CJ ENM South Korean mass media company, and NBC Universal’s Peacock over-the-top video streaming service have signed a deal for K-content. The former will be making its shows and films available to subscribers of the American OTT firm. “We are excited to launch ‘CJ ENM Picks’ branded zone on Peacock as it means that more viewers in the US will have access to our world-class content,” remarked Seo Jang-ho, SVP of CJ ENM content business. “As the demand of K-content is increasing, we look forward to bringing a mountain of entertainment that will captivate our audiences across the globe and expand our international footprint through strategic partnerships with major platforms.”
The Korean programs will be viewable on Peacock’s platform under the CJ ENM Picks category. The deal was announced by the company on Tuesday, 16 August. Peacock is owned and operated by NBCUniversal’s television and streaming division and this online streaming service is said to be popular in the European and North American regions. According to the Korea Economic Daily, the agreement with Peacock is CJ ENM’s second OTT deal related to delivering Korean programs to overseas viewers through collaborations with local streaming service providers.
It will also encompass an array of original content from hit dramas Another Miss Oh and Reply 1994 to globally popular films Finding "Mr. Destiny" and "Sunny." The branded zone will also have a selection of unscripted entertainment programmess such as Youn’s Kitchen 2 starring Academy Award winning actress Youn Yuh-jung. Content for K-pop fans will also be serviced on the platform, with titles such as Kingdom: Legendary War, a reality series following the competition of famous male K-pop groups and M COUNTDOWN, the world’s No.1 K-pop chart show.
This news is another addition to CJ ENM’s strategy to deliver its premium entertainment to audiences worldwide. In December 2021, CJ ENM announced the launch of K-Contents by CJ ENM to be serviced on Paramount’s Pluto TV while in February 2022 CJ ENM inked a deal with ViacomCBS to co-finance original series Yonder for its TVING streaming service. Currently, Peacock has an estimated monthly active user of 28 million during the first quarter of the year. As per Korea Joongang Daily, based on the agreement, CJ ENM will be providing Peacock with 18 content that includes variety shows, dramas, and films this month. On September, 18 more titles would be added to the lineup, such as “Reply 1994” and “Cheese in the Trap” drama series.“We can now present CJ ENM content through major North American platforms such as Pluto TV and Peacock,” CJ ENM’s content business unit head, Seo Jang Ho, said in a statement. “We plan to keep on not only creating content for the global market but also paving new global distribution networks.”