Samsung, LG, SK Telecom unveil Web TV

Kim Young-soo, managing director of Samsung Electronics, second from right, and Kah Jong-hyun, managing director of SK Telecom, right, shake hands with other executive members of the Digital TV Portal Forum yesterday. [YONHAP]

Electronic appliance makers, mobile service carriers and Internet content providers including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, Joins.com and CJ Internet have joined together to launch a new type of digital television.
The group yesterday launched a TV portal service titled “365?C” to begin operations as early as next month.
The DTV portal service will enable subscribers to surf the Internet on their digital TVs and take advantage of digital content including entertainment, education, games, sports and shopping with a remote control. No keyboard or mouse will be necessary.
The brand is a combination of the temperature of the human body, 36.5 centigrade; the number of days in a year; and C, standing for “see,” explained the companies’ group, the Digital TV Portal Forum.
Kwon Hee-min, chairman of the Digital TV Portal Forum, said, “It is true that the Internet has immensely contributed to narrowing the information and knowledge gap among ordinary people, but some who are not familiar with computers yet have difficulty receiving such benefits.” The DTV portal service targets these people, he said.
Whereas existing TV portal services, such as Hana TV by Hanaro Telecom Inc., are led by single companies, the new service will be administered through a partnership between a variety of companies in a parallel relationship, said the forum.
Samsung and LG will be responsible for selling the network gadgets and set-top boxes that make the service possible, while SK Telecom will serve as the subscriber certification and billing authority. Other Web companies will offer content.
At the time of the brand launch, five additional Web content providers have also decided to participate, including Baeoom.com, an online education service, and Doosan Dong-a, a Web-based publisher.

By Seo Ji-eun Staff Writer [spring@joongang.co.kr]