TV Asahi Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Hiroshi Hayakawa) and SLL Joongang Co., Ltd (Headquarters: Seoul, Korea; Production Representative: Park Joon-Suh) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on May 17, to enhance and strengthen their relationship in production and content business, primarily focusing on drama.

SLL is a global content production and distribution studio belonging to JoongAng group along with JTBC, one of the major broadcasting companies in Korea, known for producing numerous domestic and international successful titles such as "Itaewon Class”, "Reborn Rich", and "Doctor Cha" and for being at the forefront of the K-drama phenomenon. TV Asahi will cooperate with SLL in both production and business to develop and create content that touches the hearts of viewers around the world.

TV Asahi and JTBC have been engaged in a capital business alliance since JTBC's establishment in 2011, working together to expand their news coverage and content business, including dramas and variety shows, in both Japan and Korea. In 2022, TV Asahi produced a Japanese remake of "Itaewon Class," originally produced by SLL and broadcasted on JTBC, titled "Roppongi Class," which garnered significant attention.

Formerly known as JTBC Studio, a subsidiary of JTBC, has been primarily engaged in the production of JTBC dramas. However, in 2022, the company underwent a name change to SLL, and has since been providing content for various platforms, including JTBC, Netflix, and Disney+.

In an effort to further strengthen our relationship with TV Asahi, SLL has entered into a new agreement. This agreement aims to foster mutual understanding between TV Asahi and SLL, with both parties contributing their respective experiences, know-how, and infrastructure to create content for the global market.

■ Comment from Toru Takeda, Vice Chairman of TV ASAHI 
On March 2, 2023, our Group announced a new medium-term management plan, "TV Asahi's New Era Management Plan 2023-2025," based on the fundamental principle that "the core value lies in content" and we are actively promoting the 360-degree expansion of content across all media platforms.

We are very excited and honored to partner with SLL, one of the leading content production companies in Korea. SLL is undoubtedly a strong driving force in achieving our goal of global IP business - creating content that resonates worldwide - as outlined in our management plan. We have full confidence in leveraging the long-standing trust and synergy between our two companies, including the capital business alliance with JTBC, to deliver original, diverse, and popular IPs worldwide.

■ Comment from Park Joon-Suh, CEO of SLL
We expect that the combination of TV Asahi's experience and expertise in delivering diverse content to the world, and SLL's capabilities in planning, production, and distribution as a global studio, will enable us to create high-quality works. We hope that this partnership will serve as a catalyst for us to jointly develop competitive content targeting the global market in the future content business field.

TV Asahi -Company Overview
Established : November 1957
Representative : Hiroshi Hayakawa
Address:6-9-1 Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Website : https://www.tv-asahi.co.jp/

TV Asahi Overseas Business
TV Asahi expands its business overseas, covering a wide range of industries from dramas, variety shows, anime, movies, to event management. Especially, kids' anime such as "Doraemon" and "Shin-chan" have been broadcasted and beloved worldwide for over 30 years. In the drama field, the "Doctor X" series has been distributed in over 190 countries and regions, and recently, "Ossan's Love" has been remade in Hong Kong and Thailand. In the variety show field, "London Hearts" has been localized and well-received in over 10 countries and regions in Europe and Asia. TV Asahi also engages in various new businesses, including original anime production in India and event collaborations with partnering studios in Thailand.

SLL Joongang Co.,Ltd -Company Overview
Established : July 2022
Representative : Yoon Ki-Yoon, Park Joon-Suh
Address : 38 Sangamsan-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, Korea
website : https://www.sll.co.kr/

SLL Business Overview
SLL, which changed its company name from JTBC Studio in 2022, is a fully-fledged studio that covers all aspects of the content business, from story planning and development to production, investment, and distribution. 

It is pioneering new horizons for K-content. The studio has led trends with high-quality works, unrestricted by platform and format, ranging from dramas created by the best production teams such as "Sky Castle", "The World of the Married", "Itaewon Class", "Hellbound", "D.P.", and "All of Us Are Dead", to films like "The Outlaws" and "Intimate Strangers".

Media Contact
Makiko Inaba（Ms.） or Kiyoyuki Suzuki(Mr.)
International Business Department, Business Development Division
+81-3-6406-1952