Netflix Korean drama "Squid Game" makes history: wins mainstream Emmy awards

Local time Monday, Netflix made Emmy history for , its Korean drama " Squid Game " won the Emmy for both drama and director -- a first for a non-English language show. "Squid Game"'s Lee Jung Jae won the Best Actor Award for TV Drama, while Hwang Dong Hyuk won the TV Drama Outstanding Director Award.

Prior to this year, non-English-language films and TV shows had never won or even been nominated in the mainstream Primetime Emmys.

winning an Emmy doesn't necessarily unlock a reward for a service, other than bragging rights. But as the competition between services vying for viewers' eyeballs and subscription fees intensifies, an unprecedented Emmy win like Netflix's can draw attention to a service, making it the go-to place for users.

"Squid Game" as a global phenomenon is unprecedented. The South Korean thriller about a utopian race for survival became a global hit late last year. Netflix counts it as its most-watched show, with more than 1.65 billion hours of streaming in its first four weeks.