Daily news

Lawmaker Demands Government Support for Domestic OTT as Netflix Exclusively Streams BTS Comeback

Published 2026.03.05

By Cely Editor

Lawmaker Demands Government Support for Domestic OTT as Netflix Exclusively Streams BTS Comeback

Democratic Party lawmaker Im O-kyung, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to support domestic OTT platforms in response to Netflix's exclusive live broadcast of BTS's comeback performance. On the 4th, during a plenary session of the committee, Im questioned Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young, stating, "If everyone in the world must subscribe to Netflix just to watch BTS's performance, then Netflix has acquired intellectual property rights that should belong to Korea." She emphasized that the loss of major K-content broadcasting rights to a foreign company represents potential opportunity loss for the domestic industry. Particularly, since the Ministry and the Korea Popular Culture Exchange Committee are sponsors of the concert, she argued that alternative broadcasting through domestic FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming) platforms should have been considered. Im proposed establishing a system requiring entertainment companies to obtain approval from the Culture Ministry or the Popular Culture Exchange Committee for major K-content broadcasts, while also requesting comprehensive government support including financial, tax, and infrastructure measures when collaborating with domestic OTT platforms. Meanwhile, the 'BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG' concert celebrating BTS's fifth studio album will be held at Gwanghwamun on the 21st at 8 p.m. and exclusively livestreamed to Netflix paying subscribers. On the 27th, the documentary 'BTS: The Return,' which documents the album's production process, will also be released on Netflix.