Jeong Geun-wook, KT Studio Genie CEO: "Data Sharing Is the Key to Short-Form Growth" [BCWW 2026]

[Financial News] As the short-form drama market expands rapidly, industry experts have suggested that production companies and platforms must transparently share viewing and revenue data if they are to grow together. Accurately understanding audience reactions is essential to producing higher-quality works.
KT Studio Genie CEO Jeong Geun-wook, Viu Chief Content Officer Marianne Lee, and Crazy Maple Studio UA Director Vera Liu participated as panelists in Session 4, "Infinite Scalability: How Short-Form Content Has Changed Media Paradigms and Business Models," held at COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul on the 15th. They discussed the growth potential and revenue models of the short-form market. Crazy Maple Studio operates the global short-form drama platform ReelShort.

Jeong cited the scalability of global markets as the biggest reason KT Studio Genie entered the short-form business. He explained that the company was drawn to short-form content as a new format that can be produced and distributed with global audiences in mind from the outset.
Jeong said, "We determined that it was a format for producing and distributing Korean video content in global markets," adding, "Opportunities in global markets were the most important consideration in our decision-making."
Rather than applying the traditional long-form production model directly to short-form content, he explained, the company focused on learning the grammar of successful global works. It has analyzed productions from ReelShort and other platforms that have already achieved results in the market, while studying plot progression and how Korean content differs by transcribing successful scripts by hand.
However, he stressed that the strengths of Korean content should not be abandoned. Short-form productions can stand out in global markets by embracing the format's rapid pacing while combining it with K-content strengths, such as the ability to portray characters' emotions in detail and the distinctive flavor of Korean dialogue.

High user acquisition costs and revenue-sharing structures were cited as major challenges facing the short-form market. Short-form platforms currently focus on user acquisition (UA) marketing and per-episode payments to drive growth. However, many productions struggle to reach the break-even point because of the enormous marketing costs involved.
Jeong emphasized that the industry can continue to grow only if it establishes a structure in which platforms, production companies, and creators can all benefit.
He said, "The content industry can be sustainable only when the three stakeholders—the platforms, production companies, and creators—can grow together and share in the profits. Short-form platforms are currently growing around UA marketing and per-episode billing, but this approach will not remain the only model going forward."
Social media platforms and established over-the-top (OTT) services have also recently shown strong interest in the short-form business. OTT platforms are using short-form content to increase users' time spent on their services and their revisit rates.
Jeong viewed this as part of the short-form industry's search for revenue models suited to its characteristics. KT Studio Genie, he explained, is also diversifying investment risk by distributing content through approximately 40 platforms rather than relying on a specific platform or a single revenue model.
Above all, Jeong identified data sharing as the most urgent requirement for the short-form industry's continued growth.
He said, "From a production company or studio's perspective, what is most needed right now is data. We need to be able to closely examine where our content generates revenue and which scenes and elements receive the strongest response from viewers."
He added, "Revenue settlements can become more transparent, and we can produce higher-quality short-form content only when they are based on traffic, viewer responses, and revenue data. Sharing the data generated in that process before revenue is divided is an important foundation for growing the industry."
[email protected] Shin Jin-a Reporter