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| ▲ These images, provided by each platform, shows (from the top) Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Nov. 5 (Yonhap) -- As Apple TV+ began its service in Korea on the 4th, global war on who will dominate the Korean OTT market has broken out.
Netflix has been monopolizing the Korean OTT market, but starting with the arrival of Apple TV+, Disney+ will soon land as well on the 12th in an attempt to turn over the table.
Netflix, which has been expanding its OTT industry to a global extent by presenting various contents of novel genres such as “Squid Game,” “Kingdom” and “Sweet Home,” is bristling up their nerves worrying that they would have their subscribers snatched away to the new arrivals.
The newcomers’ strategies are quite different. Apple TV+ will provide their watchers only with original contents to create their own internal collection. Disney+ is planning a ‘zerg rush’ using the wide range of productions from its affiliates: Disney, Marvels and Star Warz.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Apple TV+, shows "Dr. Brain." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Apple TV+ to provide original contents only … reveals lineup of 70 works
The biggest distinction Apple TV+ has from the other OTT services is that it only provides original contents.
Apple TV+ is taking a different route from the other two that seize the right to distribute TV productions or works released on the theaters to directly service them on their platforms.
Currently, the platform has about 70 original series and films. Starting from “Dr. Brain” on the 4th, they will add new productions every month.
Their insisting of original contents seems to indicate that their first-priority is to keep their contents’ quality up to their brand name.
Rather than focusing on the – “I didn’t know what you’d like so I prepared everything” – strategy, they aim to meet high standards with carefully selected productions.
Their relatively lowest monthly membership fee (6,500 Korean won) seems to have taken into account their small quantity of contents compared to that of Netflix and Disney+ whose monthly fees start from 9,500 won and 9,900 won respectively.
Instead, Apple TV+ allows their users to enjoy contents from Wavve, Watcha and Disney+ by connecting with other platforms through Apple TV application. In other words, Apple TV+ subscribers can watch contents dispersed in multiple platforms using a single app.
Also, the application users can search and purchase or rent over thousands of productions from not only the Korean studios but also from the American studios such as Disney, Warner Bros and Universal.
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| ▲ These photos, provided by Disney+, shows (from the left) "Wanda Vision" and "Loki." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Disney+ has over 16,000 episodes, from “Little Mermaid” to “The Avengers”
Disney+, based on its 100-year-old world-class media company Disney, will compete using its vast collection of contents.
The platform’s current contents add up to over 16,000 episodes.
Users of Disney+ can watch productions of Disney’s key brands – Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Warz and National Geographic – and films and TV programs of Star, an ordinary entertainment brand.
They will include Disney’s classic animations such as “Little Mermaid,” “Lion King” and “Frozen” and world-fandom based series, “The Avengers” of Marvel and “Star Warz.”
In particular, Disney and Pixar’s animations will take hold of the adults who still have nostalgia for their childhood fairytales.
There are observations that as Netflix and the other OTT services have mainly focused on adult-targeted contents, Disney+ will be in high demand to households with children.
In addition, the platform has set out to lure potential subscribers by revealing its Marvel heroes·villains series.
On the day of its arrival in Korea, the platform will start servicing Marvel’s popular villain, Loki’s first episode “Loki” and “Wanda Vision” that unveils the birth story of the Scarlet Witch.
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows "Squid Game." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
◇ Netflix as pioneer of OTT industry…may “remain as monopolizer for some time”
Netflix will face Apple TV+ and Disney+ with its biggest strength point – the founder of the OTT industry.
The pioneer was the first to open up an online service where users can subscribe to unlimited monthly membership in 1999. Then they hit a global jackpot due to the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic and has gained over 210 million subscribers according to the giant platform’s 3rd quarter record for this year.
Investing aggressively on producing countless contents, Netflix has reached mega-successes such as the most recent smash-hit, “Squid Game.”
The OTT pioneer, as a new form of contents entrepreneur’s strong point is that they well-present fresh and novel productions.
The recent successful productions like “Squid Game,” “Kingdom” and “Sweet Home” would have been inappropriate to be broadcast on televisions as these kinds of genres tend to be highly violent or sexual. It would have been difficult to produce them due to heavy costs as well. But despite of these obstacles, these works could come out into the world thanks to Netflix’s back-up.
As Netflix holds a thick mass of loyal subscribers and is a dominant figure in the market with various high-quality contents, it will be a hard time for the newcomers to settle into the industry.
“Netflix has currently seized the OTT industry. For now, their current status won’t be affected much. But, as they don’t hold many kids-contents, family consumers may prefer Disney+,” predicted pop culture critic Kim Sung-soo.
He also added, “Apple TV+’s contents’ competence is quite weak for now, but in the long run, they may gather subscribers with their accumulated original contents by then. Although, the platform is a late runner, its company is apt at designing platforms, so people are interested in how they will penetrate the market.”
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