Wang Dong is so infatuated by My Love from the Star, a smash hit TV drama from South Korea, that the 24-year-old finds waiting a week for two new episodes torture.

"I'm so fond of the charming young hero. I have changed all the wallpaper on my phone and laptop to his picture," says the postgraduate student in Beijing. Wang has set up a fan group with 20 other girls in her class to gossip about the series through the mobile app WeChat.

Wang is just one of a growing army of fans who have fallen in love with new TV imports they watch online. Domestic online video firms are scrambling to secure rights to broadcast foreign TV shows.