SBS will supply video content through U.S. terrestrial channels.
SBS on the 19th at its Mokdong headquarters in Seoul signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement (SCA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. for the 'K-Channel 82' project.
This agreement is a follow-up to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) the two companies signed in January in Las Vegas to promote a U.S. terrestrial-based 'Hallyu content channel business', and the parties met again in Seoul about two months later to further specify the cooperation.
'K-Channel 82' is a brand combining 'K', meaning Hallyu content, and Korea's international dialing code '82', and it will be sequentially broadcast through about 185 U.S. terrestrial stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Through this, K-content is expected to be delivered more broadly and stably to viewers across the United States.
SBS has expanded content distribution in the U.S. market through various platforms such as Netflix, Wavve Americas, Viki (OTT), DirecTV (satellite), and Samsung TV Plus (FAST). The launch of 'K-Channel 82' is significant in that it secures a new terrestrial-based platform in addition to existing distribution channels.
SBS President Bang Moon-shin said K-Channel 82 is a very meaningful project that combines globally competitive SBS video content with a stable U.S. terrestrial network, and said he hopes the agreement will further concretize cooperation between the two companies and create new opportunities in the U.S. market.
President Bang Moon-shin added that he hopes active promotion and cooperation will allow many U.S. viewers to access SBS video content through 'K-Channel 82', and emphasized that Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.'s role is important to ensure that advertising business in the United States can also proceed smoothly.
Del Fox, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.'s chief technology officer, said 'K-Channel 82 targets not only Korean Americans but also viewers across the United States,' and said the channel will become an important platform to widely spread Korean culture across the United States if K-content is supplied continuously through it.
Del Fox added that expectations for this project with SBS are very high and emphasized that they will secure cooperation from the U.S. government to make the K-Channel 82 broadcast a success.
SBS plans to strengthen cooperation with Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. to ensure the successful launch and market settlement of 'K-Channel 82'. In particular, it plans to enhance content localization through dubbing and subtitle production using AI technology, expand distribution and marketing strategies, and widen the scope of cooperation to various fields including the advertising business.
[Photo] SBS
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