Disney says collaboration marks bold step into Korean market, key move in APAC strategy
Korean streamer Tving, home to hits like “Yumi’s Cells” and “Pyramid Game," announced Tuesday it has partnered with Disney+ to launch a bundle offering access to Tving, Disney+ and Wavve under one subscription.
The rollout marks the first three-way streaming bundle from a Korean platform and the first partnership of its kind between a Korean platform and a global streamer in the domestic market.
The new bundle comes in two variations: 3 Pack, which unlocks all three services for 21,500 won per month, and Double (Disney+), which pairs Tving with Disney+ for 18,000 won per month.
Tving and Wavve have been pursuing a merger since 2023 and secured conditional approval from Korea’s Fair Trade Commission in June. While Wavve content is not yet integrated into Tving, the services currently offer six joint bundle options that give users access to both. These vary by video quality and the number of supported devices.
Tving says the 3 Pack and Double plans offer up to 37 percent savings compared with subscribing to each streamer separately.
According to Tving, the initiative is designed to strengthen collaboration within the domestic streaming sector and offer an expanded content slate at a more accessible price point, spanning K-dramas, variety shows, news, sports and marquee Disney, Pixar and Marvel titles.
The rollout expands upon Tving and Disney+’s previously announced partnership on Nov. 4. As part of that collaboration, Tving launched a branded hub, the Tving Collection, on Disney+ Japan — marking both Tving’s entry into the Japanese market and the first time Disney+ has created a dedicated Korean streamer hub in the Asia-Pacific region. At that time, Tving identified Japan as a “key strategic market” for its global expansion.
Tony Zameczkowski, senior vice president and general manager, direct-to-consumer for The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific, said via Tuesday's press release, “This collaboration marks a bold step for Disney+ in the Korean market and a key move in our APAC strategy."
“We’re also pleased to contribute to bringing outstanding Korean content to international audiences, and we hope this partnership sets a new cross-border standard for collaboration within the streaming industry," he added.
According to data from the analytics platform Mobile Index, Netflix led Korea’s streaming market in August with 14 million monthly active users, or MAU. Tving ranked second with 7.5 million MAU, followed by Coupang Play with 7.2 million. Wavve came in fourth with 4.3 million MAU and Disney+ rounded out the top five with 2.7 million. MAU, a key performance metric for online platforms, tracks the number of users engaging with a service over a 30-day period.
yoonseo.3348@heraldcorp.com
