Multi-channel Network
YouTube, a popular multi-channel network (MCN) allows individual creators to inform the world of their content via the Internet. This overwhelming power has brought more than one billion visitors to the site a year since its launch in May 2005. Even now, 300 hours of video are being uploaded to YouTube every minute in real time. The video service website laid the foundation for the MCM business while sharing profits with individual creators.
In Korea, CJ E&M has been engaging in the MCN business since July 2013. What sets CJ E&M’s MCM business apart from YouTube is the fact that CJ E&M not only shares profits with creators, but also supports them even from their production stages.
One-man broadcasting is catching on these days. Thus, Korean mobile service carriers are embracing individual media content creators by offering them channels. With the center of the telecommunication service moving from voice calls to data use, telecommunication companies are zooming in on expanding video services that can fuel data consumption.
This means that the more one-man broadcasting content popular among data consumers they have, the more data they can sell and the more services they can secure and offer. With big telecommunication companies entering the one-man broadcasting channel competition after internet broadcasters, one-man broadcasting is booming more than ever.
According to industrial sources on Nov. 12, early this month, SK Telecom launched Hotzil, a mobile video service specialized in music, lifestyle and entertainment. Prior to it, LG U+ began the Power Youtuber service, an MCN curation service on its LTE Video Portal.
Mobile service carriers’ MCM offers customized services, dealing mainly with themes that can interest consumers unlike current services. SK Telecom’s Hotzil offers channels, a professional creator, and mobile video providers in the form of smartphone applications to entertainers and popular broadcast jockeys (BJs). Its user interface helps consumers watch their favorite channels in compliance with their individual matters of interest.
Hotzil is divided into music, life and entertainment. Viewer age, gender and previous watch lists determine interfaces made up of different content. Additionally, the longer their watch lists become, the more delicate user interfaces the service can offer, enabling viewers to watch their favorite content with one touch.
Power YouTuber Curation Service, an MCN of LG U+, offers broadcasting content through various corners such as “Newest,” “Best,” “Popular BJ,” “Genres” and “Theme Recommendation.” In particular, the service nicely arranges the genres -- funny camera, beauty care, games, talk shows, everyday life and humor – so viewers can choose the videos that they are interested in.