Key Points
- KBS and Sinclair are launching a new Korean-language multicast network called K-Channel 82 across Sinclair’s U.S. stations.
- The channel is expected to reach about 30 million homes through Sinclair’s NextGen TV broadcast network.
- The partnership also includes a shoppable streaming app and access to KBS disaster alert technology.
South Korean public broadcaster KBS is partnering with Sinclair, Inc. on a new multicast network that will offer Korean-language programming via Sinclair’s NextGen TV stations across the country.
The new channel, called K-Channel 82, will be programmed by KBS and is expected to reach approximately 30 million homes across Sinclair’s network of 185 local television stations.
In addition to the broadcast channel, the companies plan to jointly develop a mobile streaming app that will provide access to KBS programming while also linking viewers directly to retailers selling related products. The app is designed to create a commerce-driven viewing experience tied to Korean pop culture.
The forthcoming app will feature shoppable capabilities, including the ability to buy products associated with artists and music videos, the companies affirmed. Advertising revenue generated from KBS programming on Sinclair’s stations will be shared between the two companies under the terms of the agreement.
The partnership also extends beyond content distribution. KBS will provide Sinclair with access to its disaster broadcasting technology, which combines GPS data with terrestrial broadcast infrastructure to deliver location-specific emergency alerts.
The system can transmit evacuation instructions, safety information and other emergency messages to viewers even when traditional communication networks fail. According to KBS, the patent-pending technology is capable of determining locations with centimeter-level precision. The new agreement builds on a memorandum of understanding signed by the companies in January and moves the partnership into a more concrete implementation phase.
“[The deal] is an attempt to overcome the limits of the shrinking domestic broadcast advertising market by partnering with a U.S. terrestrial broadcaster to develop new revenue models,” KBS President Park Jang-beom said in a statement. “It will also help monetize KBS’s technology and content competitiveness in global markets while sharing our disaster broadcasting technology more widely.”
Sinclair operates one of the largest portfolios of local television stations in the United States and is currently the country’s second-largest station owner.
