Uruguay's "King of Mask Singer," Mexico's "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bokjoo"... K-Content Heats Up in Central and South America

Korean Variety Shows and Dramas Shine at LA Screening
SBS Thriller Drama May Be Remade in the United States

The Los Angeles (LA) Screening is the largest broadcast content market in North America. More than 1,000 producers and broadcasters from North America, Central America, and South America participate to introduce and trade drama, variety, and documentary programs. The Korea Creative Content Agency has served as a bridgehead for domestic companies' exports by operating consultation sessions. Notable achievements include the variety shows MBC's "King of Mask Singer" and tvN's "I Can See Your Voice." Many countries, including the United States and Australia, purchased remake rights and localized the formats, leading to widespread popularity. The drama "The Good Doctor," remade by ABC in the United States, was also a hit, airing through season 7.

Domestic broadcasting officials are discussing content export contracts with overseas buyers at the LA screening.

At this year's event, which concluded on May 16 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the greatest attention was given to "Unforgettable Duet," produced by Something Special and aired on MBN. The show features patients losing their memory due to dementia and their families singing together to recall memories. The program has been praised for its emotional impact, as it sequentially presents the family's efforts to awaken memories, duet performances, and tribute songs by popular singers. Byungho Park, head of the LA Business Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency, said, "Remake rights have already been sold to three countries. Continuous exports are expected."

Including this, the total number of consultations led by the Korea Creative Content Agency over two days reached 110. The total value of consultations was approximately 20 million dollars, exceeding last year's 18.73 million dollars. All participating companies, including Something Special, CJ ENM, Astory, KBS Media, SBS International, MBC America, and Big House Entertainment, achieved meaningful results.

In particular, SBS International saw success with a customized curation based on a thorough analysis of buyers' preferred genres and formats. For buyers in Central and South America, who strongly prefer variety shows featuring celebrities, unique concepts, and family-friendly content, shows such as "Daehwanjang Gianjang," "Shindeullin Yeonae," "Nae Bang Annaeseo," and "Family Outing" attracted significant interest. In response to demand for dramas with a large number of episodes, the company also promoted titles such as "Smile, You," "Heavenly Fate," and "Daring Women," a strategy that proved effective.

Park explained, "We received positive feedback by flexibly organizing and proposing drama and variety formats according to buyers' preferred genres. Many daily and weekend dramas have reached the programming contract stage." North American buyers showed a preference for thriller genres such as "Treasure Island," "Connection," and "Jealousy Incarnate." It has been reported that one of these titles may be remade in the United States.

A scene from FOX's The Masked Singer, a remake of King of Mask Singer

MBC America achieved results by focusing on long-term format operation and localization strategies. In the case of its flagship variety show "King of Mask Singer," the company highlighted its global success story and signed a production contract with a broadcaster in Uruguay. It also discussed local production and long-term operation plans with other Central and South American broadcasters. "Mystery Ranking Show 123" and "My Little TV," both of which have been successfully launched in Thailand, attracted attention from many buyers, including those from Europe.

In the drama sector, Mexican broadcasters made consecutive purchases for broadcast rights. Televisa, which previously aired "She Was Pretty," acquired "Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bokjoo," while TV Azteca, which had introduced "I'm Not a Robot," decided to secure additional revenge dramas. Park noted, "Perhaps because Korean dramas dubbed in Spanish are receiving a great response locally, the broadcasters showed active interest."

Byungho Park, head of the LA Business Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency, is introducing K-content companies at the LA screening.

The Korea Creative Content Agency plans to continue the export momentum of the LA Screening by organizing its own events. In particular, it is putting significant effort into the "K-Content U.S. Advancement Showcase," first introduced last year. This initiative aims to encourage original Korean content intellectual property (IP) to be produced as dramas in the United States. Writers and producers affiliated with the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are invited to participate in pitching programs. Park stated, "We have concretized the entry system for Korean companies by connecting them with the core network of North American broadcast content. We will further promote exports by providing support tailored to the local environment, including market analysis and supplementary materials."