ZOO Digital Group plc (AIM: ZOO), has broken into the Korean market with the launch of ZOO Korea following a strategic investment of 51 per cent in its long-time partner, WhatSub Pro.
The company said that ZOO Korea will deliver an in-territory servicing hub for the biggest names in entertainment, helping to address the growing global demand for Korean content and distribution of non-Korean titles in the country with high-quality, secure dubbing, subtitling, quality control and media services.
The new hub strengthens ZOO’s regional presence with experienced in-territory capacity and increases its media services capabilities. It will ensure ZOO is even better placed to support its global clients with premium localisation into and from the Korean language. At a time when Korean content is amongst the most watched in the world, this enables content owners to bring local language shows and movies to new global audiences, and to expand viewership in Korea.
“Korean content is becoming increasingly popular in global entertainment, garnering new audiences due to its high production values as viewers embrace foreign-language shows and movies,” said Stuart Green, CEO of ZOO Digital. “ZOO Korea will help our clients create the very best localised versions of this content and capture the imagination of new global followers and fans.”
Global hits like Squid Game – the most watched Netflix show in more than 90 countries – have highlighted the international appeal of Korean content and the value of local content to streaming companies building their presence in new markets. Having launched in the region last November, Disney+ has announced plans to create more than 50 Asia Pacific original productions by 2023, while Netflix has reported having spent more than $1 billion on original Korean programming since 2015, including $500 million in 2021 alone.
Who is WhatSub Pro?
Founded in 2015, WhatSub Pro has a network of dedicated Korean linguists and media specialists devoted to audiovisual content such as movies, drama shows, documentaries and gaming. The Seoul-based language services provider and partner to ZOO since 2015 offers high-quality subtitling, dubbing, quality control and media services, supported by a combination of in-house and freelance talent.The launch of ZOO Korea forms part of ZOO’s global growth initiative to support major content creators and streaming services. ZOO Digital said it will make further announcements regarding its investments as deals are completed.
“With this investment, we can meet growing demand from our clients by offering an immediate established presence with a reputation for delivering high quality within the entertainment industry, fully integrated with ZOO’s global ecosystem,” Green explained. “This makes it easier for global companies to localise their content for Korean audiences, as well as helping local Korean content to reach new audiences around the world.”
New possibilities for content owners and entertainment players
ZOO Korea opens up new possibilities for content owners in the region and for the biggest players in global entertainment. With the boom in video streaming services and the growing popularity of Korean content, there is a huge demand for experienced, proven media translators and dubbing artists.
ZOO Digital supports major Hollywood studios and streaming services to globalise their content and reach audiences everywhere, by providing world-leading, technology-enabled localisation and media services. Founded in 2001, ZOO Digital operates from hubs in Los Angeles, London, Dubai, Istanbul and Seoul with a development and production centre in Sheffield, UK. The company is targeting $100m sales in the medium term.
Zoo Digital provides media services through its platforms that include: ZOOsubs, ZOOdubs, ZOOstudio. Its full-service proposition delivers the end-to-end services required to prepare both original and catalogue content for digital distribution; these services include dubbing, subtitling & captioning, metadata creation & localisation, artwork localisation and media processing. Alongside this offering, ZOO also provides its customers with management platforms and strategic solutions to support their own internal globalisation operations.
