The boss of Korean content streamer Kocowa has broken down plans to bring its line-up of K-pop, drama and variety shows to more international viewers.
Kocowa CEO KunHee Park delivered a keynote at NATPE Budapest, Monday. Speaking to Deadline, he said Kocowa is looking to partner with other streamers, pay platforms or telcos to get wider distribution for its service.
Kocowa is backed by South Korean broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS and telco SK Telecom. In the U.S., its streaming service has Korean shows subtitled and available six hours after their local airing. Park liked it to “the Korean Hulu.”
Kocowa launched in Australasia and numerous countries in Europe in April including France, Italy, and the UK. It is distributed by — or bundled with — the likes of Comcast, Prime Video and Roku in the U.S. The plans is to employ a similar strategy to boost international distribution. Park mentioned the likes of Acorn and pay platforms such as Sky as he reeled off the types of partner with which Kocowa might team.
“We always open our doors to be partnered and to potential partners in a market, that’s our strategy,” the Kocowa boss told the NATPE Budapest crowd. “Wherever the demand is in the market we go there to meet our potential audience.
Kocowa’s line-up includes evergreen drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and Good Doctor, which has been remade for ABC in the U.S. Its unscripted line-up includes Running Man and The Manager. Shows featuring K-pop megastars BTS will roll out this summer as part of a new programming deal.
Park said it was too early to share usage stats for Europe, but did break down enlightening figures on users in the U.S. He said over 90% of its users are of non-Korean descent. Half are white or Latino/Hispanic, accounting for 31% and 27% of users respectively.
