As YouTube positions itself as next-gen platform for all content, media giants map strategies against the onslaught

At the BroadCast WorldWide 2025 conference, media power players, including YouTube, Disney+ and Coupang Play, outlined their strategies, with YouTube aiming to become a next-generation platform spanning podcasts and TV. The four-day showcase of Korean content and media industry trends, hosted by the Culture Ministry and organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and Coex, kicked off Tuesday in southern Seoul. Fede Goldenberg, YouTube’s global head of TV & film advertising-based video-on-dema

Sept. 18, 2025

'Severance' Season 2 wins top honor at 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards

The 2025 Seoul International Drama Awards has unveiled its winners, with US sci-fi drama "Severance" taking home the Golden Bird, the festival’s top honor. "Severance," produced by CJ ENM’s US studio Fifth Season, centers on employees at the Lumon Industries who undergo a “severance” procedure that surgically splits their work and personal lives, leaving them with no memory of the other side. The Apple TV+ series, which went widely popular upon its release on 2022, recently dominated the 77th Pr

Sept. 17, 2025

'Crime Scene' levels up for Netflix debut

"Will we be able to come back? Will there be another season?" Producer Yoon Hyun-joon got straight to it Tuesday afternoon at a production briefing at a Seoul hotel. "Those questions haunted us. Just happy we're here again." After a decade-long run that built a devoted following across four seasons and three networks, Korea's go-to roleplay whodunit has now landed on Netflix. Its fifth season, "Crime Scene Zero," brings the show's theatrical sleuthing to 190 countries starting Sept. 23. The form

Sept. 16, 2025

K-content icons stress global storytelling for future Korean films, drama series

Powerhouse Korean content creators shared insights on how projects break through in an increasingly crowded marketplace, stressing that future Korean storytelling must weave in global elements. “I think the era we’re living in now is an era of cultural crossover,” said Kang Yun-sung, director at For Entertainment, on a BroadCast WorldWide 2025 panel under the banner, “Immerse in Korean Narratives: An Inspiring Story of Two K-Drama Icons to the World.” Kang is best known for helming Disney+ tentp

Sept. 16, 2025

Here's how Netflix's ads could destroy Korea's media industry

Netflix's customized ad service launched in Korea on Sept. 2 could further accelerate the shift in ad spending from traditional broadcasters to online platforms — posing a significant threat to the financial stability and long-term viability of the country's entire media industry, experts warn. The service, called Netflix Ads Suite, is the platform’s proprietary advertising tool for brands on its ad-supported tier, offering advertisers tools for audience targeting, creative solutions and integra

Sept. 15, 2025

Son Suk-ku and Eita Nagayama to star in 'Road,' confirmed for production

Netflix has officially greenlit its upcoming thriller series “Road” (working title), with Korean star Son Suk-ku and popular Japanese actor Eita Nagayama set to lead the cross-border drama. Adapted from the Korean-Japanese co-produced manhwa “Blue Road,” the series unfolds against the backdrop of a gruesome international crime spree. The story begins when a grotesquely mutilated body is discovered in Tokyo, bearing a chilling Korean phrase scrawled in blood. Not long after, an equally brutalized

Sept. 12, 2025

SBS becomes first broadcaster in Korea to set fees for AI training use of news data

Seoul Broadcasting System has become the first national broadcaster in Korea to roll out a formal fee framework that licenses its news data for artificial intelligence training, amid intensifying copyright battles over such use. “The fee structure was set by comprehensively considering factors such as the timeliness and volume of the news data, as well as the (AI) company’s size, revenue and net profit. However, we plan to apply a separate, lower rate for public research projects or small and ve

