Korea's first volleyball variety show, "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung," is approaching its final episode. This program covers the club establishment project of volleyball legend Kim Yeon-koung, who returned as a rookie coach. Kim Yeon-koung founded a team called the "Winning Wonder Dogs," overseeing training, game management, and player mental care. Regarding her choice to appear on a volleyball variety show just four months after retiring as a player, Kim Yeon-koung stated, "For the development of volleyball."

"Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" goes beyond a simple variety show to convey sincerity toward volleyball. The production team consists of individuals genuinely passionate about volleyball, including coaches and trainers who worked with Kim Yeon-koung during her playing career. Additionally, commentator Lee Sook-ja and caster Lee Ho-geun, both favored by volleyball fans, were involved to enhance the program's completeness. The show naturally revealed realistic issues in the volleyball world, such as the absence of a professional second division league and lack of player support infrastructure. The process of players growing through Coach Kim Yeon-koung's systematic training was also portrayed in depth. Even viewers unfamiliar with volleyball became immersed in their growth, successfully forming a fandom for the Wonder Dogs. The show received praise for balancing reality and emotional storytelling so well that some viewers said, "I don't know if this is a documentary or a variety show."

From the start, "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" set goals of entering the professional league and establishing the eighth team. Recently, after a winning streak that saved the team from disbandment, viewers have been requesting a second season to continue watching the team. Seventeen's Seungkwan, who played the role of "Ppu Manager," said, "If given the chance, I want to meet the coach and the 'Winning Wonder Dogs' again in season 2." PD Kwon Rak-hee, who directed the show, said, "We hope this will be the first step toward the eighth team," adding, "We want this program not to end here but to have a positive impact on the volleyball world."

"Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" achieved successful results in ratings, buzz, and MD (merchandising) business. Despite being a new variety show, it recorded a 4.9% viewership rating and became a hit. The eighth episode, aired on the 16th, maintained a 4.1% rating despite being delayed by about 1 hour and 30 minutes due to baseball coverage. In terms of buzz, according to Good Data Corporation's "Fundex Report K-Content Competitiveness Analysis," MBC's "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" ranked first in Sunday buzz for five consecutive weeks in the TV-OTT non-drama category. Kim Yeon-koung also ranked first in the non-drama cast buzz category for three consecutive weeks, attracting nationwide attention. A broadcasting industry insider analyzed the show's popularity factors, saying, "The charm of the cast, the originality of the format, and how sincerely the goals are realized will determine long-term success."

Through MD business and events, the show also drove actual purchases by viewers. MBC's in-house venture Modive and Fan Entertainment developed the MD business for "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung," with some products leading to second and third sales. Im Da-sol, CEO of Modive, said, "Goods based on broadcast intellectual property (IP) are often sold after the program ends, but because both the first sales response and broadcast response were positive, we advanced the sales timing." A Fan Entertainment official said, "The products prepared for the first sale sold out much faster than expected, prompting a quick launch of the second sale."

The "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung Final Set: Winning Wonder Dogs Biased Cheer Screening," planned ahead of the final episode, sold out immediately upon opening. This cheering screening event was organized as a joint viewing for fans to enjoy the last game together, attracting over 2,000 people. This phenomenon demonstrates that the influence of sports stars can contribute to expanding the base of sports. It proved the marketability of volleyball content and remained a successful variety show IP case.

MBC stated, "We expect it to continue growing as a successful IP," and added, "We plan to maximize content value through further IP expansion." Fan Entertainment is preparing to expand MD related to "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" and various additional businesses even after the program ends. The final episode of "Rookie Coach Kim Yeon-koung" will air on the 23rd at 9:10 PM.