Korean Wave strategy pivots from content export to offshore production infrastructure; deal framework to be finalized at ATF Singapore in December
The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and Korean terrestrial broadcaster SBS signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul on April 21 to jointly develop global content and AI media solutions — a deal that marks a decisive shift in Korean broadcasters’ international strategy from finished-content export toward offshore co-production infrastructure.
The move reflects three structural pressures converging on Korea’s terrestrial networks at once: a saturated domestic advertising market, rising production costs that single-market financing can no longer absorb, and intensifying AI-driven localization competition.