SKT, Ultra-Collaboration with Domestic Small and Medium Virtual Studios through 'Team Studio'

5G, AI, and Cloud Infrastructure Synergy Expected... Expansion of Virtual Production Ecosystem

SKT Team Studio exterior. Photo by SKT

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Soo-yeon] SK Telecom is launching a future-oriented digital content business by leveraging its LED wall-based media content production studio, ‘TEAM Studio.’ It is forming a consortium with major domestic virtual production companies to actively expand a super-collaborative media ecosystem.

On the 12th, SK Telecom announced the opening of ‘TEAM Studio’ at Pangyo Techno Valley 2 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and the formation of a consortium with domestic virtual production companies. TEAM Studio, which opened in June at Pangyo Techno Valley 2 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, utilizes two large LED wall stages, the ‘Volume Stage’ and the ‘XR Stage,’ enabling real-time production of graphics at a level comparable to on-location shooting without actually going on site. This enhances filming immersion and reduces time and costs required for post-production. Since its opening, it has participated in a wide range of productions including original content for Channel S and WAVVE, various commercials and promotional videos, web dramas, and music videos.

With a scale of 3,050㎡ (approximately 930 pyeong), it is equipped with two ‘LED wall stages’?the U-shaped ‘Volume Stage’ and the ‘XR Stage’?allowing for an optimized environment depending on the characteristics and scale of the production content.

SKT Forms ‘TEAM Studio Consortium’

From the planning stage of TEAM Studio’s establishment, SKT prioritized synergy creation as a core value and formed a consortium with companies possessing the highest level of competitiveness in virtual production in Korea. These include X-on Studio, which opened Korea’s first LED wall studio in 2020; MediaL, which demonstrated visual effects technology in the recently released film Hansan: Rising Dragon; and Duriban, gaining attention for its self-developed real-time content solution ‘iTuber.’

‘TEAM Studio’ combines each company’s virtual production technology and content production expertise with SKT’s ICT infrastructure, including 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), and cloud. It plans to lead the media content production paradigm by building platforms related to intellectual property (IP), visual effects (VFX), and mixed reality (XR) to spearhead the future digital content industry.

Furthermore, it aims to expand the virtual studio ecosystem by collaborating with various industries, including IP holders such as webtoon, web novel, and entertainment agencies, as well as film, drama, and advertising production companies.

Providing Optimized Production Environment... Securing Content Diversity

TEAM Studio plans to continuously broaden the diversity of production content, including pre-produced content such as dramas, movies, and entertainment shows, as well as real-time live content broadcasting like celebrity fan meetings, showcases, corporate conferences, and webinars.

It is currently reviewing technology to create synergy between volumetric technology and LED walls with SKT’s mixed reality specialized production studio, ‘Jump Studio.’ It will also actively pursue internal and external cooperation, including discussions with government and local authorities on joint production of LED wall background resources.

Kim Hyuk, SKT’s Media Support Manager, stated, “The virtual production market will continue to expand due to the spread of diverse media content beyond reality and the rising expectations of customers consuming it. TEAM Studio will lead the expansion of a super-connected virtual production ecosystem by expanding the consortium with various industries, including IP holders and content companies.”

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