For S. Korean TV, China, web platforms to bring opportunities, challenges

By Park Sojung SEOUL, Dec. 24 (Yonhap) -- As with this year, South Korean producers will continue to try to crack the Chinese code in 2016. But the growing market for web content will likely complicate that process, as the benefits conferred by the web's far-reaching capabilities are offset by poor copyright protections in the world's second-largest economy. Early 2015 was ripe with anticipation for South Korean entertainment in China, as the blockbuster success of "My Love from the Star," an SBS soap opera about a love between a human and an alien, came right on the heels of 2014. But new Chinese regulations introduced in January, which require all foreign content to pass censors before distribution in China, nipped that optimism in the bud. As such, South Korean shows have no longer been able to be broadcast simultaneously in China, and the delay in syndication has made them much more vulnerable to piracy. That's why a growing number of South Korean producers have joined hands with their Chinese counterparts to create shows that would bypass this rule. "High-end Crush," jointly produced by South Korea's Kim Jong-hak Productions and China's Sohu.com Inc., has already garnered 100 million views on the Chinese portal website since its pilot episode last Monday. Similar projects are ongoing and will likely increase for the coming future. The release dates of some shows in South Korea will also be pushed back to coincide with their Chinese dates. Even though SBS is scheduled to complete the production of the historical drama "Saimdang, the Herstory" by March 2016, the show won't air until September because of Chinese censorship, producers said. "We won't be able to make any changes to the show once it's approved in China," an official with Group8, which is producing the show, said. "But the production quality will improve as we take a longer time to make it." South Korean soap operas have commonly made last-minute changes depending on viewers' reactions. But with the new Chinese regulations, this will no longer be possible. Fortunately, "Saimdang" producers have the financial backing of a Hong Kong company to fall back on in case the show flops. A subsidiary of major Hong Kong conglomerate Emperor Multimedia Group said in August that it has invested 10 billion won (US$8.5 million) in "Saimdang," probably because South Korean megastar Lee Young-ae will be the leading woman. "We've been able to make this show because of external funding. Otherwise, the risk would have been too big," Kim Young-bae, who heads Group8's planning team, said. "But anyone trying to sell shows to China will probably have to give up his or her flexibility in the production process." Media experts say other producers won't likely have as easy time finding that kind of little-strings-attached investment as the "Saimdang" producers have. Another strategy producers have adopted is starting their own business in China, and more South Korean entertainment agencies have been opening offices in the world's most populous country for that reason. Last month, FNC Entertainment, which manages K-pop groups such as CNBLUE, F.T. Island and AOA, announced its launch in China thanks in large part to the US$290 million investment it received from a Chinese company. Domestically, South Korean terrestrial networks will continue to face competition from their cable counterparts. Cable TV networks have seen a significant uptick in viewership this year; the sensation stirred by tvN's "Reply 1988" has been so huge that all things considered -- including merchandise, syndication and product placement revenues -- producers are estimated to make 4-5 billion won by the show's finale next month. Terrestrial networks KBS, MBC and SBS said they will bolster their web-only content too in an effort to recapture the audience they'd been losing. In September, state broadcaster KBS released four web drama series, but none so far have eclipsed the success of tvN. Another variable for South Korean TV in 2016 to consider is Netflix Inc.'s planned launch here. While some media experts believe the U.S. streaming company will galvanize South Korea's paid content economy, others have remained skeptical about that prediction. In a report released last month, the Korea Creative Content Agency said Netflix will have little impact in the South Korean media landscape citing two reasons: local deals are much cheaper than Netflix's plans, and South Koreans still prefer to pay on a per-content basis rather than a fixed monthly rate. Finally, South Korean TV has started to fuse pre-recorded and live content in 2015, and that phenomenon that will likely continue into the next year. With the rise of "My Little Television" -- an MBC variety show that communicates with viewers via a live chat room -- more TV networks have gotten on the "real-time" bandwagon. Though these real-time interactions have been more or less confined to cooking shows this year, experts believe they will likely expand to other genres in the future, including beauty, interior design and fashion. sojungpark@yna.co.kr (END)