CJ ENM is treating Central and Eastern Europe as its next K-content growth lane. The South Korean studio and distributor has signed a mix of government-backed cooperation and commercial broadcast deals that widen the availability of Korean scripted titles in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The move follows CJ ENM’s recent expansion in India and signals that Korean content exporters are looking beyond saturated Western streaming markets to build direct relationships with CEE broadcasters and platforms.
What was signed
At the 2026 Poland-Korea Brand Week, hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), CJ ENM signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korean Cultural Centre in Poland and KOCCA. The agreement is designed to support the expansion of Korean content in Poland and the wider CEE region through closer collaboration.
On the commercial side, CJ ENM signed partnerships with TV Markíza in Slovakia and TV Nova in the Czech Republic, both owned by European media group CME. The deals cover a total of 10 scripted titles.
- MOU with KOCCA and the Korean Cultural Centre in Poland to promote K-content across Poland and CEE.
- Distribution agreements with TV Markíza and TV Nova covering 10 scripted CJ ENM titles.
- A regional push that extends CJ ENM’s recent India expansion into Europe’s mid-sized markets.
The MOU is a soft-infrastructure play: it creates alignment among Korean cultural institutions and local partners, but the commercial output sits in the CME agreements. Because TV Markíza and TV Nova share ownership, one relationship gives CJ ENM a coordinated entry into Slovakia and the Czech Republic—two territories with different languages but shared buyer economics.
Why this matters for media buyers
For media planners and entertainment marketers, the CME deals are the most actionable signal. Korean scripted content is now being placed into local broadcast schedules, not only global streaming catalogues. That can create local promotional windows, sponsorship opportunities and co-viewing contexts that look different from an OTT-only buy.
Sebastian Kim, head of content distribution business unit at CJ ENM, framed the region as a growth market.
“CEE is a market where we see strong potential for further growth. We will continue to strengthen our partnerships with local broadcasters and platforms, while expanding our content offerings and creating more opportunities for audiences to discover and enjoy K-content.”
The takeaway
CJ ENM’s CEE expansion is less about a single hit and more about building distribution infrastructure. An MOU with Korean cultural bodies lowers discovery barriers, while agreements with CME’s Slovak and Czech broadcasters put scripted K-content into linear schedules. Track how quickly those 10 titles are scheduled and promoted. If audiences respond, expect more multi-territory CEE deals and a stronger case for local advertising around Korean drama slots.
Source: C21media
