The lineup that will target the tastes of the ‘4564 generation’ for 2025 has been revealed.

tvN STORY has been consistently introducing original IPs targeting the 4564 generation since its launch on its 3rd anniversary. It showcased a rich lineup including ‘The Chairman‘s People’, ‘Naked Korean History’, ‘Somehow an Adult’, ‘The Kim Chang-ok Show 3’, ‘This Moment’, ‘Smashing Backs with Passports’, ‘Retirement Designers’, ‘Can I Love Now’.

tvN STORY has continued to grow for three consecutive years, making rapid progress every year since the channel’s launch despite the decline in TV viewership due to the diversification of content and channels. This year, the average daily viewership rating grew 71% compared to 2021, the time the channel was launched, and the prime time viewership rating also more than doubled. This is the channel‘s own assessment that the content portfolio focused on the target was successful.


The topicality also stood out. ‘Can I Love Now’, which contains the process of Joo Byung-jin and Park So-hyun each finding true love through three blind dates, ranked Joo Byung-jin first in a non-drama actor topicality survey conducted by Good Data Corporation FUNdex. The video of the broadcast ranked first in YouTube’s trending rise. ‘Passport Holding Back Smashing’, which has returned thanks to explosive digital topicality with a cumulative view count of 58 million, is continuing its popularity as a cheerful yet touching travel story about Korea among global parents and children.

tvN STORY, which has been loved by the 4564 generation with content that vividly conveys middle-aged and older people‘s memories, empathy, and new knowledge, will present programs full of diverse enjoyment in 2025 as well.


● The trot challenge of Korea’s representative trot singers Jang Min-ho and Lee Chan-won, along with 12 other visual stars with burning passion, the birth of ‘Handsome Trot’!

A large-scale music project that will be presented for the first time on tvN STORY is taking off. ‘Handsome Trot’, scheduled to air in February next year, is a new music variety show where 12 representative male stars in the entertainment industry will take on trot with sincerity. Jang Min-ho and Lee Chan-won, who represent Korea‘s trot, have confirmed their appearances, and they will personally mentor the stars who will heat up the trot boom. The trot challenge of 12 representative entertainers is preparing to heat up South Korea in 2025.



● Time slip culinary travel ‘An Unusual History Meal’ + representative humanities programs ‘Kim Chang-ok Show 3’, ‘Somehow an Adult’, ‘Naked Korean History’, a rich preview of 2025

‘An Unusual History Meal’, which is scheduled to be aired for the first time on the 12th, is a program that goes on a culinary journey to find the food that filled our ancestors’ stomachs at important moments that must never be forgotten in South Korea‘s history. The entertainment industry’s representative cooking master Ryu Soo-young, the colorful Yura, and the Korean history instructor ‘Big Star Teacher’ Choi Tae-sung have confirmed their appearances, raising expectations, and the new year of 2025 is expected to be filled with informative and enjoyable times.

The ‘tvN STORY humanities and liberal arts programs’, which have driven the channel‘s viewership ratings upward based on their stable popularity, will also set out to conquer viewers next year. ‘Kim Chang-ok Show 3’, the conflict-solving lecture show by star lecturer Kim Chang-ok that has established itself as the representative lecture program of tvN STORY, will continue in 2025.

The return of the ‘original’ lecture show in Korea is also anticipated. ‘Somehow Adult’, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025, is expected to return with an even more splendid lineup of lecturers. The new look of the premium special lecture show that is still talked about for leaving behind all-time lectures from previous seasons, is expected to be unveiled soon. ‘Naked Korean History’, which has become the viewers’ so-called ‘food buddy’ with its easy and fun Korean history stories, is returning for Season 2. ‘Naked Korean History’, a full-fledged historical storytelling show that the whole family can enjoy, has announced its return for a new season as the first tvN STORY channel to surpass 100 episodes and establish itself as a representative liberal arts program.

A tvN STORY official said, “Thanks to the love and interest of viewers throughout the year, tvN STORY has been able to record steady growth since its launch and establish itself as a representative channel for middle-aged and older adults,” and added, “Based on the promotion of content that expands knowledge and experience, we will do our best to captivate viewers in 2025 by strengthening content that elicits memories and empathy and cheers on challenges, especially for the older youth (4554) generation.”

Hong Se-young, Donga.com reporter projecthong@donga.com