Ustream Korea, the Korean operation of global live streaming platform Ustream, started services Tuesday to distribute Korean-made content online, especially K-pop.
The company, established in October, is a joint venture between KT Corp., holding 51 percent of shares, and Japan’s SoftBank, with the remaining 49 percent.
The first CEO Jimmy Kim showed confidence in achieving bigger success than in Japan within two to three years, citing major events this year such as the presidential elections and the Yeosu Expo.
“Considering the high filtration of mobile devices among Koreans, the market environment seems a lot better than in the U.S. or Japan. We have arrived here at the right time, right place,” Kim told The Korea Herald in a recent interview.
The 42-year-old former vice president of Viacom International Media Networks also hinted that the Korean service would be more specialized in distributing K-pop content around the world.
Some K-pop stars have already been using Ustream channels to hold fan meetings or mini concerts for their global fans.
Businesses also can use the platform for activities such as launching new products and press conferences.
Compared to Google’s YouTube service, Ustream is better optimized for live video streaming along with displaying a live chat window for users to jump into the conversations while watching videos, the company said.
Ustream was launched in the United States in 2007, by its co-founders Brand Hunstable and John Ham, with its presence expanding during Hurricane Katrina and the 2008 U.S. presidential elections.
The Korean launch came two years after SoftBank started Ustream Asia in Japan. Ustream has the Guinness world record for streaming an average of 4 million hours of live videos every month.
By Lee Ji-yoon (
jylee@heraldcorp.com)
