How Squid Game's success on Netflix has highlighted global appeal of Korean market

ZOO Digital Group, which provides media services to the global entertainment industry, has announced the launch of ZOO Korea following a strategic investment of 51 per cent in its long-time partner, WhatSub Pro.

In a statement, ZOO Digital said: "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."

"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.

"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."

Stuart Green, Chief Executive Officer of ZOO Digital, commented: “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. 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.

“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. 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.”