18th Busan Contents Market Concludes with Record-Breaking Transactions

May 22-24: 2,148 Buyers and Sellers from 660 Companies in 45 Countries Participate

Transaction Volume Reaches $221.58 Million ... Establishing a Global Content Market

The 18th Busan Contents Market (BCM2024), held at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1 from May 22 to 24, concluded successfully with 2,148 buyers and sellers from 660 companies across 45 countries participating.

BCM2024 Market Exhibition Hall.

Under the theme "Global Content Hub Busan," the event served as a venue for meetings and exchanges among domestic and international content producers and creators, featuring a market, investment attraction, large-scale conferences, academies, and networking sessions.

This year's event was significantly larger than last year, establishing itself as a global market platform for trading content across various fields.

First launched in 2007, the Busan Contents Market has continued to grow steadily and has become a global market where more than $100 million is traded annually.

This year, the total transaction volume reached $221.58 million (approximately KRW 302.4 billion), an increase of $54.09 million compared to last year. For the first time since its inception, the event surpassed the $200 million mark, welcoming content sellers and buyers from around the world through a variety of programs.

The production team of 'JaebeolX Detective' participating in the BCM2024 conference.

▲ The production team of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "The Chaebol and the Detective," starring Ahn Bohyun and Park Jihyun, which has continued to top viewership ratings in its time slot and has confirmed a second season, attended and drew much attention from participants. ▲ There was a session discussing strategies for the full-scale entry of K-content into Africa, focusing on the trends of K-dramas and content in the African market. ▲ Niv Fichman, the executive producer of HBO's original OTT series "The Sympathizer," which stars Robert Downey Jr. and is directed by Park Chanwook and has garnered global attention, attended to share insights into the drama's production and behind-the-scenes stories. These and other in-depth "K-drama" sessions were highly praised.

In addition, ▲ renowned webtoon artist Lee Hyunse attended and demonstrated an AI webtoon learning model using his own works in the session "Webtoon Creation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI)." ▲ A special session featured a conversation about leadership in the media content industry with Dan Glickman, former U.S. Congressman and former chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). In total, 13 diverse sessions were held.

▲ The "Busan OTT Series Awards 2024" ceremony was held.

Highlighting the unique feature of the Busan Contents Market, where content distribution and the roles of buyers and sellers are central, a meaningful awards ceremony was held for the first time this year to recognize key figures such as producers and writers who contributed to the success of dramas.

▲ The Executive Producer Award went to Niv Fichman, executive producer of HBO's original seven-part series "The Sympathizer." ▲ The Writer Award was given to Park Jieun, who recently proved herself as Korea's top hit writer with "Queen of Tears." In addition, ▲ the Production Company Award went to KT Studio Genie, ▲ the Medical Drama Award went to the "Dr. Romantic Kim Sabu" series, and ▲ the Special Medical Drama Award went to the Netflix original medical drama "Daily Dose of Sunshine."

Mayor Park Hyungjun stated, "This year's Busan Contents Market (BCM) achieved remarkable results by facilitating meetings and exchanges among participants through a variety of programs, further establishing its position as a global content market platform. I hope that everyone who participated in this event was greatly inspired and that it became an opportunity for successful business."

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