South Korean ISP Somehow Thinks Netflix Owes It Money Because Squid Game Is Popular

South Korean ISP Somehow Thinks Netflix Owes It Money Because Squid Game Is Popular

2 years ago
Anonymous $dRhNkMsRKr

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20211001/07394647672/south-korean-isp-somehow-thinks-netflix-owes-it-money-because-squid-game-is-popular.shtml

We've noted for a while how the world's telecom executives have a fairly entrenched entitlement mindset. As in, they often tend to jealously eye streaming and online ad revenues and assume they're inherently owed a cut of those revenues just because at some point they traveled on their networks. You saw this hubris at play during AT&T's claims that "big tech" gets a "free ride" on their networks, which insisted that companies like Google should pay them significant, additional troll tolls "just because" (which triggered the entire net neutrality fight in the States).

AT&T pretty solidly established this entitlement mindset domestically, and I've watched it slowly exported overseas. Like this week in South Korea, where South Korean broadband provider SK Broadband sued Netflix simply because its new TV show, Squid Game, is popular. Basically, the lawsuit argues, because the show is so popular and is driving a surge in bandwidth consumption among South Koreans watching it, Netflix is somehow obligated to pay the ISP more money: