CJ ENM (Hong Kong), a channels and content distributor that is part of the Korean CJ ENM conglomerate, has picked up pay-TV rights in parts of Asia to a handful of Korean series that were co-financed by streaming platform Tving and Paramount+. The deal was struck with Paramount Global Content Distribution.
The productions are part of a global strategic partnership between CJ ENM and Paramount Global that was announced in December 2021.
The deal was announced on the eve of the Asian TV Forum (ATF), which kicks off next week in Singapore.
The series debut first on Tving in Korea and on Paramount+ in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, Latin America, Brazil, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. They then move to the CJ ENM-owned channels tvN and tvN Movies in the first window pay-TV slot in Southeast Asia.
The titles that CJ ENM (Hong Kong) will represent include suspense drama “A Bloody Lucky Day,” “Yonder” and “Bargain,” along with four others to be included in the deal later.
(In September, CJ ENM and Paramount Global announced their collaboration on four other titles “Dongjae, The Good or the Bastard”; “Dreaming of Cinde Fxxxing Rella,”“Pyramid Game and “Queen Woo.”)
“Bargain” is a remake of2015 Korean short film of the same title, and is the tale of a man who enters a motel not knowing that his internal organs are being auctioned off and about to be harvested. It stars Jin Sun-kyu (“Extreme Job,” “Kingdom”), Jun Jong-seo (“Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area Part I & II”) and Chang Ryul (“Lawless Layer,” “My Mister”). The serieswon best screenplay award at the 6thCanneseries Festival, and the critics’ choice award’ at the Seriencamp Festival in Cologne in 2023.
“Yonder,” a romantic journey in another world, has an ensemble cast of veteran performers including Shin Ha-kyun (“Beyond Evil,” “The Thieves”) and Han Ji-min (“Rooftop Prince,” “Our Blues”).
“A Bloody Lucky Day” will play on tvN in Southeast Asia in two parts. Episodes 1 – 6 will play from Saturday, while the remaining episodes will premiere in Korea on Dec. 8 and on tvN on Dec. 9. It stars Yoo Yeon-seok (“Dr. Romantic,” “Hospital Playlist 1 &2”), Lee Sung-min (“Juvenile Justice”) and Lee Jung-eun (“Our Blues,” “Yonder”). tvN Movies will debut “Yonder” and “Bargain” in January.
“tvN Movies celebrates its seventh anniversary this year and tvN will turn 15 year in 2024. Korean content continues to outperform itself and remain top choice for our audiences with unmatched creativity and global appeal. Apart from top-notch production and A-list talents, these dramas showcase diverse genres, from thriller to action and romance and are mostly produced by Studio Dragon and CJ ENM Studio. We will continue to engage our platform partners and viewers with highest quality premium contents,” said CJ ENM (Hong Kong) managing director, Michael Jung.
