Marvel Not on Netflix Too... SKB Launches Movie OTT 'Ocean'

Secured 11,000 Movies... Marvel and Disney Content Also Available
Watch on 4 Devices per Subscriber... Monthly Fee 14,190 KRW

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] SK Broadband is launching the movie and overseas drama OTT service 'Ocean.' It has secured a large amount of content from Marvel series, Disney, Fox, and more that cannot be found on Netflix. The strategy is to compete by exploiting Netflix's weaknesses.

On the 28th, SK Broadband held a press conference at its headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing the launch of Ocean, a new monthly subscription movie service. The monthly fee for Ocean, which allows access to both movies and overseas dramas, is 14,190 KRW, while OceanM, which offers only movies, is priced at 9,900 KRW.

Competing with Overwhelming Content and Latest Releases

Ocean has addressed all the shortcomings of existing IPTV monthly subscription services. It offers an overwhelmingly larger number of movies and latest releases compared to other services, and has expanded device support to allow usage on mobile devices as well as IPTV.

The number of latest theatrical releases (within one year) secured by Ocean totals 140 titles, which is three times the scale of competitors (44 titles). The total number of movies offered is 11,000, and overseas dramas reach about 670 titles (17,000 episodes). This is approximately 3,000 to 7,500 more titles than other services. Ocean has also established a principle to schedule up to 90% of domestic films that have attracted over one million viewers in the past 10 years, and more than 50% of theatrical releases within three months after their end.

Most importantly, Ocean has succeeded in differentiation by offering popular content that global OTT services like Netflix cannot provide. To this end, it has partnered with six major overseas studios including Marvel series, Disney, Warner Bros., Fox, NBCUniversal, Sony, and Paramount. It will also expand popular overseas drama content such as Doctor Foster and Suits. To create synergy with domestic OTT service Wavve, Ocean will also offer Wavve’s original content such as SF8 and Zombie Detective.

◆ Beyond IPTV Boundaries, Also Available on Mobile

SK Broadband has refined the service so that users can conveniently access a wider variety of content on their preferred devices. This is based on the observation that VOD usage patterns are shifting from individual content purchases to monthly subscriptions. While providing mobile services, a dedicated mobile and tablet PC app will also be launched within the year. Previously, only one device was supported, but with Ocean, Btv subscribers can enjoy content on up to four devices per account.

For example, even if parents are watching a movie on TV, two children can each watch their preferred movies on their smartphones. The range of free-to-watch content has also expanded significantly; while the previous product 'Premier' offered about 54% of domestic films, Ocean offers 97% of domestic works. The price remains the same as Premier. SK Broadband plans to apply personalized features reflecting user preferences based on profiles registered on mobile Btv within the year.

Kim Jongwon, head of SK Broadband’s Platform Group, said, "With the recent spread of OTT and changes in media viewing habits, we deeply considered what media service customers want most. Ocean will become the best service distributing high-quality and diverse movies and drama content produced by major overseas studios to domestic customers through service innovation."

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