KT Changes IPTV Brand for the First Time in 13 Years... Drops 'Olleh' and Launches 'Genie TV'

Leap to Media Portal... Opening a New Era of Home Media
Speed and Accuracy Increased by 30% with Specialized AI Curation

Models are introducing KT's new IPTV brand, 'Genie TV.' Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Su-yeon] KT is completely revamping its core platform within the group’s media value chain, Internet TV (IPTV). The company plans to change the paradigm of home media through its new brand, 'Genie TV.'

On the 4th, KT held a press conference at the Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing that it will rebrand 'Olleh TV' as 'Genie TV.' It declared the opening of a new era of home media with an AI-based comprehensive 'media portal' service, moving away from IPTV focused mainly on live broadcasting.

Opening a New Era of Home Media with 'Genie TV'... AI Curation in the 'Media Portal'

Since commercializing IPTV services for the first time in Korea in 2008, KT has announced a new brand, 'Genie TV,' after 13 years. Following KT Studio Genie, famous for the drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo,' the music platform Genie Music, and Media Genie merged with SkyTV, the IPTV brand is unified to strengthen synergy among group companies.

A new user interface (UI) called 'Media Portal' has been introduced to conveniently provide all content on a single platform. The Genie TV home screen has changed from the enumerated left-side menu structure of the previous Olleh TV to a top menu layout. Previously, users had to press the remote control direction key 10 times to access Netflix content, but now it is accessible with only two presses, greatly improving accessibility.

The Genie TV menu consists of five dedicated sections: ▲Movies, Dramas, VOD ▲Live Channels ▲Kids Land ▲Genie Apps ▲OTT Services. Notably, the OTT Services section allows users who do not have a smart TV to access various OTT services. Tving will be added early next year.

The core function of the Media Portal, 'AI Curation,' enables customers to quickly and easily access the content they want. The AI engine’s learning speed has increased by 30% compared to before, and the recommendation algorithm’s accuracy has improved by up to 30%. KT’s patented media-specialized AI engine, 'Lifestyle AI Curation,' analyzes 3 billion usage logs daily over a year to identify patterns, combining recent viewing trends with content information categorized by 10,000 emotional keywords and genres to recommend content. For households mainly watching live broadcasts, the live channel section among the five dedicated sections is recommended as the home screen. It also detects subtle changes in viewing patterns as children grow and proactively recommends content suitable for the next age and developmental stage.

The new Media Portal UI will be sequentially applied from today until the end of this month on the Genie TV Set-top Box A (formerly Giga Genie A), and from December, it will also be available on the Genie TV Set-top Box 3 (formerly Giga Genie 3).

New Set-top Box Unveiled... Strengthening Synergy through Expanded Partnerships

At the press conference, KT also unveiled a new set-top box to be released in the first quarter of next year. It supports both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision simultaneously to provide optimal picture quality for various OTT services. Equipped with Dolby Atmos, it supports spatial audio technology and features an integrated design with a built-in wireless Wi-Fi router (AP).

To enhance the competitiveness of Genie TV, KT is expanding partnerships with various domestic and international media companies. It has formed a partnership and integrated services with CJ ENM, and has partnered with AMC Networks, a U.S. cable channel operator famous for productions like and , to pilot AMC+ (AMC content subscription service). A Genie TV bundle plan is also being prepared.

Furthermore, KT is strengthening synergy among KT Group media companies through Genie TV. KT Studio Genie, SkyTV, and Genie Music, which play roles in content production and investment within the KT Group media value chain, will showcase their differentiated content via Genie TV.

KT is building a KT Group Media Center spanning over 5,000 pyeong near Baekseok Station in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, where, in addition to Genie TV, SkyLife’s channel transmission platform and control system will be relocated and integrated. This is expected to improve quality, including a 15% enhancement in picture quality.

Kang Guk-hyun, President of KT’s Customer Business Division, said, "KT is making a fresh start with Genie TV to provide new value to customers beyond being the number one IPTV operator with over 9 million subscribers, keeping pace with the rapidly changing media content environment." He added, "We will open a new era of home media with the Media Portal to leap forward as a 'platform of platforms' and take the lead in the development of the national media ecosystem."