Stand by for next Korean invasion - and $150,000
The Korean wave will continue after TVB airs its final episode of Jewel In The Palace, with rival ATV rolling out its own Korean drama and a marathon screening challenge boasting a $150,000 prize.
To launch Woman's World, a Korean period drama about women's survival games in the palace, ATV is recruiting up to 150 TV fans for the marathon screening.
Recruitment, including health checks, begins on Sunday in Ma On Shan and the game will start on May 19. The first stage will involve screening 80 of the 150 episodes of Woman's World.
'On the first day, participants have to watch 14 hours of the drama as a slow start,' said ATV's deputy controller of programme operations, Ray Yuen Kai-leung.
'On the third and fourth day, the number of hours will increase. On the fourth day, participants have to watch 21 hours of the drama from 8am until 5am. After a two-hour break, they will continue to watch the rest of the episodes from 7am until 8pm, the time when the first episode is aired on TV.'
Mr Yuen said that if there is only one survivor from the first stage, he or she will win $100,000 in cash.
'If not, they will have to enter the second stage, watching the rest of the 70 episodes. The final winner will take $150,000. If there's more than one winner, they will have to share the money.'
Medical staff would be on duty during the competition and food and drinks would be served.
Mr Yuen said marathon screenings of TV dramas had been part of Hong Kong life since Japanese dramas hit town in the 1990s.
'Usually people spend a few days watching TV dramas,' he said. 'Even [former chief executive] Tung [Chee-hwa] finished watching the 60-episode Han Emperor.'
Woman's World starts on ATV Home on May 23.
