Kakao TV paves new path for entertainers and producers

Television

Published: 13 Oct. 2020, 17:33 Updated: 13 Oct. 2020, 19:11

Kakao TV paves new path for entertainers and producers

The cast of the Kakao TV entertainment show "Kakao TV Morning." [Kakao M]

Kakao TV is paving a new path for entertainers and producers by coming up with new video content that is smartphone-friendly to target the millennials and Generation Z.

Launched as a new streaming business by Kakao M last month, Kakao TV held an online press conference on Monday to share the progress of its original entertainment shows: “My Dream is Ryan,” "ZZIN Kyung-kyu,” and “Kakao TV Morning.”

Singer Kim Hee-chul ,chief producer Kim Min-jong and actor Shim Hyung-tak of Kakao TV's ’My Dream is Ryan.“ [KAKAO M]

KakaoTalk's in-app video streaming service sets itself apart from other over-the-top (OTT) platforms by producing original content in the so-called “short-form” format that runs for about 10 minutes. Many are also produced in vertical formats that are optimized for smartphones.

"Our motto is to create dense, short-form content starring famous celebrities,” Oh Yoon-whan, the main director of Kakao TV's original studio, said.

From left: Main director of Kakao TV's original studio Oh Yoon-whan, comedian Lee Kyung-kyu and producer Kwon Hae-bom of Kakao TV's "ZZIN Kyung-kyu." [KAKAO M]

"I chose Kakao TV to show that I will never change even if the platform changes,” veteran comedian Lee Kyung-kyu, who appears on Kakao TV's entertainment show "ZZIN Kyung-kyu," said. "We will try novel ideas and formats that are difficult to try on terrestrial TV channels.”

"Kakao TV Morning," produced by veteran entertainment show producers Park Jin-kyung, Moon Sang-don and Kwon Sung-min, offers five different segments depending on the day of the week, ranging from educational English study program “Kakao TV Morning – Yo! Nudoo” to celebrity interview program "Kakao TV Morning – Shall we KKTalk?"

“Some people are misled by the title because of the word ‘Morning,’ but you can enjoy the content anytime when you are free,” Park Jin-kyung, the producer of “Kakao TV Morning,” said. “It’s just that the videos are uploaded every morning at 7 a.m.”

“As an entertainer, I’ve done so many programs in the past 10 to 20 years that every new program sounds cliché,” entertainer Noh Hong-chul who appears on “Kakao TV Morning – The Three Ants” said. “But Kakao M told me that they will let me do and say anything to try something completely new. When they said they are studying the new digital trend, I wanted to learn how different the mobile-oriented entertainment programs could get.”

“Our original studio will continue making more entertainment shows in the future, and keep pace with the changing mobile trend," Oh said.

The streaming platform previously announced that it will produce six dramas and 19 entertainment shows by the end of the year and more than 240 original series in three years.

BY KIM YEON-AH [kim.yeonah@joongang.co.kr]