We’re all familiar with paid video-on-demand subscription services like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime. However, if you love Asian dramas – from Korean romance dramas to Thai BL dramas – you can watch them on free streaming sites. Not only do they stream the latest titles, the best part is that they’re all free and legal to watch!
Because these providers are free, there’ll be ads, but they all have subscription options that allow you to watch ad-free. Also you can find some popular titles appearing on more than one platform, and they’re are all subbed in English.
Viu
Viu is a Hong Kong-based free on-demand platform. It has a lot of the latest Korean dramas (usually hours after the Korean broadcast) and variety shows, in addition to dramas from Thailand, China, Hong Kong, and Japan. You’ll find Kdrama titles like The Penthouse, Mr. Queen, and True Beauty airing 4-12 hours after Korea. Some drama and movie titles are for subscribers only.
Gagaoolala
Gagaoolala is a unique platform that caters specifically to LGBTQ+ content, and has a ton of series from many countries. It also produces some original content. Established in Taiwan, they have plenty of Taiwanese content, but also an increasing number of Asian BL dramas from Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Similar to other platforms, it has a lot of free content, as well as subsrcription-only titles.
iQIYI
iQIYI is a Chinese platform that’s currently one of the largest online video sites in the world. It has a big collection of dramas, movies, anime, and TV shows from China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Malaysia. They also have VIP titles and episodes that are only available to subscribers.
Rakuten Viki
Rakuten Viki is headquartered in California with offices in Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. They have a wide range of Korean dramas, as well as bingeworthy titles from China and Taiwan. Some recent titles you can watch from Korea include More Than Friends, When the Weather is Fine, and Extraordinary You, and while most titles are free on this on-demand channel, some require a subscription.
WeTV
WeTV is the international version of Tencent Video so you’re going to find a lot of production from China, including dramas and anime. Popular Cdrama titles include Douluo Continent, Romance of Tiger and Rose, and The Untamed, as well as a small selection of Asian BL dramas like Manner of Death from Thailand, We Best Love from Taiwan, and Light on Me from South Korea. They also have VIP titles and episodes that are only available to subscribers.
MangoTV
MangoTV is another China-based web TV platform that offers plenty of titles from China, whether it’s dramas, reality shows, movies or documentaries. Like WeTV, it also produces its own dramas and network shows for streaming exclusively on its platform, like Hand in Hand, Workplace Newcomers, Begin Again, and more. They also have shows exclusive for VIP members.
Line TV
Line TV was the place for Thai dramas and reality shows, including a pretty heavy BL drama content. Sadly, the channel ceased to exist as of Dec 31, 2021. All series that aired on Line TV have been redirected to other streaming sites.
If you have VPN, you can also watch K-dramas, Asian horror films, variety shows, and many more (with subtitles) on sites/apps like AsianCrush and Kocowa which primarily cater to US audiences.
There are many other video-on-demand streaming platforms out there, with more being made available in the near future. You can also find English movies and series on platforms like W4Free, Tubi, Plex, and many more.
While there are thousands of titles available to watch on-demand for free on all these platforms, there may be times when titles aren’t available in Singapore due to licensing issues. However, since these platforms have a large number of titles, chances are you’ll probably find something else to watch. Best part is, they’re all free to watch and you don’t have to dig around for bootleg links!
