Kakao Acquires 9.05% Stake in SM Entertainment

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Choi] Kakao is accelerating efforts to strengthen competitiveness in music and content businesses by partnering with SM Entertainment.

On the 7th, Kakao announced that it secured a 9.05% stake in SM Entertainment. This was achieved by acquiring 1.23 million new shares issued through a third-party allotment paid-in capital increase by SM Entertainment, and securing 1.14 million shares (based on common stock conversion) through convertible bond acquisition. Through this investment, Kakao becomes the second largest shareholder of SM Entertainment.

Along with this investment, Kakao, Kakao Entertainment, and SM Entertainment signed a tripartite business agreement. The three companies plan to take the lead in enhancing the global status of K-culture through multifaceted business cooperation amid the rapidly changing music and content environment.

In particular, it is expected that Kakao Entertainment, which possesses planning and production capabilities, platforms, and intellectual property (IP) value chains encompassing story, music, and media, and SM Entertainment, a pioneer of the Korean entertainment industry that has led the global Hallyu and K-pop wave, will create powerful synergy by joining forces.

Going forward, Kakao Entertainment and SM Entertainment will actively collaborate to strengthen IP competitiveness by jointly promoting global management businesses using each company’s overseas partner networks and co-planning K-POP artists through global auditions. They also plan to continue cooperation in various businesses including music production and distribution of global albums and digital music.

Additionally, the three companies will jointly prepare future businesses by leveraging Kakao’s technological capabilities such as AI. Kakao, as a business participant, plans to contribute to the development of the domestic performance culture ecosystem and regional economic revitalization by utilizing the complex cultural facility ‘Seoul Arena’ to be established in Chang-dong, Dobong-gu, Seoul.

Jae-hyun Bae, Co-CEO of Kakao’s investment division, said, “Through this investment and cooperation, we expect to jointly respond to fierce global competition in the music and content markets and become a great strength to each other in targeting the global mainstream of K-content. We will support the expansion of K-culture’s global influence through multifaceted cooperation going forward.”