Hot Picks: Made In Korea: The K-Pop Experience

ITV Studios is tapping into the rapidly expanding popularity of K-Pop around the world with an immersive format in which five guys from the UK are put through their paces to see if they have what it takes to become a music sensation.

Made In Korea: The K-Pop Experience came to ITV Studios from nascent global entertainment specialist Moon&Back, co-founded by entertainment heavyweight Nigel Hall, who formed Syco Entertainment with Simon Cowell and co-created the X Factor and Got Talent formats.

With a wealth of experience in music-based formats, ITV Studios’ global content manager for scripted and non-scripted Harry Arkwright leaped at “the amazing opportunity to work with them on such an exciting proposition”.

“There’s a lot of activity around the market. Buyers and commissioners are looking for the next talent show, and this is fresh, unique and fits the bill very nicely,” he tells Broadcast.

In the UK iteration, cameras go behind closed doors at K-Pop powerhouse SM Entertainment as the five young British men embark on an intense 100-day schedule of choreography, vocal and performance lessons, and life coaching.

They are immersed into all aspects of Korean life, with scenes shot at numerous iconic K-Pop locations to create the ultimate boot camp.

Arkwright says one way to think about the show is “what happens after the X Factor champ wins the show? This is about what the journey looks like, from initial success to stardom. That’s what makes it so intriguing.”

Each band member already has talent, but the series focuses on the rigorous training required to take it to the next level that K-Pop demands, and to impress judge and expert Hee Jun Yoon – who Hall says “makes Simon Cowell look like Mary Poppins”, according to Arkwright.

Despite the vigorous training and judging, Arkwright is eager to stress the series has an uplifting quality, and one he hopes speaks to a “new, younger audience that are much more engaged with social media than traditional TV”.

K-Pop as a genre appeals to younger audiences, and ITVS hopes to hook this generation with “a more authentic take on the talent genre”.

The UK finished tape allows audiences to feel closer to the band members, who build a close bond and feel comfortable sharing personal details about themselves – one member reveals how his diabetes affects his ability to train.

This authenticity has already taken the band into stratospheric popularity, with its social media reach hitting more than 100 million views even before the programme aired on BBC1 in the UK.

“The K-Pop community is massive and they are very much native to social media,” Arkwright explains, adding that this is something that could easily be replicated elsewhere.

“Our main targets are obviously the major territories that are format buyers – they all have very healthy music markets,” he says.

The US in particular is a focus, and ITVS is already having productive conversations with broadcasters in the territory. Australia, the Nordics and EMEA are also on the agenda.

Arkwright says: “You can just see how people amplify the music and how the fans reach and engage with it. The show really is extraordinary.”