‘Produce 101’ Tops TV Popularity Chart

Season 2 of 'Produce 101' has been raking in high ratings since its first episode aired. Mnet's all-boys survival reality program has been topping the TV popularity index for 7 consecutive weeks now amidst the success of 'Rebel: The Thief Who Stole The People', which has also been garnering a lot of viewership.

'Produce 101' received a score of a whopping 264.3 points on Content Power Index or CPI, making it the most popular program from May 15 to 21.  CPI is the joint development of CJ E&M and Nielsen Korea and is in charge of measuring the popularity of TV programs based on data collected through the number of views on news stories, online search tallies and general talk on social media.

'Produce 101' is a program where viewers have the power to choose and vote which male trainees they want to see debut in a temporary project group. What starts out as a roster of 98 male trainees, the survival show will eliminate contestants throughout the season based on popularity until ultimately only 11 trainees come out as victors.

While 'Produce 101' sits comfortably at the top of popularity charts, MBC TV's 'Rebel' is attracting viewers and buzz and snags second place with 236.9 points. The period drama tells the story of Hong Gil Dong, a notorious crook during the Joseon era. The drama jumped 11 spots from the previous week after it aired its finale on May 16. The final episode of 'Rebel' recorded 14.4% in ratings. Taking third place on the popularity chart is Yoo Seung Ho starrer 'Ruler', raking in 231.1 points, followed by SBS TV's 'Burning Youth', a variety program centered on middle-aged celebrities. The show managed to score 227.5 points.

TvN's food and dining show 'Youn's Kitchen' ranks fifth place, while KBS 2TV's drama 'My Father Is Strange' leaped 10 placed to sixth. SBS TV's popular jungle survival show 'Law of The Jungle' climbed up an impressive 30 places, coming in at seventh place, as 'Mom's Diary - My Ugly Duckling' takes the eighth rank. As 'Produce 101' nears its finale episode, it's safe to say that despite shifts in the TV popularity chart, Mnet's survival program will remain at the top spot.