🎶 KPop Demon Hunters Becomes Netflix #1 Movie

A global K-pop story smashes 236M views | Streaming in Short – W35

Yann Colleter

Aug 29, 2025

This week, I cover KPop Demon Hunters becoming Netflix most-watched movie ever, DAZN streaming US college sports in MENA, and Instagram with its new Reels Series feature.

🎶 KPop Demon Hunters Breaks Netflix Record

👉 KPop Demon Hunters is now Netflix’s most-watched movie ever, with 236M views, beating Red Notice (230.9M).

📍 The animated film follows a K-pop girl group who fight monsters when they’re not performing on stage. It also hit cinemas last weekend, making $18–20M, Netflix biggest box office release so far.

💡 The success proves how powerful K-pop has become. It’s now breaking records in both streaming and film.

🏈 DAZN Brings US College Sports to MENA

👉 From 2025, DAZN will stream up to 25 college football games each week and 20 basketball games, including March Madness and the College Football Playoff, across Europe and MENA.

📍 The deal, signed with ESPN, covers top conferences like the SEC, ACC, and Big 12, plus the full National Championship and major bowl games. March Madness will feature all 63 men’s and women’s tournament games.

💡 This is a big step for DAZN as it grows its US sports lineup beyond NFL and NHL. For MENA fans, it’s the first chance to watch iconic college sports.

DAZN Reaches Agreement with ESPN for U.S. College Football and Basketball Rights in Selected Territories in Europe and MENA - DAZN

📱 Instagram adds Series feature for Reels

What happened?

👉 Instagram now lets creators connect several Reels into one series, so viewers can easily follow stories or grouped videos.

Key details:

A new button lets viewers jump from one Reel to the next
Creators can link videos when writing captions or editing older posts
Useful for multi-part stories (like “part 1, part 2”) or themed content (like recipes)
The feature was highly requested to make storytelling smoother and keep audiences engaged

Why it matters?

🎯 Instagram is moving closer to micro-drama apps like ReelShort or DramaBox. For streaming professionals, this is a sign that social platforms are adding stronger storytelling tools to keep people watching.

🤖 AI: Content Flood Ahead, But Creativity Still Wins

A new Bain & Co. report says AI will bring a flood of cheap content, from e-books to music and videos, making it harder for audiences to find what they really want.

The good news? Human creativity still leads the way. AI works best as a tool: it can help smaller studios produce at lower cost, but big media companies will keep their edge by focusing on talent, using new tech, and making premium content.

🏠 EXPERIENCES: Netflix House Opens in Philadelphia and Dallas

Netflix will open its first two “Netflix Houses” later this year: Philadelphia on Nov 12 at King of Prussia Mall and Dallas on Dec 11 at Galleria Texas. A third location is planned in Las Vegas for 2027.

The venues will bring Netflix shows to life with immersive experiences from Stranger Things, Squid Game, One Piece, and Wednesday. Fans can also enjoy themed mini-golf, arcade games, VR adventures, a Tudum theater, plus food and shopping.

⚽ HIGHLIGHTS: DAZN Lands Global Rights to Saudi League Highlights

DAZN has secured worldwide rights to show Roshn Saudi League highlights in English, free to watch on any device, for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons.

The new hub adds to DAZN’s growing football offer, alongside global Serie A and FIFA+ highlights, plus live matches from Bundesliga, LaLiga, Premier League, and more.

🍥 ANIME: TOD Partners with Crunchyroll to Add Anime

TOD has signed a deal with Crunchyroll to bring top anime titles like Jujutsu Kaisen, My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, and Tokyo Revengers to its platform.

The new content is already popular, with strong viewership in Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, and Iraq. For Crunchyroll, it’s another big step into MENA after its deal with YangoPlay earlier this year.

🇮🇹 FOOTBALL: STARZPLAY Secures Serie A Rights Until 2026

STARZPLAY has renewed its exclusive rights to Italy’s Serie A across MENA through the 2025/26 season, with every match available live and on-demand in both Arabic and English.

The coverage includes full replays, highlight packages, and expert analysis, from the Milan derby to title battles with Juventus, Inter, Roma, and Napoli.

🎬 VENICE: Market Expands With Stronger MENA Presence

The Venice Production Bridge opened its 12th edition with 3,300 industry executives, including 1,400 producers, and an extra day added to fit its busy program.

This year sees a bigger presence from the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia, plus new projects from Morocco and two Yemeni films in the “Final Cut” section.

🇳🇱 AMSTERDAM: My First Time at IBC

I’ll be at IBC 2025, hosted by White Peaks Solutions at Booth 2.C41b.

I’ll share daily highlights with The Streaming Lab readers on the latest tech trends, and I’ll also present my new LinkedIn Bootcamp for media tech companies, built to help sales teams grow visibility, build trust, and get better results.

DM me on LinkedIn if you’d like to meet.

🌺 Lilo & Stich from Dean Fleischer Camp, Chris Kekaniokalani Bright and Mike Van Waes (Disney+): The wildly funny and touching story of a lonely Hawaiian girl and the fugitive alien who helps to mend her broken family.

🌊 Chief of War from Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett (Apple TV+, 9 episodes): With Hawaii's four kingdoms divided by war, the ferocious warrior Kaʻiana embarks on an epic mission to unite his people, as an existential threat approaches their shores.

🍸 20 years ago, How I Met Your Mother premiered on CBS. Created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas, the sitcom followed Ted Mosby and his friends Barney, Marshall, Lily, and Robin through life and love in New York City. Famous for its non-linear storytelling, running gags, and the iconic “Legend-wait for it-dary” catchphrase, the show became one of the defining comedies of the 2000s.