KT conducts reshuffle ahead of launching South Korea's top OTT service

Korea's telecom giant KT Corp. has reshuffled its media business units ahead of the pending absorption of its over-the-top (OTT) video platform Seezn, which will cease operations on Dec. 31, by CJ ENM Co.'s OTT streaming platform TVing. 

Information and communications technology sources on Wednesday said KT last month opened a division for its "N Screen" service to implement the company's "N Screen strategy" on providing media content to a variety of platforms such as OTT, mobile and internet TV (IPTV).

KT Managing Director Yoo Hyeon-jung, who headed Seezn's business operations, is leading the N Screen unit.

This unit will coordinate the separation of the company's media content businesses. The company said Seezn's absorption by TVing could cause "holes" in KT's other mobile OTT services over the short term, thus prompting the opening of the unit.

A prime example is the connection between mobile devices and IPTV. Watching TV content on mobile now is possible within the scope of KT service and the company's IPTV service Genie TV (formerly Olleh TV) also airs dramas through Seezn. This method will no longer be possible after Seezn's absorption by the third-party service TVing, so the N Screen unit will develop new services for linking platforms.

A separate N Screen app is also reportedly under consideration. KT will also release early next year an app for its OTT service Kids' Land Mobile, which is provided through Seezn.

KT said its strategy for media value chains will remain the same even after its sale of Seezn, with the gist of the approach to maximize content value through the use of one intellectual property (IP) on multiple platforms. For example, Storywiz, the company's affiliate specializing in web novels and webtoons, secures IP and produces content that is aired on Sky TV, Genie TV and SkyLife and Genie Music broadcasts the soundtrack.

KT is also redefining the roles of its media content affiliates. Last month, its subsidiary SkyLife TV, a multiple program provider, absorbed Media Genie (formerly Hyundai Media) to form a new corporation named after SkyLife TV owned by two companies in KT's media value chain.

Write to Han-Gyeol Seon at always@hankyung.com