Adding Comedy to the Essence of Singing Competitions Made It a Global Format

Park Won-woo, CEO of Diteon, Wins Grand Prize at International Format Awards
'King of Mask Singer' Proposal Drifts in Broadcasting for 3 Years... Stereotypes as Obstacles
Prejudice-Breaking Format Also Successful Overseas... 50 Countries Exported Format and Hosting
Need to Learn Creator Protection from Advanced Countries... Unreasonable for All Rights to Belong to Broadcasters

MBC’s ‘Mystery Music Show: King of Mask Singer’ is the original competition entertainment program utilizing masks. It is broadcasted with great popularity not only in Korea but also overseas. Its format, including structure and hosting style, has been exported to about fifty countries such as the United States, Germany, and France. The U.S. version attracts around 10 million viewers per episode. The French version also maintains the top ratings in its time slot. Format commissioners, buyers, and producers agree that this success is due to the excellent intellectual property (IP) being adapted to fit local markets. In this year’s International Format Awards, votes were overwhelmingly cast for Park Won-woo, CEO of DITON, who devised and concretized the core of ‘King of Mask Singer.’ He created the concept to change the reality where talented contestants were eliminated due to external factors, shaking up the global entertainment scene. Recognized for this brilliant achievement, he lifted the grand prize trophy at MipTV, the international content market held in Cannes, France, on the 5th (local time). We asked him about the secrets to success and the potential for expanding domestic broadcast formats.

-You won the grand prize at the International Format Awards, which has been considered the exclusive domain of North American and European broadcasters.

“Being the first Asian broadcaster to win is not important. Many Asian contents have already captured the global market. This is just a small achievement as part of that trend. I hope it serves as motivation for those planning and producing programs domestically. The day before the award, I was invited to dinner with Michael Yudin, CEO of My Entertainment in the U.S. Eight format business operators from Poland, Spain, Norway, and Finland also joined, and I was struck by a fresh shock. When someone mentioned a brilliant idea, people from various sides started pouring out elements that could be globally successful. Unlike us, who only target the domestic market, they view their stage as the world. That’s something we need to learn.”

-The ‘King of Mask Singer’ proposal drifted in the broadcasting industry for over three years. What was the biggest obstacle?

“There weren’t many producers who understood the program. The intention was to create a competition judged solely on talent, but some even suggested removing the mask idea. They were trapped in the stereotype that viewers cannot enjoy the show if they don’t know who is performing. Instead of modifying the idea, I kept explaining to make them understand. The producer who showed genuine interest was Min Chul-gi, whom I met through Boom (Lee Min-ho). We got permission from MBC to produce a pilot program and made it within a month. The ratings exceeded 16%, allowing it to be immediately scheduled as a regular program.”

-In ‘King of Mask Singer,’ the mask conceals the contestant’s identity and breaks societal prejudices. Is there a factor that maximizes this effect and drives its popularity?

“It’s comedy. Most music programs like ‘I Am a Singer’ and ‘Immortal Songs’ have a serious atmosphere, focusing on the singer’s skill and evaluation. In contrast, ‘King of Mask Singer’ has a significant amount of laughter. The roles of regular cast members Kim Gu-ra, Kim Sung-joo, Shin Bong-sun, and Lee Yoon-seok are very important. I believe the laughter they create, combined with excellent evaluations from the judging panel including Yoo Young-seok, Kim Hyun-chul, and Yoon Sang, maximizes the synergy effect.”

-When it was announced that the ‘King of Mask Singer’ format would be exported, did you think it could be as successful overseas as it is domestically?

“I didn’t think it would achieve global success. Probably all domestic broadcasters thought the same. We expected it to work to some extent. Masks or face coverings have long been used in almost every country as tools to hide societal prejudices. I believed there was a good chance of success if the format was adapted to fit local cultures. In fact, during the planning stage, we had China in mind, where mask culture is well developed. I noted that the related project had high potential for success, and as expected, it was appropriately remade and achieved high ratings.”

-What factors accelerated the export beyond Asia to North America and Europe?

“Last year, Craig Plestis, CEO of Smart Dog Media, shared a poignant story. While dining at a Thai restaurant in Los Angeles, his daughter was captivated by a TV program and said, ‘Dad, you should make a show like that,’ which sparked his interest in ‘King of Mask Singer.’ It was the Thai version. This is a clear example of how passive domestic broadcasters are about overseas sales. In reality, broadcasters lack specialized personnel for this. Fortunately, the Korea Creative Content Agency acts as a bridge in overseas markets, allowing independent producers to also target foreign markets. Both ‘My Ranking’ and ‘Dancing in the Box,’ planned last year for overseas markets, achieved good results with the agency’s support.”

-Rob Wade, CEO of Fox Alternative Entertainment, said the success of ‘King of Mask Singer’ shows that “to bring people back to TV, creativity and risk-taking are necessary.” Recently, with the spread of platforms like YouTube, the tendency toward safety has diminished. What is needed to develop clever formats that fit this trend?

“You need to have standards that fit the global market. Overseas format commissioners and buyers do not prefer entertainment programs that rely heavily on popular celebrities. Creative and unique programs always come first. To develop effectively, fair profit distribution to creators must be guaranteed. Advanced countries have well-established systems to protect creators and enhance their capabilities. They understand very well that without proper compensation, development is impossible.”

-Is this also why you run DITON, a broadcast format research and development company?

“Yes. I wanted to give emerging creators opportunities to gain experience. To provide definite motivation, the special provisions related to audiovisual works (Article 100 of the Copyright Act) must be revised first. It presumes that the rights of performers who agreed to cooperate in audiovisual production are transferred to the producer. It is unreasonable for broadcasters to hold all rights to audiovisual works. Just as films, music, and dramas have established realistic distribution models, sufficient rights must be guaranteed to broadcasting creators as well.”

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