Continuing to focus on expanding its business in South Korea, BBC Studios has launched a BBC Kids subscription service in partnership with Korean internet service provider KT.

BBC Kids will be offered as part of KT’s Genie TV Kids Land package of OTT channels, featuring content such as Hey Duggee (pictured, season four is an exclusive in the region), Go Jetters, Yakka Dee, Sarah & Duck and My World Kitchen in both English and Korean dubs. 

This new service launch is compatible with a broader BBC Studios strategy to do more business in South Korea. In 2023, the company inked a deal with pubcaster EBS to air Bluey episodes every weekday, as well as rolling out Bluey books (Penguin Random House) and console title Bluey: The Videogame in the region. Building on these moves, BBC Studios then announced a partnership with SMG Holdings and Studio Acorn to create publishing and apparel programs and live events for Bluey and Hey Duggee that started rolling out in Q3 2023. 

The country also seems to be a source of fascination for the BBC Children’s content team, which co-commissioned Gangnam Project with CBC Kids in Canada. This tween/teen live-action series, which was partially shot on location in Seoul, is about a Canadian/Korean teen who travels to South Korea to teach English but ends up pursuing her dream of becoming a K-pop star. It premiered on CBBC and iPlayer in February.