Turner Nabs Upcoming Korean Drama for Southeast Asia

HONG KONG: Turner International Asia Pacific has snapped up the full syndication and broadcast rights to the tentatively titled Korean drama series Saimdang for all platforms in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.

Saimdang sees Lee Young-ae (Jewel in the Palace) star as famous artist, writer and poet Shin Saimdang in the 16th century, as well as a modern-day university lecturer of Korean art. The deal comprises all distribution rights, including for pay TV, free-to-air and SVOD, and allows for broadcast as soon as ten minutes after the show's initial Korean telecast. The 30×1-hour series from Group 8 is currently in production and is expected to premiere at some point next year.

"This deal demonstrates Turner's continued commitment to investing in the very best Asian content out there," said Ricky Ow, the president of Turner Asia Pacific. "Lee Young-ae is one of the most recognizable characters in Korean drama and there's no doubting that Saimdang will be a huge hit in 2016."

"Saimdang is already generating considerable attention right across Asia," added B.J. Song, the president of Group 8. "Lee Young-ae is a huge star, not just in Korea, but around the region and we know that her fans will be anxious to see her return. We're very happy to be working with Turner on this project and anticipate the interest to increase even more in the coming months."