Sept. 10, 2025

Kanta expands into Japan with short-drama adaptation of MBC variety hit

Kanta, the short-form series platform operated by South Korean digital content company Ridi, is expanding its library with short-drama adaptation of the hit Korean variety program "Midnight Horror Story." Ridi announced it will prerelease in Japan the short-drama adaptation "The Swamp that Eats People: Susalgwi’s Grudge," (translated) based on “Salmokji,” a popular episode of MBC’s Sunday variety show "Midnight Horror Story," via Kanta. The series will also roll out in other regions, sequentiall

Sept. 9, 2025

'MBC Campus Song Festival' returns after 13 years

After a 13-year hiatus, "MBC Campus Song Festival," the Korean college music competition that launched legendary K-pop hits, is making its return. The 2025 edition opened applications to all university and graduate students, domestic and international, who have a passion for singing, regardless of age or nationality. The festival welcomes a wide spectrum of genres, from ballads and dance to traditional Korean music. Eligible applicants included solo artists or groups of students currently enroll

Sept. 8, 2025

'Bon Appetit, Your Majesty' becomes 2025's breakout hit

"Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" has emerged as tvN’s breakout hit of 2025, breathing new life into a cable network that had long been celebrated as a powerhouse of hit K-dramas before a stretch of underwhelming ratings. According to Nielsen Korea, the period rom-com logged a series-high of 12.7 percent nationwide viewership with its sixth episode on Sunday, marking the highest rating of any tvN drama this year. Out of the 12 dramas tvN has aired in 2025, "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty" stands as the onl

Sept. 8, 2025

When your best friend asks you to watch her die

Kim Go-eun was crying. Not the practiced tears actors produce on cue at press events, but real, chest-heaving sobs that brought Friday's production briefing at a Seoul hotel to a standstill. She tried to speak, stopped, tried again. The room waited. This wasn't about dredging up some personal tragedy or career milestone. Kim was trying to explain her character in "You and Everything Else," the upcoming Netflix series about two women whose friendship spans three decades of affection and grudges b

Sept. 5, 2025

Song Joong-ki returns to romance for first time in 9 years with 'My Youth'

Song Joong-ki is trading his adrenaline-fueled roles in hits such as "A Werewolf Boy" and "Reborn Rich" for the more grounded, everyday persona of a florist in a new JTBC series. "My Youth" follows child actor-turned-florist Woo-hae (Song) and his first love Jae-yeon (Chun Woo-hee), a team leader at an entertainment company. The series tells the heartfelt story of two former sweethearts who meet again years later and rekindle their bond. Primarily known for action and fantasy projects such as "V

Sept. 4, 2025

CJ ENM brings TV drama slate to India via Amazon’s MX Player

South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM has broadened its alliance with Amazon, bringing its K-drama slate to India through Amazon MX Player, Amazon's free, ad-supported streaming platform. Under the pact, 18 drama series from CJ ENM, many of which have already made waves in global markets, will be available, dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The lineup kicks off with "Lovely Runner," the global romance sensation starring Byeon Woo-seok and Kim Hye-yoon. The series will premiere on Amazon

Sept. 4, 2025

From Huntrix noodles to Soda Pop cakes, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ takes over collab scene

When Huntrix, the fictional girl group in Netflix’s hit animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” sang “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment,” they weren’t just hyping up a stage performance. The line has since turned into a real-life anthem as the show’s world leaps off the screen into everyday life. From cup noodles and cakes to crackers, local companies are rushing to join the ride. The first and fastest to cash in has been Nongshim. On Aug. 29, the company released limited-edition Shin Ramyun i

Sept. 3, 2025

Netflix teases unscripted lineup, confirms Paik Jong-won's return in 'Culinary Class Wars'

With Netflix Korea’s expanding roster of buzzy unscripted hits, the streamer on Tuesday pulled back the curtain on its strategy for sustaining momentum — relentlessly innovating with new formats — while also unveiling a packed slate of upcoming projects. At a press event held in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Netflix confirmed the release of sequels to established intellectual property. The fifth season of "Crime Scene Zero," originally a Tving property, will debut on Netflix in September, while "Physical: 1

Sept. 2, 2025