• 
• 

Published on November 7, 2007

The company plans to start with South Korea's DR Inter-national, to promote Thai and Korean music, concerts and soap operas between the two countries.

D Nine Asia CEO Bhasakorn Bhatikul yesterday said the company was established three months ago as a joint venture between Indy (Thailand), The Studio Production, Super Hero and GTT, which had accumulated billings of about Bt400 million at the end of last year. Initial registered capital was Bt5 million.

He said the company's first project would begin early next year. DR International and D Nine will jointly produce a music album, with popular South Korean singer Son Ho-young and South Korean girl band Baby Vox joining Thai singers. However, it will not be decided which Thai singers will participate on the album until production begins early next year. It should be finished by next March, when the firms

will arrange the first concert.

Everything needed to produce the album, including composers, studios and information-technology equipment, will be shared in each country.

Bhasakorn said D Nine would focus on producing music albums and building up the reputations of Thai and South Korean singers in the first half of next year and then start discussions with DR International on co-producing soap operas and other television shows, as well as films.

He expects to apply the same business model to other countries, starting with Japan and then moving on to China, hopefully India and elsewhere throughout Asia if D Nine's business-cooperation model with DR International proves successful.

"Cooperation is the way to use the strengths of each country in the region to produce entertainment. Eventually, if entertainment partners in each country can group together, this will create significant value for the entire Asian entertainment industry. But it will certainly take quite a long time to reach that level," Bhasakorn said.

D Nine has not set an exact revenue target for next year, because it wants to focus on producing content first.

For DR International, joining with D Nine opens yet another channel for strengthening South Korean pop in Thailand further. CEO Yoon Deung-ryong said the Korean pop explosion in Thailand over the past few years proved that Thais and Koreans enjoyed similar music trends. Thailand is also a gateway for expanding Korean pop to countries such as Vietnam and Cambodia.

DR International has chosen to kick off its business cooperation with D Nine with Baby Vox because the band is already well known among Thais. Son Ho-young is a popular singer in South Korea and expected to achieve similar popularity in Thailand.

DR International was established in 1989 and has already promoted more than 20 bands and singers, including Rain and Baby Vox, who have gained popularity internationally, including in Thailand. The company operated internationally in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Mongolia before coming to Thailand.

Bhasakorn did not say how much the Korean-entertainment market in Thailand was worth but said soap operas enjoyed the highest value, followed by songs, concerts and presenters.

Nitida Asawanipont

 The Nation