Luke Kang, President of Disney
"Leveraging the IP Ecosystem for Long-Term Expansion...
Japanese and Korean Content Resonates Globally"
Luke Kang, President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, is delivering the opening speech at the "Disney+ Original Preview" held at Hong Kong Disneyland on the 13th (local time).
Disney has announced a long-term strategy to expand Asia-Pacific original content into global franchises.
On the 13th (local time), Luke Kang, President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, delivered the opening speech at the "Disney+ Original Preview" held at Hong Kong Disneyland. He stated, "Disney's long-term goal is to leverage our intellectual property (IP) ecosystem, talent, and platforms to expand Asia-Pacific original content into global franchises."
He explained, "At the end of 2021, Disney expressed its ambition to introduce Asia-Pacific original content to streaming audiences worldwide. In just a few years, we have built a robust lineup of more than 155 titles and secured new audiences around the globe."
He added, "Today's event demonstrates that Disney+ is discovering new worlds and stories, and that our collaboration with next-generation creators from the Asia-Pacific region is deepening."
Kang presented specific examples of the global success of Japanese and Korean content. "For top Japanese animation titles, more than 60% of global viewing hours come from outside the Asia-Pacific region, with particularly strong interest from viewers in the United States and Europe," he explained.
Regarding Korean content, he said, "Korean storytelling, which is already loved in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States, is rapidly growing in Central and South America, especially in Brazil and Mexico, attracting significant viewer interest."
He also outlined Disney's differentiation strategy. "Disney's content team has collaborated with leading local storytellers inspired by various fields such as webtoons, comics, novels, games, and music," he said, emphasizing, "We aim to deliver the best entertainment in a way that only Disney can offer."
Luke Kang, President of Walt Disney Asia Pacific, is delivering the opening speech at the "Disney+ Original Preview" held at Hong Kong Disneyland on the 13th (local time).
Regarding Disney's role, he stated, "Our role is to help stories created by outstanding writers, directors, producers, and actors reach audiences around the world." He added, "To achieve this, Disney actively utilizes its creative and marketing capabilities, as well as its broad consumer touchpoints across all areas of business."
The key takeaway from Kang's remarks is Disney's long-term strategy to nurture Asia-Pacific originals into franchises, rather than limiting them to dramas or animation. This means applying an IP expansion system-encompassing films, dramas, theme parks, and merchandise, as seen with Marvel and Star Wars-to Asian content as well.
At the event, Disney unveiled Korean titles such as "Made in Korea," "The Remarried Empress," and season 2 of "A Shop for Killers," as well as Japan's "Death Stranding: Isolation." If these titles succeed, Disney plans to expand them into character merchandise, themed events, games, and more.
Kang said, "This event reaffirms our unwavering commitment to continuously introduce Asia-Pacific originals and global general entertainment content through Disney+."
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