'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards saw a major rise in global viewership, with 3.8 million people tuning in to the live stream on May 5, 2025, according to South Korea’s Digital Daily.
This marks a 1.1 million increase from last year’s 2.7 million viewers. The growth highlights PRIZM’s growing international influence, which the platform confirmed on May 8.
A key highlight of the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards was the PRIZM Popularity Award. Voting opened from April 23 to May 2. It tallied over 22.2 million votes which is more than double the votes than last year, totaling 11 million votes.
Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon of Lovely Runner took home the crown, and praise, for their chemistry and stage reunion as everyone's favorite "SolSeon Couple." Their win became a hot topic among fans.
Trending
The popularity of the duo was one of the highlights of the event. The reunion of the beloved on-screen pair at 61st Baeksang Arts Awards sparked excitement online.
Many praised their on-screen chemistry and off-screen charm, calling their reunion a defining moment of the night. Their appearance and joint win became a trending subject across platforms with one fan dubbing them as,
"Power couple"
"The data can't deny the popularity" said a netizen.
"Thats explaining why they win popularity award" mentioned an individual on X.
"Cleared. no one can ever question their popularity" wrote one more fan.
"This is why both are populariry award awardee" read a comment from another fan.
The Lovely Runner couple's on-stage reunion sparked a wave of nostalgia and excitement. Many praised the duo's enduring impact on the K-drama scene, calling their presence unforgettable.
"Byeon Woo Seo & Kim Hye Yoon midas touch" mentioned an X user.
"Let the data and media speak my WooseokHyeyoon power" said one netizen.
"Already 2025 but nobody moves on from this couple" mentioned another fan.
"Deserved for single handedly reviving us from the kdrama slump" added this netizen.
PRIZM breaks new records with world transmission of 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, attracts 3.8M viewers
The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards brought a milestone moment in Korean pop culture. On May 5, 2025, the ceremony was broadcast worldwide via PRIZM.
The platform's exclusive broadcast, combined with simultaneous translation in six languages, enabled global fans to watch the ceremony live regardless of their location as per Digital Daily.
PRIZM, a media platform owned by RXC, has been causing a stir with its keen curation of high-definition digital content Digital Daily reports. Started by Yoo Han-ik, a former founding member of Coupang, the company has become a leading global player in live event broadcasting. The 61st Baeksang Arts Awards helped solidify this position.
The awards, introduced for the first time in 1965, are South Korea's oldest toast to excellence in theater, television, and film. A total of 33 awards were given out this year, of which 30 were given in main content categories, the Gucci Impact Award, and the PRIZM Popularity Award.
For broadcasting, the Grand Prize (Daesang) of Baeksang Arts Awards 2025 went to Netflix's Culinary Class Wars. In the Best Actor and Actress, Ju Ji-hoon for The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call and Kim Tae-ri for Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born were selected. For films, Hong Kyung-pyo won the Grand Prize for Harbin's cinematography, with Jo Jung-seok and Jeon Do-yeon picking up Best Acting awards.
PRIZM also streamed red carpet moments and employed AI-facilitated translation to provide real-time conversations and subtitles in the native languages of viewers. As per Digital Daily, the technology helped facilitate a smooth and localized experience among fans worldwide.
As per the report of Digital Daily previously, PRIZM co-hosted the 21st and 22nd Korean Popular Music Awards and streamed the 39th Golden Disc Awards in January with 5 million cumulative viewers. Its repertoire features significant events such as SBS Gayo Daejun, Waterbomb Festival, and Golden Wave in Tokyo.
In addition to broadcasting, PRIZM has been involved in performance and exhibition planning activities.
As Digital Daily reports, these include private events like listening sessions with indie band ADOY, Sunwoo Jung-a's jazz performance, and Stella Jang's chanson live. Talking about the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards' victory, CEO Yoo Han-ik explained,
"I am delighted that Prism was able to successfully conclude the global live broadcast of the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards with fans around the world based on its differentiated media capabilities. We will continue to leap forward as a global retail media platform through Prism's unique retail promotions and media events."
Upcoming projects of Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon
Byeon Woo-seok will be returning to the television screen with IU in MBC's new drama Wife of a 21st Century Prince. The drama features an alternate vision of contemporary Korea in which monarchy has endured, creating a fertile ground for an unconventional love story built around entitlement, pressure, and self-identification.
In the drama, Byeon Woo-seok plays Prince Lee An—the hapless second prince born into royalty without power or riches. IU stars as Sung Hee-joo, the elegant daughter of a dominant chaebol family. Their improbable relationship is the central plot, as both characters start to defy the strict conventions and social norms they've been conditioned to adhere to.
Directed by Park Joon-hwa, the most famous for Alchemy of Souls, the drama reunites the two actors after they had a brief on-screen time together in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo almost a decade ago.
Kim Hye-yoon on the other hand is returning to television with the 2025 romantic fantasy comedy drama Human from Today, or I'm Human. Playing opposite Park Solomon (Lomon), she plays the role of Eunho, a gumiho—a legendary nine-tailed fox from Korean mythology.
Contrary to the classic gumiho who aims to transform into a human, Eunho goes out of her way to prevent her transformation by not doing good things. Park Solomon portrays Kang Si-yeol, a narcissistic soccer player who quite literally bumps into Eunho.
As the narrative progresses, her interactions with Si-yeol become more complex, developing from brief chance encounters to more meaningful, complex relationships. The drama is set to release in the later half of 2025.
