By Jihoon Lee
SEOUL, March 20 (Reuters) – Netflix anticipates more opportunities for live events in South Korea, the company said on Friday, as the U.S. streaming platform prepares to livestream a highly anticipated BTS comeback concert in Seoul.
At a press conference, Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, added that the company’s investment in Korea would continue to grow, saying that they hoped the BTS event on Saturday would be “a spectacle unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
“I would imagine that with our commitment to partnering with our producers in Korea, there will be many other opportunities for other live events,” he said.
“We have some things perhaps in the works I can’t speak to right now.”
BTS’ one-hour concert, to be held in Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square, will mark the release of the seven-member group’s first new album in more than three years and the start of a global tour in April.
It will be streamed live on Netflix to 190 countries, marking the U.S. platform’s first global live broadcast of a music concert.
Riegg said that Netflix was also investing more in infrastructure in South Korea to have the capability to carry out more live events.
“Korean culture, Korean entertainment which is so beloved, clearly just makes it an obvious choice to continue deepening that partnership,” he said.
Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing a source, that Netflix is planning a “KPop Demon Hunters” world tour, as it looks to capitalize on its most popular movie.
(Reporting by Jihoon Lee; Writing by Brenda Goh; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Thomas Derpinghaus)
