Kakao Entertainment (Co-CEOs Kwon Gi-soo and Jang Yoon-jung) officially launched the global K-culture fan platform 'Berriz' on the 25th and announced the start of full-scale services.
Berriz is a global K-culture fan platform that plans to provide various services for fans of all K-culture IP, including not only human IPs such as artists and creators but also content IPs such as webtoons, dramas, movies, and musicals. Kakao Entertainment noted, "'Berriz' will serve as a playground where fandoms around the world that love K-culture can communicate and enhance their enjoyment, like berries that grow larger and sweeter the more they come together, regardless of size and shape."
Following the first participant Antenna's Jung Seung-hwan, the rookie girl group KiiiKiii under Starship Entertainment, which gained attention even before their official debut, will open an official fan community with their formal debut. In early April, the drama 'Bunnies and Brothers,' based on a Kakao Webtoon, will open its fan community ahead of its first broadcast. Berriz plans to become a global fan platform where fans of all K-culture IP, including Kakao Entertainment's label artists and content IPs, gather and enjoy together in collaboration with various partners in the entertainment industry.
Berriz is a fan-friendly modular platform that selectively implements designs and services based on the characteristics and needs of IP and fandoms, providing specialized services for each IP. The plan is to present various forms of IP-customized communities by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI), commerce, live streaming, and more. If necessary, it will also be easy to modify community configurations to reflect the needs of IP and fans. This is not a standardized service, but instead aims to build an optimal community environment where fans can communicate freely and enjoy.
Recently, as fandom culture emphasizes not only communication with artists but also the creation and sharing of content among fans to expand their enjoyment, Berriz plans to support various services accordingly. Based on the expertise accumulated through operating a variety of entertainment platforms and channels such as Kakao Page, Melon, and 1theK, Kakao Entertainment is set to create a new fandom culture together with fans.
Starship girl group KiiiKiii opened their official fan community on the 24th, coinciding with the release of their debut album 'Uncut Gem (UNCUT GEM),' and began engaging with fans. The space allows for free communication, and through live streaming and VOD services, all stories of KiiiKiii will unfold on Berriz, accessible to any fan who loves them. KiiiKiii, gaining popularity for their youthful charm and impressive skills, teased the opening of their fan community ahead of their pre-debut song 'I Do Me.' Expectations are rising among fans for KiiiKiii's activities as they prepare to engage with fans. Especially, not only the 'KiiiKiii' group profile but also individual profiles for members Jiyu, Isol, Sui, Ha-eum, and Kiya will be created, promising unique content that reflects each member's personality.
[Photo] Kakao Entertainment
In early April, an official fan community for the Kakao Webtoon-based drama 'Bunnies and Brothers' will also open. The webtoon 'Bunnies and Brothers' is a popular work that has recorded 170 million cumulative views, and Kakao Entertainment is directly planning and producing it, with the first broadcast scheduled for April 4 on MBC. This romance follows Bunnies as she suddenly gets involved with attractive men after her first love, which has left her with a dark history, and features youth stars such as Noh Jung-hee, Lee Chae-min, and Jo Jun-young. The fan community established on Berriz plans to provide joy to fans through content related to the drama and webtoon, as well as services utilizing AI and special events. Fans of both the drama and the original webtoon are expected to enjoy the added fun of freely communicating and enjoying content together in one space focused on the 'Bunnies and Brothers' IP.
Additionally, Jung Seung-hwan, who has actively shared his daily life with fans by regularly leaving messages and conducting surprise live sessions through Berriz since joining as the first participant, has opened some new services in the fan community along with the official launch. A special space has been prepared exclusively for members of the official fan club 'US,' allowing them to access the service through verification. Notably, all data previously written on the official fan club's exclusive bulletin board in the fan community before Berriz will be migrated to Berriz, to preserve precious memories with fans.
Berriz is currently available on web and mobile (Android, iOS) and supports translations in 18 languages, including Korean and English, for global fans.
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