– Exclusive partnership with Asia's largest production hub, visited by 20 million people annually
The first Korean company to become a full member of the Hengdian Drama Association, securing a legal route to enter the Chinese market.
Building a one-stop value chain from actor licensing to global distribution, a new era for K-content's entry into China.
Global short-content media production company Coco Media (CEO Noh Kyung-ho) announced on the 9th that it has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hengdian World Studios, home to the world's largest film and drama set. This agreement is seen as a crucial bridgehead, directly connecting Coco Media's one-stop production and distribution capabilities and MCN network to large-scale production infrastructure and distribution channels in China.
Hengdian Studios is China's largest production hub, attracting 20 million visitors annually. Since opening in 1996, it has perfectly recreated the Forbidden City, Tang Dynasty streets, the Qingming Shanghe Road Scenic Area, and the New Yuanming Garden, establishing itself as a unique location for Chinese historical drama sets. Registered as a China National 5A-level scenic spot in 2010, it serves as Asia's largest production hub, with an average of over 100 production teams filming simultaneously each day. Korean productions such as the MBC drama "Empress Ki" have also been filmed there.
Through this agreement, Coco Media will be able to produce joint dramas and short dramas using the Hengdian set, as well as produce global brand PPL and advertising content.
Furthermore, Cocomedia has become the first global company outside of China to become a full member of the Hengdian Drama Association, granting it the right to send its actors to the Hengdian Academy. This arrangement allows actors to obtain a legal license to perform in China after a seven-day training program, potentially leading to Cocomedia actors' full-fledged activities in China and increased sales. Industry insiders predict this agreement will mark a new milestone for K-content expansion into China.
Through this agreement, Coco Media plans to create various synergies, including ▲ joint production of Korean-Chinese dramas and short dramas ▲ support for the activities of actors and creators in China ▲ expansion of global MCN business linked to the brand.
Coco Media is building an integrated entertainment ecosystem that encompasses everything from content planning to production, distribution, and management through affiliates such as Coco Media, a specialized short drama production company, Coco Stars, a celebrity and actor management company (with 30 million domestic celebrity followers and 2.2 billion international celebrity followers), and Coco Stories, a web novel company (with 500 IPs and 90 writers).
Noh Kyung-ho, CEO of Coco Media, is a content industry veteran who has run a drama production company in China for nine years since 2016 and planned a Chinese remake of 'Itaewon Class'. He saw the growth potential of the short content market and founded Coco Media in 2022.
CEO Noh emphasized, "This collaboration goes beyond simply using a set. Building on our legal local activity license in China, it provides actors and creators with new opportunities, while also providing investors and partners with a stable platform for entering the Chinese market." He added, "As a global production company, Coco Media will continue to demonstrate both investment value and business scalability, leveraging our differentiated competitiveness."
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