1 month ago
Korea’s CJ ENM has formed a associated task pinch Japan’s TBS and streaming level U-Next Holdings to collaborate connected accumulation and distribution of contented based connected Japanese and Korean IP.
Called Studio Monowa, nan caller task will bring together CJ ENM’s strengths successful K-drama and world accumulation pinch TBS’ expertise successful discovering original IP and driving IP-related businesses and transmission releases. U-Next will service arsenic nan superior level for nan associated venture, handling proviso and distribution of original titles.
The associated task woody was signed astatine nan CJ ENM Center successful Seoul by CJ ENM CEO Yoon Sang-hyun, Abe Ryujiro, President & CEO of TBS, and Tsutsumi Tenshin, CEO of U-Next.
According to a statement, Studio Monowa will merge “top-tier planning, production, and level capabilities from Korea and Japan to found a contented worth concatenation encompassing everything from readying and improvement to production, distribution, and IP description ”.
Describing nan process arsenic a LTV (Life-Time Value) based structure, nan partners said nan venture’s activities would span everything from original IP find and finance to play production, world distribution, secondary useful and spin-off businesses.
The connection besides said that nan business is driven by nan accelerated maturation of nan Japanese contented market, weighted astatine astir $45BN successful 2023, of which original IP accounted for astir $17BN. Japan’s streaming assemblage is besides experiencing accelerated maturation of 20.5% annually.
CJ ENM besides said that associated task traces it roots backmost to past April erstwhile CJ Group Chairman Lee Jay-hyun visited Japan to research imaginable collaborations done exchanges pinch leaders of awesome section contented and media companies. During that visit, Chairman Lee met pinch cardinal execs from TBS, including Chairman & Director Sasaki Takashi and CEO Abe Ryujiro.
TBS, 1 of Japan’s biggest broadcasters and contented creators, besides has a world accumulation section The Seven, which produced Alice In Borderland, and precocious made a strategical finance successful Legendary Entertainment.
U-Next, nan starring streamer successful Japan, surpassed 5 cardinal subscribers successful 2025 and has reported 9 consecutive years of gross growth.
CJ ENM has already been progressive successful Korea-Japan projects including nan Japanese remake of Amazon Original bid Marry My Husband, arsenic good arsenic moving pinch TBS connected Korea-Japan collaboration Love Is For The Dogs, produced by CJ ENM’s Studio Dragon.
The sanction Monowa combines nan Japanese words “mono”, which intends story, and “wa”, which intends harmony, signifying a abstraction wherever contented from some Korea and Japan is connected arsenic 1 to create caller value.
Yoon Sang-hyun said: “Through our collaboration pinch nan starring contented companies representing Korea and Japan, we will present deed contented that targets not only Asia but nan world market. By establishing an innovative business that integrates K-content’s systematic readying capabilities pinch world accumulation expertise from nan first IP improvement stage, we are committed to evolving into a starring world premium IP studio.”
Abe Ryujiro said: “We are thrilled to motorboat StudioMonowa alongside CJ ENM, a world-class hitmaker, and U-Next Holdings, which is aggressively driving original contented accumulation and world description . The ‘trinity’ of CJ ENM’s world-renowned accumulation DNA, TBS’s imaginative expertise, and U-Next Holdings’ powerful level scope will let america to showcase groundbreaking contented that captivates world audiences and keeps them connected nan separator of their seats.”
Tsutsumi Tenshin said: “We are delighted to found StudioMonowa alongside CJ ENM, a leader successful nan Korean intermezo industry, and TBS, a long-standing pillar of nan Japanese play industry. By consolidating CJ ENM’s world readying expertise, TBS’s top-tier play accumulation capabilities, and nan operational know-how U-NEXT has accumulated arsenic a platform, we are committed to creating caller hits that will recreation from Japan to nan world.”
