BTS Documentary Airing, 3 Years in the Making... France Deeply Immersed in K-Content [K-Bul②]

5 K-pop Documentaries Rank in Top 3 Channel Ratings for a Month
Popular in SVOD Market Enjoyed by Young Generation
MediaOne, BCWW Focus on Contracts with CJ ENM and Others

Mediawan is a leading French subscription video on demand (SVOD) service. It operates twenty-four channels. Among them, the documentary channel Explorer has attracted a large number of young viewers since February. This was due to the K-content effect. They sequentially showcased five K-pop documentaries, including 'Break the Silence: The Movie,' 'BTS World Tour: Love Yourself,' and 'Seventeen World Tour in Seoul: Ode to You.'

All of these works ranked within the top three of Explorer's viewing charts for over a month. This success was the result of Sonia Latui, Mediawan Thematics' Vice President of Content, persuading HYBE over three years. She was introduced to the person in charge through the Korea Creative Content Agency's France Business Center and maintained close communication to secure a cooperation contract.

She said, "K-pop documentaries are an excellent medium to attract young generations who tend to avoid television," adding, "Although there are only five titles, we were confident enough to create a separate section in the start menu."

There are two main reasons why Vice President Latui was confident of success. Her office is located in Paris Les Invalides, where the archery events of the 2024 Paris Olympics took place. It is an area frequently hosting luxury brand fashion shows and K-pop events.

Vice President Latui reported, "When K-pop stars visit, fans gather around the venue from the day before, making the area bustling." She added, "Seeing BTS and Seventeen concerts in Paris sell out within five minutes convinced me that the demand is sufficient."

Young French fans of K-pop are not close to television. Strictly speaking, they hardly watch broadcast channels. According to the local media research agency M?diam?trie, their use of television mainly falls into three categories: watching SVOD programs, playing video games, and viewing multimedia content. Especially among Generation Z (ages 15?24), a January survey showed that 67% consistently watched SVOD programs over the past year, exceeding the overall average of 50% by 17%.

Kim Moonju, head of the Korea Creative Content Agency's France Business Center, said, "Young generations are accustomed to choosing their viewing times and downloading videos to watch offline," adding, "Most binge-watch dramas and share their feelings and thoughts." He further analyzed, "Although they seem distant from broadcast channels and uninterested in content, they are actually hungry for media both when alone and when connecting with others. They are just looking for something new."

Vice President Latui also piqued the interest of young generations this year with K-dramas. The drama 'Gwayi' is a representative example. She secured broadcasting rights from CJ ENM and aired it on the horror and thriller movie channel Insomnia.

She explained, "French people have a strong interest in Eastern philosophy and Buddhist thought," and added, "I believed that original stories based on these themes and the actors' excellent performances would captivate young viewers." She expressed confidence in its success, saying, "We broke the fixed framework of a movie channel to schedule it," and mentioned, "I would like to air 'Pamyoh,' which will soon be released in French theaters, if given the opportunity."

Mediawan also discussed content rights and contracts with numerous Korean companies at the '2024 International Broadcasting and Video Market (BCWW),' which ended on the 29th of last month. They especially made persistent efforts to sign contracts with KBS, MBC, and CJ ENM. Vice President Latui said, "The content produced by these companies is all fresh and attractive," and added, "Since we have even established dedicated departments for each company, we want to achieve good results."