Google said on the 24th that it will add an entertainment tab in Korea on Google Play to make it easier and more convenient to experience K-content.
When you visit the entertainment tab, you can find a variety of content in one place, including short-form drama, webtoons, movies/TV, and K-pop. Previews of popular content, including new releases such as "Slam Dunk," are provided. Content you like will link directly to mobile apps such as Naver Webtoon and Kakao Page so you can keep enjoying it in-app from that exact scene without interruption. In sections within the tab such as "Go watch popular movies" and "Weekly popular dramas," you can check the most popular recent content through the latest trailers and highlight videos from OTT apps such as TVING and Watcha2.
It will also strengthen personalized recommendations based on content. With this update, when you search by keyword for content—not apps—on Google Play, a new feature will recommend apps where you can watch that content. For example, if you search for "Bon Appetit, Your Majesty," previously only apps with the keyword in the title appeared in the results, but now it shows a list of apps and platforms where you can watch that content.
It will also offer the latest trend information through an exclusive editorial section. For example, to celebrate SEVENTEEN's 10th anniversary and world tour, you can access content featuring special tour merchandise, concert tickets, and behind-the-scenes material from music videos.
Aurash Mahbod, vice president and general manager of Google Play Games, said, "Korea has a very active short-form content consumption globally, and K-content is gaining worldwide popularity," and added, "Google Play is expanding its curated space for the world's largest fandom, and through this entertainment tab, we hope users can enjoy their favorite apps and content more conveniently and discover new ones."
Shin Kyung-joon, head of partnerships at Google Play, said, "We are very pleased to introduce Google Play's new entertainment tab to the Korean market first," and added, "The Google Play entertainment tab will serve as a hub that immediately connects existing apps, helping users discover new content and genres they didn't know about."