.4 percent viewership.

MBC TV’s Monday-Tuesday drama “Ruler,” starring Yoo Seung-ho and Kim So-hyun, came in third with 231.1 points, and was trailed by SBS TV’s “Burning Youth,” a variety show featuring single middle-aged stars, with 227.5 points.

TvN’s restaurateur show “Youn’s Kitchen” ranked fifth, and KBS 2TV’s weekend drama “My Father Is Strange” climbed 10 notches to sixth.

SBS TV’s jungle survival program “Law of The Jungle” exploded a whopping 30 steps forward, coming in at seventh place, and “Mom’s Diary — My Ugly Duckling,” on the same network, clocked in at the eighth spot.