GagaOOLala, the LGBTQ+ over-the-top streaming service, said BL (boys’ love) dramas will continue to be popular around the world in 2024.
BL refers to dramas or series that depict romance between two men.
Surprisingly, seven out of 10 subscribers to GagaOOLala are female. Data provided by the streaming service showed that based on Google Analytics, 74 percent of GagaOOLala’s subscribers are female while 26 percent are male.
This year saw GagaOOLala releasing many BL titles including the daring series “Playboyy,” “VIP Only,” “Bake Me Please,” “Our Dating Sim,” “My Personal Weatherman,” “Kiseki: Dear to Me,” “Bed Friend,” “Tokyo in April Is…,” and “Jun & Jun.”
"VIP Only" (GagaOOLala) 
"Bake Me Please" (GagaOOLala) 
"Kiseki: Dear to Me" (GagaOOLala)
In an interview with Manila Bulletin, GagaOOLala’s Aya Ople said the boom in BL series started during the pandemic.
“BL has always been around for years and years but it was only quite recently that it became like mainstream, which created a fandom,” she said.
She cited the 2020 Thai series “2gether,” starring Bright Vachirawit and Win Metawin, which “definitely helped in making BL popular.”
BL dramas are mostly produced in Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan, offering different stories.
In terms of the number of subscribers, GagaOOLala revealed that the US is No. 1 followed by Taiwan, Thailand, UK and the Philippines.
“Filipinos are already supportive of our titles,” said Ople.
She said there are different reasons why BL series have become popular. One of them is the K-pop fandom because of the shipping culture, which refers to pairing two K-pop idols as romantic couples. BL series, she added, also became an escape from real life for fans.
Ople said , GagaOOLala’s catalog of LGBTQ+ titles has increased from 1,000 or less in 2022 to 1,300 this year.
“We also have a lot of GagaOOLala originals that are also coming,” she said.
She cited the reality dating show “Boys Like Boys” from Taiwan, which became the most watched series in Taiwan.
"My Personal Weatherman" (GagaOOLala) 
"I Feel You Linger in the Air" (GagaOOLala) 
"Twins" (GagaOOLala)
Meanwhile, “Playboyy,” a Thai BL series, premiered on GagaOOLala on Nov. 16 and set a new record for the most viewed series in the first week ever in the video streaming platform’s history.
For next year, GagaOOLala will have the BL drama “First Note of Love,” a Taiwan-Thailand collaboration. It will merge the world of BL with music, weaving a narrative of a reclusive musical genius and an underprivileged singer who discover love and courage through their journey. It will feature a cameo from a famous BL couple from Thailand.
Besides BL, Ople said there is also a clamor for GL (girls’ love) series.
She said BL "is gonna get popular and popular.”