LGU+ Dongshimjapgi Strategy Worked... 'Aideulnara' Users Surpass 61 Million

U+ Idleulnara Users
Surpass 61 Million Cumulative
IPTV Subscribers Increase
By Over 33% on Average in 3 Years

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] LG Uplus's IPTV growth is steep. It is analyzed that the ‘true fan strategy’ of LG Uplus President Hwang Hyun-sik, who emphasized the ‘customer-centric’ philosophy, has worked. At the center of this growth is the platform exclusively for infants and toddlers, ‘U+ Aideulnara’.

Chasing Second Place from Perennial Third

According to the telecommunications industry on the 26th, the cumulative number of users of LG Uplus’s ‘U+ Aideulnara’ has exceeded 61 million. LG Uplus’s persistence over five years to create TV content that they want to show children has paid off. Launched in 2017, ‘U+ Aideulnara’ started from the concern of ‘how to ease the heavy hearts of parents who show TV to their children.’ LG Uplus opened an online community called ‘Uplus Mom Salon’ to listen closely to customers’ voices. Unlike typical service product supporter concepts, Uplus Mom Salon is a space where 25,000 genuine customers who want to excel at ‘mom-style education’ freely express their opinions for service improvement.

Results began to appear from 2018. Over three years, LG Uplus’s IPTV subscribers increased by an average of more than 33%. Last year, the number of subscribers reached 5,317,377, rapidly catching up with SK Broadband (6,127,940). This is evaluated as a result of the ‘customer-centric mindset shift.’

LG Uplus carried out improvements tailored to consumer demands. Over the past year, about 100 opinions were selected as improvement tasks, and as of early this year, 32 were actually reflected in the service. According to LG Uplus, 93% of members have recommended the service to others, and member satisfaction with U+ Aideulnara increased by about 27%, from 3.7 points at launch to 4.7 points recently.

Providing Customized Education via TV

U+ Aideulnara evolved into a media service based on augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in 2018, allowing children to play enjoyably while developing thinking and creativity. In 2019, it transformed into a customized education service by viewing content according to viewing level and preferences through AI diagnosis and expert recommendations. Released in November last year, U+ Aideulnara 4.0 evolved into a distinctive service where children can play excitedly at home and engage in three-dimensional learning with experts through videos and books. Features include an effective English homeschooling program in partnership with Cheongdam Learning, interactive learning linking videos and books, and a dedicated U+ Aideulnara remote control that enables physical activity indoors.

In the first half of this year, the increase in educational content usage was remarkable. The ‘TV that reads books aloud’ and ‘Nuri Classroom’ services saw usage increase about threefold compared to the same period last year. The new home screen of Aideulnara, launched in November last year to make it easier to continue watching content and improve accessibility to frequently used menus, also had a significant effect. Among customers who studied Nuri Curriculum-linked content, 53% accessed it from the home menu, and 34% watched via the continue-watching feature.

The premium English subscription service launched in April is also popular. The homeschooling service ‘Egg School Kindergarten,’ created by the production team of the premium English brand ‘English Egg,’ currently records over 100,000 monthly views.

Along with the growth of ‘U+ Aideulnara,’ the organization has also expanded. Starting as a Kids Task Force (TF) team within the IPTV division, ‘U+ Aideulnara’ was expanded into an in-house independent company, Aideulnara Company, earlier this year. Currently, about 130 employees, including 50 developers, are working, and recently, to secure excellent talent, the company relocated from LG Seoul Station Building to the Korea Science and Technology Center on Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu. Discussions on spin-offs are also underway. President Hwang said, “Platformizing Aideulnara is still the most important new business.”

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