‘Squid Game’ season 2 sets Netflix record

The second season of South Korea's globally acclaimed Squid Game has set new records, becoming Netflix's most-watched show during its premiere week.

The season generated 480 million viewing hours by Sunday, according to Seoul-based Yonhap News, citing Netflix.

The streaming giant reported that Squid Game 2 rapidly topped the Netflix Global Top 10, entering the platform's most popular list in record time.

Since its release last week, the show has ranked number one in 92 countries, a rare feat for non-English language productions.

Squid Game follows a secret contest where 456 players engage in deadly versions of Korean children's games for a prize of 45.9 billion won ($31.5 million).

The latest season surpassed the first installment, which generated 448 million viewing hours in its fourth week following its release in September 2021. A third season is scheduled for release later this year.

Meanwhile, a report by media research institute K EnterTech Hub estimated that Netflix could earn over 1.5 trillion won ($1.02 billion) in profit from the second season.

Netflix dismissed this claim, stating: "It is not feasible to assess profits based on the success of one single production," according to the JoongAng Daily.