KOCOWA Brings New K-Pop Reality Show from SM STUDIO �welcome to NCT Universe� Exclusively to the Americas

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–With the increasing popularity of K-Pop, along with K-Pop fans who are always hungry for new content, the number 1 all-Korean content streamer KOCOWA is excited to announce that, as part of a new content deal, it will be the exclusive provider of SM STUDIO�s first global show “welcome to the NCT Universe,” in the Americas, with many more to come.

“welcome to NCT Universe” is a 10-episode reality show that debuts globally on November 16. NCT stands for “Neo Culture Technology” and is a worldwide group that recruits members freely, and…there is no limit on the number of members in the group! Currently, there are 23 active members in the NCT main group and its subunits, which include: the Billboard top 10 and platinum-selling NCT 127, teen-oriented and Billboard 21 under 21 named NCT DREAM, and Chinese boy band WayV.

A reality show, the “welcome to NCT Universe” story unfolds when SMROOKIES receive a mysterious invitation that opens the door to a special NEO CITY tour. Starting their NEO CITY exploration with professional guides SHOTARO and SUNGCHAN, viewers can follow SMROOKIES as they embark on their SMTOWN concert journey with NCT and travel with special friends.

Fans who can’t get enough of NCT can watch over eight other shows from SM C&C’s library featuring the group, including newcomers to the platform “NCT LIFE in Gapyeong” (filmed in 2021) that starts streaming on KOCOWA on November 24 and “WayVision 2” on December 28.

In addition to being the premier destination for many K-Pop stars, KOCOWA will be exclusively adding SM C&C-produced library titles and new shows with SM Entertainment artists in the upcoming months.

Yea Jee Lee, the Executive Producer and SM C&C Contents Business Unit Division Director, noted, “We are very pleased to partner with KOCOWA on the distribution of these shows across North, Central, and South America, as their audience of millions of K-Pop and Korean entertainment lovers truly hits our sweet spot of NCT fans. They’ve already had success with all seasons of NCT LIFE, so we’re excited to see their audience’s response to these new shows.”

KOCOWA CEO KunHee Park added, “As KOCOWA becomes more and more established as the top destination for Korean programming in the Americas, it’s exciting to work with SM Entertainment and SM C&C, such important leaders, to bring the latest in K-Pop TV to our audience. With these new shows, and our large library of K-Pop idols’ reality, behind-the-scenes, and concert shows, we are thrilled to be the streamer with the most content for dedicated K-Pop fans.”

Since its inception in 2017, KOCOWA has provided thousands of hours of fresh and classic K-Pop performances and reality shows featuring all the favorite idols to satisfy every type of fan. Some of the content includes:

Live Performances – KOCOWA streams three weekly live performance events and concert series that showcase the top shows, songs, and bands of that week. The latest K-Pop debuts and highly anticipated comebacks appear on “Music Bank K-Chart,” “Music Bank World Tour,” “Inkigayo,” and “Show! Music Core.” While these shows are new each week, KOCOWA also has a huge catalog of performances and interviews with favorite K-Pop bands for fans to explore.

Behind the Scenes Shows – KOCOWA has shows that take fans behind the scenes with the top K-Pop idols on tour, shows that feature idols as career coaches, plus auditioning, traveling, and more! Now that BTS has committed to serving in the military, their fans might love to enjoy shows like “Rookie King” where BTS offers a deeper dive into the band’s beginnings, interviews, rehearsals, and more in their absence. Other reality titles include EXO’s “Travel the World on a Ladder,” JYP and Psy’s “LOUD,” and more.

Reality Shows – Many of KOCOWA’s shows feature K-Pop fan favorite idols in everyday life, or as guest stars who play games and compete in challenges with a regular cast. Shows like the long-running, international hit “Running Man,” “Home Alone,” “The Manager,” “Idol Sports Athletic Challenge,” and others feature top music celebrities from South Korea like BTS, BlackPink, aespa, and many others.

KOCOWA’s popularity in Latin America is driven by this K-Pop programming, along with K-Dramas subtitled in Spanish. In the US, KOCOWA’s audience is 27% Latino, which is significantly overrepresented than their 19% of the US population.

About SM C&C (SM Culture & Contents)

SM C&C is a media production company that produces a variety of headline-grabbing, profitable high-quality content for local and overseas TV channels and OTT platforms by collaborating with top-tier local celebrities and artists, and strives to be No. 1 in the global content business.

About wA and KOCOWA

wA is a joint company between the top three Korean broadcasters – KBS, MBC, SBS, plus SK Telecom. wA launched KOCOWA, a subscription video streaming platform in the Americas, in 2017 with primary audiences in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Brazil. KOCOWA provides a robust lineup of over 20,000 hours of Korean Dramas, Reality, and K-Pop content in multi-languages on its direct platform. For more information please visit: www.kocowa.com

Contacts

Angie Averitt
wavve Americas, Inc.

a.averitt@kocowa.com