‘Ruler: Master Of The Mask’ Makes Explosive Debut, Dethrones ‘Queen Of Mystery’ In Weekly TV Ratings Race
The newly released drama "Ruler: Master of the Mask" is proving to be a tough contender in the Wednesday-Thursday primetime drama TV rating race. Yoo Seung Ho and Kim So Hyun's new series even bested the dramas "Queen of Mystery" and "Suspicious Partner" with impressive double-digit viewership shares.
"Ruler: Master of the Mask" made an explosive debut as it posted increasing TV ratings during its first-week broadcast. Released on May 10, the MBC historical series' episode 1 registered nationwide viewership shares of 9.7 percent for its first half and 11.6 percent for the second half, according to Nielsen Korea, as cited by Korea Herald. The first and second parts of episode 2 that aired on May 11 also reached nationwide TV ratings of 10.5 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively.
"Ruler: Master of the Mask" even dethroned "Queen of Mystery" which fell at second place, followed by the new SBS series "Suspicious Partner." Aired on May 11, episode 12 of the said KBS drama posted viewership shares of 9.2 percent, while the new Ji Chang Wook starrer's episode 2 reached ratings of 6.1 percent for its first half and 7.2 percent for its second half.
Meanwhile, MBC and SBS recently adopted a different format in broadcasting primetime dramas such as "Ruler: Master of the Mask" and "Suspicious Partner." Previously, episodes were shown non-stop for one hour with commercials aired at the beginning of the show. However, the two South Korean networks split the one-hour series into two parts and even labeled each part as specific episodes with ads released at the 30-minute mark.
In other news, Kim So Hyun revealed what she and other "Ruler: Master of the Mask" co-stars plan to do if TV ratings reach 20 percent. In a recent V Live broadcast, as cited by Soompi, the actress commented that they will hold a fan signing event for viewers with the series' lead cast wearing their traditional costumes from the drama.
"Ruler: Master of the Mask," "Queen of Mystery" and "Suspicious Partner" episodes are released every Wednesday and Thursday on MBC, KBS and SBS, respectively. Watch a teaser clip for the MBC series below: