Viu signs JTBC’s largest content deal in Asia
Marking its continuous commitment to strengthen its premium Asian content lineup by providing content from top 5 Korean broadcasters
Viu, a leading pan-regional OTT video service by PCCW Media Group, has signed an agreement with JTBC, a leading Korean cable broadcaster, to offer Viu viewers access to over 80% of JTBC’s quality drama series and variety shows. It marks the largest regional content volume deal that JTBC has signed in Asia^. Complementing its existing substantial Korean content from major broadcasters KBS, MBC, SBS and CJ E&M, Viu now offers its viewers the largest volume of Korean drama series and variety shows in Southeast Asia.
With this agreement, Viu users can now enjoy over hundreds of hours of content from JTBC’s extensive new drama series and variety shows with local language subtitles as fast as 4 hours after telecast in South Korea. This is the most welcome move for avid Korean content fans in key markets like Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Armed with fresh stories and original formats, JTBC ranks as one of the top 5 broadcasters for drama and variety content in Korea. Recently, JTBC enjoys consistently high ratings with two hit dramas, Strong Girl Bong-soon and The Lady in Dignity, which were the two popular drama series aired on cable TV in Korea in 2017*.
Ms. Janice Lee, Managing Director of PCCW Media Group, said, “We are pleased to present JTBC’s exciting program lineup to fans across Asia which reaffirms Viu’s commitment to bringing premium Asian content to our viewers and our position as the preeminent OTT video platform in Asia. In continuing to enrich the breadth and depth of content, Viu has also been expanding its content portfolio with Viu Original series which comprise series produced in Indian, Chinese and Indonesian languages, collaborating with award winning directors, renowned artistes and premium production houses in the region.”
Mr. Jung Kyung-moon, Chief Executive Officer of JTBC Content Hub, said, “The drama series and variety shows of JTBC have a track record of success with high ratings bearing testament to their excellent quality and high entertainment value. While we will continue to maintain our premium standards in all our productions, we are very pleased to collaborate with Viu, one of Asia’s foremost OTT video services, so that our programs could access a bigger audience across the region with Viu’s highly engaged user base.”
Viu will offer the latest drama series such as Misty and Welcome to Waikiki. Misty, starring Kim Nam-joo and Ji Jin-hee, is a romance thriller about a former prosecutor turned defence attorney who represents his wife, a popular anchorwoman, who is suspected of murder. In the midst of their rocky marriage, he decides to defend his wife and through the trial, they rediscover their love for each other. Starring Kim Jung-hyun, Lee Yi-kyung and Son Seung-won, Welcome to Waikiki is a story about the trio, Kim, Lee and Son, who pursue their dreams while managing a boarding house named ‘Waikiki’. Apart from the latest dramas and variety shows, signature titles such as Strong Girl Bong-soon, The Lady in Dignity, Secret Healer and many more will also be available on Viu.
Besides top dramas, JTBC is also renowned for its high-rating variety shows with guest appearances of Korean idols and superstars, such as Chef & My Fridge, Men on a Mission, Midnight Madness, etc. Chef & My Fridge features international famous chefs such as Gordon Ramsay with artistes sharing their meal plans as well as content of their refrigerators, which brought another huge success to JTBC’s variety shows.
