MIPTV Spotlight: CJ E&M

Women team up to seek revenge on targets as well as uncover social injustice in Avengers’ Social Club, one of the drama highlights being presented by CJ E&M to international buyers in Cannes.

The company is also highlighting Because This Is My First Life, about two strangers who move into an apartment together, and Cross, centered on a young man who becomes a doctor and volunteers to work in a prison hospital to avenge his father’s killer.

“The three titles above have recorded great ratings for the channel tvN,” says Jangho Seo, the general manager of CJ E&M’s global content division. “Viewers were immersed in the storylines and [imagined] themselves in the shoes of the characters. These titles are about stories that can happen anywhere to anyone in any culture, which is why they could be appealing internationally.”

Contestants find their soul mates through music in Love at First Song. It marks the first Korean format “to be produced and commissioned outside of Korea first with great success,” according Seo. “We look forward to making local versions as well as coming up with new ideas with other partners.”

In Thrifters On Tour, money-conscious celebrities compete to plan the best itinerary on a limited budget in a foreign country, while Boy or Man poses the question of whether or not a ten-year age gap in a relationship really matters.

“These formats possess a common denominator: empathy,” adds Seo. “Differentiating familiar ideas by injecting empathic emotions is not only providing a new approach for Korean viewers but also for international viewers.”