OTT Steps Out of the Living Room... 2025 International Streaming Festival Kicks Off on the 22nd

Park Hyungjun, Mayor of Busan, and Ryu Jemyoung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, Attend
Four-Day Journey at Paradise Hotel and Busan Cinema Center

The '2025 International Streaming Festival' kicked off in Busan on August 22. The world's attention is focused on this event, which is the only specialized festival for the streaming industry in Korea.

This event, co-hosted by the Korea International Streaming Festival (Co-Executive Directors Kim Bokgeun and Kim Sungcheol) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, will be held over four days until August 25 at the Paradise Hotel and the Busan Cinema Center.

More than 300 domestic and international streaming industry professionals attended the opening ceremony. Ryu Jemyoung, Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, and Park Hyungjun, Mayor of Busan, delivered congratulatory remarks. The keynote speech was given by Maria Rua Aguete, Senior Director of Media and Content at the global market research firm Omdia, who presented on streaming industry trends and prospects for the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Vice Minister Ryu Jemyoung stated, "In the media industry, including OTT, AI is the key not only to improving production efficiency but also to revolutionizing user experience," adding, "The government will unwaveringly push forward with policy support such as expanding investment, supporting research and development, and fostering talent to strengthen global competitiveness."

Jo Yujang, Director of Culture at Busan Metropolitan City, added, "This event will serve as a platform for cooperation, providing an overview of the latest trends in the global streaming industry and promoting overseas expansion."

Various content experience events will take place throughout the festival. On the evening of August 22, major scenes from Netflix's new release 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' will be screened at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center, along with a demonstration of audio description broadcasting technology. Anyone can participate for free. For two days starting the same day, TVING will operate a booth for its original series 'Great Escape: The Story' at the Dure Raum Square of the Busan Cinema Center, offering on-site interactive events and a photo zone experience.

At the International Streaming Summit on August 22, Omdia and Statista presented on global industry outlook and AI-based personalization strategies, respectively. On August 23 and 24 at the Paradise Hotel, an investment showcase will be held, featuring IR presentations by AI-based OTT and media technology companies, as well as the unveiling of outstanding content proposals from domestic broadcasters and production companies.

On August 24, the Global OTT Awards will take place at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center. The awards ceremony will be attended by domestic and international OTT platforms, production companies, directors, writers, and actors, who will select over 20 works in 19 categories. Korean actors including Park Eunbin, Oh Jungse, Yum Hye-ran, Choi Da-hoon, Kang Yuseok, Lee Suhyun, and Jung Subin will be joined by international stars such as Sakaguchi Kentaro (Japan), Berik Aitzhanov (Kazakhstan), Bai Jingjing (China), Natarat Nopparattayapon (Thailand), Wang Chenyuan (China), Bando Ryota (Japan), Sapingyuan (China), Zhong Xinling (Taiwan), and Suri Lin (Taiwan).

At 7 p.m. on August 25, the 'OST Concert: OTT, Streaming, contacT' will be held at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center. This concert, structured around three themes connecting the past, present, and future, will feature OST performances from popular dramas for about two hours.

The '2025 International Streaming Festival' brings together both internationally acclaimed works and those rarely accessible to the public, under the slogan 'Endless Imagination, Into the Infinite World of Streaming: KOREA is STREAMING,' positioning Busan as a global hub for the streaming industry.

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