Hansanghyeok "Korean OTTs Must Actively Form Content Partnerships"

OTT Meeting Held on the 18th
Emphasizing Partnerships and Cooperation Among Domestic Operators

Hansanghyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, attended the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee's audit of the Korea Communications Commission on the 4th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dongju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Han Sang-hyuk, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission (photo), stated, "At this critical time, partnerships and cooperation among domestic operators are the most important for strengthening OTT competitiveness." Just as Netflix offers Korean dramas and movies, domestic OTT platforms should establish content partnerships with each other to expand their user base.

On the 18th, at an OTT roundtable attended by Wavve, TVING, Season, and Watcha, Chairman Han said, "Domestic OTT platforms do not engage in mutual content partnerships due to excessive competition, whereas Netflix easily provides domestic content." He emphasized, "The most important factor at this point to strengthen OTT competitiveness is partnerships and cooperation among domestic operators to respond to global OTTs. Through coexistence and development between OTTs and legacy media, we must secure the overall competitiveness of the domestic media industry and use this as a foundation to advance globally."

Chairman Han diagnosed, "Looking at statistical indicators such as subscriber numbers and sales, the core of domestic content platforms is shifting from cable → IPTV → OTT. Although the influence of global services like Netflix continues to expand, domestic OTTs face difficulties competing with overseas services due to mutual competition."

He added, "OTT services will become the central platform for content consumption, transcending time and space, and will be the growth engine for our K-content. There are limitations to K-content's overseas expansion relying on global OTTs, so building an independent platform is necessary."

The Korea Communications Commission plans to establish a 'Domestic OTT Activation Council' following this roundtable. The meeting was attended by four domestic OTT operators: Lee Tae-hyun, CEO of Wavve; Yang Ji-eul, Vice President of TVING; Kim Hoon-bae, Head of New Business at KT (Season); and Park Tae-hoon, CEO of Watcha.

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