"I Will Lead the Paradigm Shift in the Entertainment Industry"

Kakao M CEO Kim Seong-su Declares Full-Scale Content Business
"Focusing on Content to Plan and Discover New IP... Expanding Business Areas to Create Added Value"
Investing 300 Billion KRW Over 3 Years in Global Original Content Production
"Aiming to Produce Over 240 Titles... Establishing a Strong Studio Presence in 2023"

Kim Sung-soo, CEO of Kakao M

Kakao M, which has laid the foundation for its content business, has declared a leap forward. It unveiled three business directions under the vision of "A Better World Made Through Content."

On the morning of the 14th, Kim Sung-soo, CEO of Kakao M, stated at a media day held at Blue Square in Hannam-dong, Seoul, "We will lead the evolution and innovation of the content business and drive a paradigm shift in the entertainment industry." He added, "We will have a positive influence on the entire entertainment industry by activating investments in new content and IP."

He presented a completed content business model as the driving force for change. "We will plan and discover new IP centered on content and expand it into various business areas to create stable added value," he said. "Through innovative attempts such as new combinations of IP, content, and business, we will build a more sophisticated business structure."

To meet this challenge, Kakao M has devoted considerable effort to close collaboration with top talent. Top talent refers to competitive actors and singers as well as writers, directors, composers, and business leaders. Music labels acquired by Kakao M include Play M Entertainment, Cracker Entertainment, Starship Entertainment, and Flex M. Actor management companies include BH Entertainment, Management Soop, Awesome ENT, J Wide Company, and King Kong by Starship. Drama production companies Logos Film, Mega Monster, and Glen & Grim Media, as well as film production companies Wolgwang and Sanai Pictures, are also part of Kakao M.

Sungsoo Kim, CEO of Kakao M

Based on this, the company pursues three main business areas: advancing talent IP management, strengthening the global original content business, and expanding digital, marketing, and commerce businesses linked to content and IP.

Advancing talent IP management includes developing artist capabilities, supporting content planning, production, distribution, marketing, networking, and seeking synergies between businesses. They also operate the CMM (Celeb-owned Media Management) business, which involves actors or singers opening personal digital channels to distribute content directly and expanding these digitally. CEO Kim said, "While strengthening communication with fans, they can secure differentiated brands by utilizing their lifestyle, stories, and characters." He added, "Based on this, we plan to expand into a celeb commerce business where actors or singers create their own brands."

For global original content production, Kakao M will invest 300 billion KRW over three years. Kim stated, "Our goal is to produce more than 240 titles," and declared, "By 2023, we will establish ourselves as a powerful studio producing content worth 400 billion KRW annually." To this end, Kakao M is working with about twenty creators, including Jeong Hyun-jung, writer of the drama "Romance Is a Bonus Book," Kang Eun-kyung, writer of "Dr. Romantic," and Park Jae-beom, writer of "The Fiery Priest," developing various original story IPs and producing new formats that cross mobile, TV, and screen platforms.

Kim Sung-soo, CEO of Kakao M

CEO Kim said, "On average, you can expect about 70 minutes of new original digital content daily," adding, "We will show optimized content that is more enjoyable because it is made for mobile viewing, not just content that can be watched on mobile." He continued, "We expect to deliver differentiated fun with creative ideas and fresh planning from producers like Oh Yoon-hwan, executive producer of the variety show 'Golden Fishery,' PD Kim Min-jong of 'Real Men,' and PDs Park Jin-kyung and Kwon Hae-bom of 'My Little Television.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.