A+E’s Lifetime, History land in Korea

US channels operator A+E Networks has launched two of its leading brands, History and Lifetime, in South Korea to boost its original production output in Asia.

Sean Cohan

History and Lifetime have been introduced across TV and digital platforms with a slate of original programming spanning scripted drama, factual content and talkshows.

Among the first original productions to air on History in South Korea are History in a Bottle, a talkshow about traditional Korean alcoholic drinks, and digital shortform series The Reader, which will feature Korean hip-hop artists such as Nucksal, Tiger JK and Cheetah discussing their life stories.

For Lifetime, the first two originals are an adaptation of web toon The Best Moment to Quit My Job, coproduced with SK Broadband, and SM C&C-produced reality show Idol Moms, inspired by A+E franchise Dance Moms.

Sean Cohan, A+E’s president of international and digital media, said the company’s aim was to convert South Korea into a content hub.

“The digital maturity of the market allows us great opportunities to have a direct dialogue with consumers in different formats, platforms and technologies,” he added.

“Korean production has made its mark on the global content community. I look forward to A+E Korea’s team and productions making a tremendous impact on our global brands and content everywhere in the world.”

A+E’s launch means History and Lifetime are available in 20 million homes on linear television across the country through IPTV, major cable platforms and satellite broadcasting. Simultaneously, the brands can be accessed via digital services such as YouTube, Naver TV, Facebook, Instagram, and GomTV.

The move into South Korea has also seen A+E agree a deal with entertainment media company iHQ, already a strategic partner for the US network, for content format development to be distributed to the global market.

Two projects – cookery talent show Man vs. Child and survival competition Alone – are in development, with production expected before the end of the year.