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The Korean cultural fever hasn't yet hit the Indian market, but
a contingent of Korean independent production houses and the three
broadcast terrestrial stations that make up Korean TV will be visiting
India in May to make the initial presentations.
Winter Sonata, a KBS produced three year old drama about
first love, separation and eventual reunion, has in fact generated
mass hysteria in all the countries it has aired, and has already
earned $20 million for its producers. DVD sales have already fetched
$143 million and its popularity has also reflected in increased
tourism into Korea, says Korean Broadcasting Commission head Hwee
Boo Yang.
Yearly exports of Korean TV programmes are maintaining an increase
of 40 per cent every year, with the drama genre constituting 91.8
per cent of total exports in 2004, followed by animation that had
a share of 4.6 per cent. According to the commission, in 2004, Vietnam
(1.5 per cent), Malaysia (1.8 per cent) and the US (2.2 per cent)
emerged as growing markets for Korean TV products.
The Korean wave is riding high on several factors. Hot competition
among production houses is yielding high quality drama, the most
preferred genre in Korea, and over 30 TV dramas are produced per
week. The stories are universal, love oriented and family related
stories, targeted at tugging heart strings of middle-aged women
that form the bulk of their audience.
Korea is also banking on the fact that they are producing 'high
quality dramas at reasonable rights fees.'
Another 2003 Korean MBC production Jewel in the Palace,
a historical drama set in the Chosun dynasty about 500 years ago,
has hit the popularity charts in Japan, Latin American and Middle
East countries and made an income of $2.3 million by selling in
eight countries, leading to the 'Hanbok' - traditional Korean costume
becoming the latest in the wave of Korean products to gain popularity
in Taiwan.
Korea is now eyeing co-productions with countries like China, where
Korean scripts are being married to Chinese stars and locations
and ensuring a ready market in both countries.
TV dramas apart, Korea, which has been in focus at this MIPTV with
its cultural presentations and a Korean Day on 12 April, also plans
to launch Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), a Korean version
of 'mobile broadcasting' by the end of this year. The 'ubiquitous
connectivity' envisaged by this service means that people can utilise
'any device, anywhere, anytime' via 'U-home, U-office, U-government,
U-education' services. Although it sounds a tad futuristic, Yang
sounds confident that the service (to be transmitted via satellite
and terrestrial) will allow all information devices and household
appliances to be connected to the wired/wireless home network. Services
will include TV VOD/ Interactive TV, healthcare, visitor identification,
broadband Internet as well as control of house appliances.
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