Digital Service Trade and Cultural Consumption Shocks: An Empirical Analysis of the Korean Wave in India using Google Trends and OTT Platform Data
Digital Service Trade and Cultural Consumption Shocks: An Empirical Analysis of the Korean Wave in India using Google Trends and OTT Platform Data

Summary/Abstract: This study quantifies the impact of the COVID‑19 shock on Indian attention to the Korean Wave. Monthly Google Trends for the ‘Korean drama’ topic in India are modelled using an interrupted time‑series (ITS) and two‑way fixed‑effects difference‑in‑differences (TWFE DiD) against close comparison topics (Japanese, Chinese, Spanish drama). The role of OTT platforms, especially Netflix, is examined as annual mediators using Statista series on Netflix India revenue and India’s paid video subscriptions. A unified causal graph motivates estimands and design choices. The ITS reveals a discrete March‑2020 level increase in search attention with partial mean reversion thereafter; TWFE DiD indicates that the Korean‑specific increment was smaller than the lift enjoyed by comparison topics. Annual mediation suggests that OTT expansion was an enabling but not a singular pathway for Korea‑specific attention. Findings are discussed in the context of India’s cultural market dominated by Bollywood but increasingly open to foreign content.

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