CJ ENM, celebrating its 30th anniversary in cultural business, announced that it will showcase approximately 65 dramas and variety shows in 2025.
On the morning of the 10th, ‘CJ ENM Content Talk 2025’ was held at the CJ ENM Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. CEO Yoon Sang-hyun, Park Sang-hyuk, head of the Media Business Division's Channel Business Department, and Min Sun-hong, Chief Content Officer (CCO) of Tving, participated to introduce CJ ENM's 2025 content strategy and the lineup of tvN, the No.1 K-content channel, and Tving, a leading domestic OTT platform.
CEO Yoon Sang-hyun stated, “2025 marks the 30th anniversary of CJ Group's cultural business. This year, we have specially selected works that have exerted a positive influence and transformed the paradigm of K-content as ‘Visionary’ to commemorate the 30th anniversary.”
He continued, “CJ is not a company that fears new challenges. For the past 30 years, we have been trying to break our own limits. We aimed to create a cultural industry and expand the genres of content. We take pride in having elevated the national prestige of South Korea with diverse content. As K-content spreads globally, CJ ENM has quietly fulfilled its role for 30 years.”
CEO Yoon added, “The cultural industry is currently facing difficulties. It has been tough in the past as well, but we have achieved results with perseverance. In 2025, we aim to leap forward based on content that cannot be imitated. We will create more and actively grow globally.”
He also mentioned, “Although the drama market is shrinking and the number of productions is decreasing, we will continue to invest with a sense of mission. We have been investing in content at an annual scale of 1 trillion won, and this year we plan to expand our investment to over 150 billion won. In the second half of the year, we plan to revive the Wednesday-Thursday drama block. We will ensure that the fresh works of new creators in our country meet the audience. Through this, we plan to showcase a record 65 works. We are establishing this year as the first year of global expansion. We will further spread the competitiveness of ONLYONE IP.”
tvN identified ‘Dopamine’ and ‘Harmlessness’ as the key content keywords for this year. Park Sang-hyuk, head of the Media Business Division's Channel Business Department at CJ ENM, stated, “We live in an era where anxiety has become commonplace. In the harsh and difficult reality, last year, tvN's ‘Marry My Husband’ gained attention for its ‘return’ theme. In an era where trust has collapsed, ‘Queen of Tears’ and ‘Seonjae's Love’ showcased pure love. This led to breaking the highest viewership ratings for tvN dramas and achieving overwhelming channel popularity.”
He then introduced the 2025 tvN lineup. This year, tvN will present dramas such as ‘Typhoon Company’, ‘Pro Bono’, ‘Project Chairman’, ‘That Guy is a Black Dragon’, ‘Seocho-dong’, ‘Divorce Insurance’, ‘Someday, a Wise Resident Life’, ‘Potato Research Institute’, ‘The Tyrant's Chef’, ‘Cowherd and Weaver Girl’, ‘Annoying Love’, ‘Second Signal’, and variety shows like ‘Bbang Bbang Earth Arcade Season 3’, ‘Sixth Sense: City Tour’, ‘Business Genius Baek Sa-jang 3’, ‘Edward Lee's Country Cook’, ‘Sister's Direct Delivery 2’, and ‘Iron Girl Group Season 2’.
Park added, “We plan to schedule over 50 dramas this year, the most among channels,” and expressed hope that “tvN will not settle and will continue to run with a unique approach.”
Tving identified the keywords for its 2025 content lineup as ‘Infinite Spectrum’, ‘Signature Content’, and ‘Sports Immersion’. Min Sun-hong, Chief Content Officer (CCO) of Tving, stated, “We plan to analyze user patterns and reflect their needs to provide differentiated services. First, we will strengthen live services. By establishing a Shorts tab, we will make it easier to access various content. In the second half of the year, we plan to introduce Tving original short-form content. We aim to make this year the global first year for Tving and provide Tving content worldwide. Please look forward to the changes in Tving.”
Tving will showcase dramas in 2025 such as ‘Wongyeong’, ‘Study Group’, ‘Dear X’, ‘Spring Love Story’, ‘One Week Before I Die’, ‘Running Mate’, ‘Shark: The Storm’, and variety shows like ‘Transfer Love: Another Beginning’, ‘Transfer Love Season 4’, ‘Great Escape: The Story’, ‘Kim Seong-keun's Winter Vacation’, ‘Baseball Representative Season 2’, and ‘Fight Song (tentative title)’. Additionally, starting in March, Tving will provide year-round sports broadcasts, including the 2025 KBO broadcasts, as well as basketball, soccer, martial arts, and the four major tennis tournaments in the world.
Following this, new project leaders Kim Ryun-hee CP of ‘Typhoon Company’, Kim Ho-jun CP of ‘Potato Research Institute’ and ‘Seocho-dong’, Lee Won-hyung CP overseeing ‘Sister's Direct Delivery’ and Style & Life IP, Jeong Cheol-min PD of ‘Sixth Sense: City Tour’, and Kim In-ha PD of ‘Transfer Love’ attended to share their insights.
Studio Dragon's Kim Ryun-hee CP stated, “We are preparing ‘Typhoon Company’ with directors Lee Junho, Kim Minha, and Inajung,” adding, “I have been making tvN dramas since 2011. When I think of the most tvN-like, I think of ‘new and fresh attempts and well-made works’. ‘Typhoon Company’ has the strength of looking at the IMF era of the 90s through the perspective of ordinary people who survived that era with solidarity and humanity.”
CJ ENM Studios' Kim Ho-jun CP mentioned, “‘Potato Research Institute’ is a Tiki-Taka romance, and ‘Seocho-dong’ is a story of an associate lawyer's growth,” stating, “The most tvN-like thing is ‘fun’. I believe the theme of this year is ‘empathy’ and ‘eye level’. In following the trends of MZ, I found myself questioning, ‘Are we creating dramas that look at the world from that eye level?’ While there are genius doctors in ‘Severe Trauma Center’, I wondered what the world of mountains and residents would be like. I believe that approaching from my perspective in today's world provides intense empathy and healing.”
Lee Won-hyung CP remarked, “‘Sister's Direct Delivery’ might be a leader in harmlessness. We plan to launch Season 2 in April,” stating, “The most tvN-like thing is ‘harmlessness’. It does not artificially or forcibly try to provide laughter and fun but naturally incorporates fun into everyday life. ‘Sister's Direct Delivery 2’ has cast Im Ji-yeon and Lee Jae-wook to target the 2030 demographic more.”
Jeong Cheol-min PD explained, “‘Sixth Sense: City Tour’ is a spin-off of ‘Sixth Sense’. It is a program with harmless members that bursts with dopamine-inducing themes. The game format has disappeared, and it presents a comfortable atmosphere while traveling through the city,” adding, “Young people tend to go to platforms like YouTube or OTT, while adults remain with the comfortable medium of TV. I believe the answer to tvN's essence is ‘Hipjiro Euljiro’. I wanted to create a space where everyone from 2030 to adults can gather together.”
Kim In-ha PD stated, “‘Transfer Love 4’ will approach with a faster pace than the last season,” adding, “The strength of ‘Transfer Love’ is ‘dopamine’. I believe it is the program that bursts the most ‘dopamine’. Nowadays, viewers not only watch but also participate. They reproduce various memes from reviews. ‘Transfer Love’ is at the center of that. This year, we will approach the tastes of MZ with a fast pace to maintain that reputation.”
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
