CJ ENM's homegrown streaming platform Tving has announced a comprehensive expansion into 17 Asia-Pacific markets through a strategic partnership with global media giant Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD). Under this agreement, Tving will launch a dedicated branded section within WBD's streaming service HBO Max, which will be available across regions including Southeast Asia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong by early next year.
Ahead of the official rollout, a collection of prerelease titles will premiere in November in select territories. Among these highly anticipated releases is the thriller romance "Dear X," starring Kim Yoo-jung and Kim Young-dae, which represents Tving's push to establish its original content in international markets.
Industry experts view this collaboration as a mutually beneficial arrangement for both companies. "In Tving's case, with Netflix dominating the global market, it needed a partner to go international; and for HBO Max, to expand its market share in Asia, it inevitably has to rely on the strong demand for K-content," said Jung Han, CEO of K EnterTech Hub and an adviser to KOCOWA, the overseas counterpart of Korean streaming platform Wavve.
The partnership allows Tving to leverage HBO Max's extensive distribution network across Asia, significantly reducing infrastructure costs while accelerating its entry into the global market. Meanwhile, HBO Max gains access to high-demand Korean content that carries strong regional influence. HBO Max has been actively expanding its Asian footprint, launching in five countries last year, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, and adding 14 more Asia-Pacific markets on October 15.
However, this partnership doesn't mean all CJ ENM content will be pulled from Netflix overnight. According to CJ ENM, distribution strategies vary on a case-by-case basis. Some titles may premiere exclusively on one platform but could move to a different platform when contracts expire. In certain regions, titles may even stream simultaneously on multiple platforms, depending on licensing agreements.
"For example, viewers in Hong Kong and Taiwan have mostly accessed Korean content through Netflix or local streaming platforms," a CJ ENM spokesperson explained. "But now, with HBO Max offering a wealth of hit originals and partnership with Tving, they'll have another strong option for Korean content."
The collaboration reflects a broader shift in the streaming landscape, where strategic partnerships between compatible platforms are becoming essential for survival and expansion. Domestically, Tving is already preparing for a merger with Wavve, a streaming service backed by Korea's major linear broadcasters. If finalized, this deal would create a single dominant platform housing most of Korea's top-rated dramas, reality shows, and original content.
The potential merged entity could offer an unmatched volume and diversity of Korean content, positioning itself as a strong competitor not just within Asia's fast-growing streaming space, but also against global giants like Netflix. "Just as Tving already features an Apple TV-branded section, this partnership model where compatible streaming platforms join forces to launch co-branded hubs has proven efficient in boosting both market reach and entry speed," the CJ ENM official noted.
"K-content continues to enjoy strong popularity across Asia, and both Tving and CJ ENM have demonstrated high resonance with audiences in the region. Individual titles have performed well on their own, but through the dedicated Tving-branded hub, we expect even greater accessibility and engagement," the official added.
Despite the optimism, some experts caution about the partnership's limitations. Jung Han noted that since HBO Max has yet to establish itself as a true global rival to Netflix, its alliance with Tving is likely to serve as a complementary partnership rather than a deal that fundamentally reshapes the market. "In the short run, it will help make the Tving brand more recognizable on the global stage, but in the long term, the challenge of achieving platform independence still remains," he said.
"Building our own platform is essential. Otherwise, we'll have to continue relying on Netflix in the global market – and even if we collaborate with Netflix, having our own platform makes a clear difference in terms of negotiation power and content utilization," Han emphasized.
Other industry experts see this partnership as a crucial test for whether a standalone Korean streaming service can thrive globally. Yun Suk-jin, a cultural critic and professor of Korean language and literature at Chungnam National University, explained that while the domestic platform Wavve attempted to break into the U.S. market through the KOCOWA brand, its limited success came from a weak lineup of original series.
"In contrast, Tving's stronger portfolio of original content gives it a real opportunity to see whether a Korean platform can truly expand internationally, even if it's not yet at a level to compete head-on with Netflix," Yun noted. He added that compared to Netflix, which leans heavily toward darker, more violent and provocative genres, Tving offers a richer catalog of romance and romantic comedy titles that resonate strongly with Asian audiences.
"Korean content and K-dramas reaching wider international audiences through Netflix is a good thing. But without platform ownership, that visibility risks being superficial. With Netflix's global streaming market share now exceeding 50 percent and its dominance expanding, Tving's strategic streaming partnership could serve as a meaningful counterbalance in today's media landscape," Yun explained.
The partnership also includes co-investment and co-production of Korean original series, setting the stage for globally distributed titles. According to CJ ENM, this represents the first phase of a broader international strategy. While the initial phase targets the Asia-Pacific region, the mid-to-long-term goal is to expand into North America and Europe, fueled by the success of jointly developed content.
"This partnership is both a launchpad for accelerating the worldwide spread of K-content and a catalyst for expanding the global K-culture fandom. Tving's international expansion will open new opportunities for Korean creators to reach global audiences, and the original IP jointly developed by both companies will serve as a lasting growth engine for the global media industry," the CJ ENM official concluded.
