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Tag: CJ ENM

  • Amazon MX Player gets its K fix with 18 CJ ENM dramas streaming for free

    Amazon MX Player gets its K fix with 18 CJ ENM dramas streaming for free

    MUMBAI: K is clearly for kickstart, as Amazon MX Player dives into the Korean wave with its biggest drama drop yet, an exclusive 18-title content deal with CJ ENM, one of the world’s most influential entertainment companies. Following Amazon’s acquisition of MX Player earlier this year, this marks the first official content package between the two players in India, and it’s a love story scripted for the country’s ever-growing K-drama fandom.

    Leading the line-up is Lovely Runner, the breakout romance that set global K-pop hearts fluttering, premiering on 8 September 2025. But the marathon doesn’t end there. Over the next four quarters, Indian viewers can expect a steady stream of fan-favourite titles from My Lovely Liar and Twinkling Watermelon to Wedding Impossible and Delightfully Deceitful. Each will roll out free of cost, dubbed in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, making them accessible to millions beyond the subtitle-savvy crowd.

    For MX Player, this is more than a content drop, it’s a sharp play in the AVOD streaming space, offering premium Korean dramas on a completely free model. “The demand for global content, especially K-dramas, has grown exponentially in India,” said Amazon MX Player director and head of content Amogh Dusad. “With 18 premium dramas many blockbusters now available in local languages, we’re thrilled to make these shows accessible at no cost.”

    CJ ENM, which has already proven its storytelling muscle worldwide, sees this as a milestone in K-content’s Indian journey. CJ ENM VP of international business Sebastian Kim called it a “very meaningful launch,” noting that the combination of strong casts, compelling narratives and high production values will strike a chord with Indian audiences.

    Viewers can catch the shows exclusively on Amazon MX Player across multiple touchpoints from the MX Player mobile and Connected TV app to Prime Video, Fire TV, Airtel Xtreme, and even the Amazon shopping app. With free access and familiar local languages, MX Player is betting that India’s growing K-drama community is ready to binge like never before.

    The partnership also underlines Amazon MX Player’s broader strategy: to blend global hits with local resonance, drawing new audiences through culturally adapted content. And with K-dramas now just a click away minus the subscription fee, the next big binge in India may well come with subtitles switched off and romance dialled up in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

  • Prime Video goes K-razy: CJ ENM deal brings Korean hits to the global stage

    Prime Video goes K-razy: CJ ENM deal brings Korean hits to the global stage

    MUMBAI: Prime Video is diving deep into the K-drama wave. At the Waves Summit in Mumbai on Saturday, the streamer announced a blockbuster global pact with South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM locking in multi-year worldwide rights (barring Korea and China) to some of Korea’s most popular and upcoming screen gems.

    Set to kick off in late June with fantasy-romance series Head Over Heels, the partnership will see Prime Video release a slew of exclusives through 2025 and 2026 from Studio Dragon and CJ ENM Studios. Prime members can also binge a revamped line-up of beloved back-catalogue titles like Her Private Life, Another Miss Oh, and gritty fan-favourite Mouse.

    All this will be served with subtitles in 28 languages and dubbing in 11—part of Prime Video’s bid to make Korean content irresistibly accessible to fans from São Paulo to Seoul.

    “This strategic collaboration with CJ ENM reinforces Prime Video’s commitment to bringing the best of Korean entertainment to our customers worldwide,” said Prime Video head of International & VP Kelly Day. “Korean content continues to resonate deeply with global audiences. We’ve witnessed the borderless appeal of Korean storytelling with the phenomenal success of shows like Marry My Husband, No Gain, No Love which not just captured hearts across continents, but also found their place in the Top 10 most-watched non-English language International Originals from 2024, posting super strong viewership outside their country of origin. We are now thrilled to offer new and exclusive titles, alongside a catalogue of consumer favourites exclusively to Prime Video’s global consumer base, in a language of their preference.”

    “At Prime Video, our ambition is to be the first-choice entertainment hub for consumers. From the best of global content, to popular stories from Asia, we want to be a destination where consumers can effortlessly discover their next favourite story. As Korean content continues to find massive audiences worldwide, we’re thrilled to bring these captivating narratives exclusively to our worldwide audiences,” said Prime Video vice president, APAC & Mena Gaurav Gandhi. “Our strategic collaboration with CJ ENM marks a new chapter in this journey, giving Prime members front-row access to some of the most  compelling and innovative content from Korea.”

    “We’re thrilled about this partnership with Prime Video, which allows us to bring our unique Korean stories to an even broader global audience,” said CJ ENM’s content business division executive vice president Jangho Seo. “Korean entertainment has been winning hearts around the world with its compelling narratives, relatable characters, and outstanding production quality. We’ve already seen tremendous success with titles like Marry My Husband and No Gain, No Love, which achieved remarkable viewership milestones on Prime Video and reaffirmed the universal appeal of our storytelling. Through Prime Video’s extensive global reach and strong commitment to multi-language subtitles and dubbing strategies, we are excited to make our upcoming titles even more accessible and enjoyable for audiences across cultures and languages. This collaboration not only strengthens CJ ENM’s global footprint but also reflects our shared vision with Prime Video to deliver captivating stories to fans worldwide. We look forward to building on this momentum and deepening our connection with viewers everywhere.”

    The move cements Prime Video’s growing bet on Korean drama as a frontline act in its global expansion. For subscribers, it’s a K-lovers’ dream. For the industry, it’s another sign that Hallyu isn’t just here to stay—it’s scaling up.

  • K-dramas rank second on Netflix, just behind US content: Ampere research

    K-dramas rank second on Netflix, just behind US content: Ampere research

    MUMBAI: South Korean content is delivering knockout streaming figures for Netflix, now accounting for a whopping 17 per cent of the platform’s top 500 non-US shows and films, according to fresh research from Ampere Analysis.

    The streaming giant’s Seoul-mates now rank second only to American content for total viewing hours, a relationship that’s proving rather lucrative as Netflix pursues its ad-tier strategy and battles subscriber churn.

    In the latter half of 2024, viewers devoured 7.7 billion hours of Korean content—roughly 8 per cent of all Netflix viewing—outpacing entertainment heavyweights like the UK, Japan and Spain. Squid Game Season 2 topped global charts with a staggering 619.9 million streaming hours, while romance drama Love Next Door and cooking competition Culinary Class Wars also cooked up impressive numbers.

    Viewing share

    The streaming service isn’t playing hard to get, either. Netflix has pledged a cool $2.5 billion to Korean content between 2024 and 2028, having already established relationships with local broadcasting titans CJ ENM, JTBC, KBS, SBS and MBC. Meanwhile, local production capacity continues to expand with facilities like Studio 139 and Samsung Studio now operational.

    Korean media powerhouse CJ ENM is riding this global Hallyu wave with gusto, earmarking $818 million for content in 2025 while eyeing international expansion through Netflix exposure, partnerships with global studios, and potentially launching its streaming platform Tving worldwide.

    “Korean content plays a pivotal role in Netflix’s international success, driving both breakout hits and sustained viewing time,” notes Ampere Analysis research manager Orina Zhao. “South Korean content owners are well-positioned to capitalise on the global Hallyu phenomenon, maximising worldwide audience reach through strategic distribution and collaborations.”

    As the Hallyu wave shows no signs of crashing, Netflix’s Korean romance appears set for quite the happy ending.