Something Special


Korean Format Alliance names Something Special’s Jin Woo Hwang chairman

The Korean Format Alliance (KFA) has named former CJ ENM exec Jin Woo Hwang as chairman of the non-profit organisation. He replaces former chairman Il Joong Kim, director of SBS global production & SVP of SBS FormatEast, and will oversee the org’s mission to promote Korean format development, protect the country’s IP and and reinforce […]

Formats round-up: Noovo bring ‘Survivor’ to French-Canada; TF1 sings out for ‘That’s My Jam’; Something Special teams with MY Entertainment

Noovo bring ‘Survivor’ to French-Canada French-Canadian language channel Noovo has taken the rights to adapt the Banijay reality competition series Survivor. Network owner Bell Media is working with ToRoS productions on a local adaptation of the format, which is distributed globally by Banijay. Survivor features participants trying to survive in remote nature settings. They must […]

Korea’s Something Special & tech firm 4Dreplay link for ‘time slice video’ formats

Jin Woo Hwang’s format prodco Something Special has struck an innovative deal with a US- and Korea-based technology company to develop new formats incorporating the latter’s time slice video production software. Something Special and 4Dreplay will create non-scripted and scripted formats incorporating the company’s ‘four-dimensional time slice video production system’, which creates detailed, any-time, any-angle […]

Media Ranch sells VR dating format & partners with Something Special

Canadian format production and distribution company Media Ranch has announced multiple option deals for its VR dating format Too Shy To Date, as well as a co-development agreement with Korea’s Something Special. Media Ranch signed a multi-territory option deal with Banijay for Too Shy To Date, covering Initial for the UK, France’s Adventure Line Productions, […]

ViacomCBS Int’l Studios strikes format pact with South Korea’s Something Special

ViacomCBS International Studios (VIS) has struck a first-look deal with South Korea’s Something Special, the Seoul-based format production studio launched by former CJ ENM exec Jin Woo Hwang. VIS will have exclusive first-look rights to globally represent and co-develop up to 10 of Something Special’s top unscripted and factual entertainment formats, across genres including music […]

TBI Weekly: What MIPCOM Online+ delivered this week

It has been a MIPCOM like no other and yet despite the lack of rosé and late-night gossiping on the Croisette, distributors and buyers still came together – with numerous deals emerging over the past five days. Here, TBI reflects on some of the key pick-ups to have been revealed over the week and explores […]

Media Ranch and Something Special agree format exchange deal

Canada’s Media Ranch has agreed a format exchange partnership with South Korean’s recently founded Something Special. The deal will allow the two format production and distribution companies to trade their most popular formats, with Media Ranch’s Watch! to now be repped in Asia by Something Special, while the latter’s Miracle Recipes and Miracle Habits will be […]

ITV Studios strikes pact with Jin Woo Hwang’s Something Special 

ITV Studios (ITVS) is expanding its format catalogue by striking a co-development deal with South Korea’s Something Special, the prodco launched by former head of formats and development at CJ ENM, Jin Woo Hwang. The agreement will see ITVS Global Creative Network creating and developing new formats with Something Special, with IP then taken to […]

TBI Formats: Why Korean IP will cut through globally for years to come

As part of our focus on delivering more incisive commentary on the global content business, TBI is launching a series of new strands of longer-form content, which will be delivered online to our viewers around the world. These daily, genre-focused features are designed to provide deeper insights into how the business is changing and feature […]