[Click eStock] "NEW, Increased Investment Appeal Based on Proven Production Capability"

[Asia Economy Reporter Eunmo Koo] NH Investment & Securities forecasted that NEW's investment attractiveness as a drama and film production company will increase next year based on its proven content production capabilities.

Hyundong Lee, a researcher at NH Investment & Securities, stated in a report on the 22nd, "NEW's performance next year will improve compared to this year," explaining, "This is due to an increase in the number of dramas produced and aired, improved profitability through sales of domestically and internationally produced dramas by online video streaming services (OTT), and six films that will be released and screened on various platforms beyond traditional theater releases."

NEW is scheduled to air a total of six dramas next year. These include seven episodes of 'Fly, Gaechonyong,' the TV-confirmed 'Doom at Your Service,' 'The Devil Judge,' and three self-produced dramas. Studio&NEW, a drama production subsidiary, plans to use the invested funds to produce its own dramas 'Moving,' 'Police University,' and 'Good Boy,' and secure secondary rights.

Lee said, "Especially, 'Moving,' based on the webtoon by writer Kang Full, is a tentpole project with a production budget exceeding 50 billion KRW," adding, "As competition among domestic and international OTT companies to secure Korean content intensifies, NEW is expected to maximize profits by selling at high prices."

Films released on various platforms are also considered a factor for performance growth. Last month, NEW sold the unreleased film 'Call' to Netflix, and 'Night in Paradise' is also scheduled to be released on Netflix next year. Lee explained, "NEW currently holds four unreleased films and plans to produce the next anticipated work 'The Witch: Part 2' through the film company 'Geumwol,' which it acquired this year," adding, "As film releases are increasingly happening on various platforms rather than theaters, the value of NEW's unreleased films is rising."