Physical: Asia dominates Netflix global rankings as latest episodes draw millions of views

Netflix’s Physical: Asia has reached a new milestone, ranking third in the streaming platform’s Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows as of November 5, according to The Chosun Daily.

The series, which premiered on October 28, recorded 5.2 million viewership hours between October 27 and November 2, based on data from Netflix Tudum.

It also ranked first in eight countries and entered the Top 10 in 44 regions, confirming its wide international presence.

The show’s recent episodes have drawn millions of views as the competition continues to intensify among participating Asian nations.

Physical: Asia ranks 3rd globally on Netflix with Millions of views after the first 6 episodes

Global reception and rankings

As reported by The Chosun Daily, Physical: Asia ranked third globally in Netflix’s Non-English TV category, joining the streaming service’s top-performing titles for the week ending November 2.

The program ranked first in eight countries and remained in the Top 10 in 44 other countries.

All countries that participated in the program- South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Mongolia, and the Philippines made the Top 10 lists in their regions. 

As a result, Physical: Asia is the first national team-based title in the Physical franchise to achieve those rankings since it launched.  

The competition has 48 contestants from eight different countries and features several recognizable athletes from the Physical franchise, including Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and Australian UFC fighter Robert Whittaker.

The participants will then undergo a variety of significant physical obstacles to challenge their endurance, strength, and collaboration.

Jang Ho-gi, the producer, explained that the production was unique in its structure, being built over a set azimuth equal to five soccer fields, and used more than 1,200 metric tonnes of sand and 40 metric tonnes of steel, and that the intent behind it was to showcase the athletic diversity of Asia.

Challenges and eliminations

Based on coverage from The National by journalist David Tusing, the competition opened with the “Territorial Conquest” challenge, in which all eight teams fought to occupy platforms set on a sand dune.

Teams with the fewest members on a platform were eliminated from the round. In the second challenge, “Shipwreck Salvage,” nations competed to haul cargo within a 20-minute limit, with the four losing teams entering the “Death Match” round.

In the Death Match, Japan and the Philippines advanced after defeating Indonesia and Thailand. Japan’s Soichi Hashimoto secured victory for his team after a close contest, while Team Philippines, led by Ray Jefferson Querubin, eliminated Thailand.

Following these rounds, Pacquiao announced his withdrawal from the competition, citing obligations in his home country, and was replaced by CrossFit athlete Justin Hernandez.

The latest released challenge, “Team Representative Match,” divided the six remaining countries into two groups.

Each team selected representatives to compete in four rounds: a hurdle race, a stone totem endurance test, a hanging match, and a sack toss.

South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines made up Group A, while Mongolia, Turkey, and Japan formed Group B.

The episode concluded with Australia leading Group A with eight points, while South Korea and the Philippines tied at five points.

Upcoming episodes and streaming schedule

As reported in The Chosun Daily and The National, the series continues to release new episodes every week.

To date, six episodes have been released, with the next episodes scheduled to be released on Tuesdays to maintain the weekly schedule.

Episodes seven through nine will be released on November 11, while the final three will be released on November 18.

With multiple countries competing for the 1 billion Korean won (about $700,000), the Physical: Asia program still has worldwide interest due to the reality-based nature of the program, the development and organization of a large-scale production, and an international assortment of athletes participating in the series.

The competition remains available for streaming worldwide on Netflix.

Stay tuned for more updates.