GagaOOLala, the World’s Largest LGBTQ+ Streaming Platform, Announces Impressive 2023 Viewer Metrics
Taiwan’s First Non-Scripted Queer Reality Dating Show "Boys Like Boys" Secures Third Place in Yearly Rankings
Taipei, Taiwan — February 20th, 2024
GagaOOLala is thrilled to announce its outstanding viewership and subscription milestones for 2023. With the global launch of several popular Boys’ Love (BL)/Gay series last year, the platform has experienced a remarkable surge in revenue. Membership has soared to over 3.25 million, a substantial increase of 750,000 members from the previous year, showcasing an impressive average growth rate of 33%. The United States continues to be the platform's largest market for premium memberships, closely followed by Thailand and Taiwan.
In terms of subscription growth, India leads with an extraordinary 40% increase, followed by Germany at 31%. Notably, the United States also recorded a significant 26% growth. Thailand and India are pioneers in the rise of first-time paid subscriptions, boasting growth rates of 23% and 22%, respectively. This growth is further supported by notable increases in Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Poland.
Continued Acquisition of International Hits; Thai Sensory BL Series "Playboyy" Sets Platform Viewing Record
Capitalizing on the success of previous hit BL series like "Semantic Error" from South Korea and "My Beautiful Man" from Japan in 2022, GagaOOLala continued its global search for fresh BL content in 2023. By partnering with Thailand’s LGBTQ+ powerhouse COPY A Bangkok, the platform launched "Playboyy," breaking viewing records in its debut week and leading the charts in 103 countries, including Thailand, the USA, UK, and Germany, and securing the top position in the 2023 Series and Reality TV Show chart.
Japan’s MBS TV has remained a consistent provider of top-tier BL content, with GagaOOLala introducing "My Personal Weatherman" in 2023, based on a popular manga. This series closely followed "Playboyy," achieving the second spot in the annual rankings. Additionally, the highly esteemed "My Beautiful Man," hailed as the "strongest BL IP" in 2022, returned for a second season in 2023, captivating audiences in the USA, UK, Germany, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and ranking fourth in annual viewership.
Furthermore, Japan’s TV Asahi released the three-episode mini-series "I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama" during the festive season in 2023. Despite its concise runtime and late-year release, the series climbed to the top spot in Taiwan’s weekly viewership and secured the second place globally, earning the fifth spot in the annual rankings.
Taiwanese Productions Shine: Taiwan’s First Non-Scripted Queer Reality Dating Show "Boys Like Boys" Secures Third Place in Yearly Rankings
"Boys Like Boys," premiering in Q4 2023, has captured the attention of audiences in over 170 countries, securing the third spot in the platform’s yearly rankings for the Series and Reality TV Show chart. Dominating Taiwan’s viewership for 10 consecutive weeks, the show led Warner Bros. Discovery's TLC Channel Taiwan to acquire the linear TV broadcast rights in the country, sparking significant conversations within Mandarin-speaking entertainment and LGBTQ+ circles and cementing its status as a cultural phenomenon.
Additionally, Taiwan’s beloved lesbian TV series "Fragrance of the First Flower," treasured by platform viewers since its 2021 debut, continued its international success, garnering three major awards at the 57th Golden Bell Awards (the top honor for television programs in Taiwan) and winning accolades at 14 international film festivals. Its sustained prominence in 2023, achieving the ninth spot in the yearly rankings, further establishes its influence, drawing new members to the platform.
Girls’ Love Genre Sweeps Globally, Thailand’s 'The Serpent’s Song' Challenges Religious Taboos with Success
The competition in the Girls’ Love (GL)/Lesbian genre is intense, with Thai original productions leading this year’s rankings. These productions highlight the diversity and depth of storytelling within the genre. The 8-minute short film "Fragment," portraying the emotional turmoil of a protagonist secretly in love with her best friend, secured the second spot with its stunning plot twist. Meanwhile, "The Serpent’s Song," featuring Kitty from the Netflix series "Girl from Nowhere," delves into themes of desire, sexual orientation, and religious conservatism, captivating audiences with its suspenseful narrative and cinematic scope.
The debut of the GL Thai series "Love Senior The Series," featuring all members of the Cosmos, a 12-girl group under the renowned Thai entertainment label Star Hunter, also made an impact, ranking among the top ten in the platform’s yearly Series and Reality TV Show rankings.
Back to the GL Feature/Short chart, China’s "Play House," which uses a provocative narrative to critique societal norms and constraints, claimed the fourth spot. Completing the top five to seven are internationally recognized works such as the French short film "King Max," nominated for the Queer Palm at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, and "Fake It" from Israel, celebrated at various prominent LGBTQ+ film festivals worldwide, including Outfest Los Angeles, Melbourne Queer Film Festival, The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, and the Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. Brazil’s "A Wild Patience Has Taken Me Here," notable for its two-and-a-half-minute group sex scene, earned the Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble at the Sundance Film Festival.
South Korea’s 'A First Love Story' Outshines Series in Just 15 Minutes; Japanese BL Cinema Showcases Expanding Diversity in Themes and Styles
In the BL Feature/Short category, two South Korean shorts released in 2021 quickly rose to the top of the charts upon their debut, maintaining high viewership throughout. "A First Love Story," exploring the pivotal rite of passage of military enlistment for Korean men, was praised for its depth and quality, surpassing many full-length BL series in its brief 15-minute runtime. Additionally, works by renowned Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, including "Pantasya" and "Sisid," have left a significant mark, with the latter featuring stunning island scenery and a bold depiction of desire, earning a spot among the top ten films of the year and marking Mendoza as the only director with two entries in the rankings.
Three Japanese films, "Grand Guignol," "Pornographer: Continued Spring Life," and "Our Dining Table," have also been well-received globally, underscoring the market’s receptiveness to Japan’s rich and diverse cinematic creations.
Looking Ahead
Jay Lin, CEO of GagaOOLala, remarked that after the BL content revolutionized the film industry in 2022, it has firmly established itself. In 2023, countries continued to produce prolifically without compromising on quality, making such content a significant revenue stream for the platform. He also highlighted the growing GL shorts and series scene, noting the high anticipation for overseas artists involved in these projects, who are scheduled for fan meetings in Taiwan this March. This enthusiasm notably underscores the success of "Fragrance of the First Flower," which is currently wrapping up its second season in post-production. "How do we ensure our standout presence? It's not just about maintaining the series' inherent quality but also about leveraging cross-platform collaborations and multimedia engagement to penetrate diverse markets. Our strategic approach aims to ignite conversations around this successful IP, fostering cultural resonance and driving the sustainable development of film and television intellectual properties."
About GagaOOLala
Bringing LGBTQ stories from around the world to you, wherever you are, whenever you want.
GagaOOLala #FindYourStory is Asia’s leading LGBTQ+ and BL streaming service based in Taiwan, with over 3 million members across the globe. Currently, the platform boasts a rapidly increasing library of around 1,300 titles available in 249 territories, including films, series, documentaries, shorts, and anime, with fresh, curated content added weekly.
Launched in early 2017 by Portico Media, GagaOOLala has swiftly risen to become a globally recognized and trusted LGBTQ+ brand. With a strong Asian focus, it delivers legally licensed LGBTQ+ premium content and original productions to screens worldwide. GagaOOLala stands as a testament to the harmonious coexistence of queer and Asian identities, showcasing that LGBTQ+ stories transcend the boundaries of gender, race, nationality, and sexual orientation.
Media Contact
GagaOOLala/Portico Media
Global Public Relations & Brand Lead
Sherry Liu
sherry@porticomedia.com