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Korea Herald
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
SBS sets sights on Asia's version of Eurovision
Titled 'Veiled Musician,' the pan-Asian vocal contest to highlight regional talent and cross-cultural artistry Asia is getting its own take on the Eurovision Song Contest. Apparently, 'Veiled Musician,' an upcoming global audition show from leading South Korean broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System, was made with the world's longest-running television music competition in mind. Featuring participants from 13 countries — Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos — the show, slated to premiere later this year, will kick off with local competitions in each participating nation. The top three finalists from each territory will then advance to the grand finale, which will be staged in Korea. The show will be broadcast across major local networks in the participating countries and on SBS. Adding a layer of meritocracy, 'Veiled Musician' will strip away personal identifiers, such as contestants' faces and nationalities, focusing solely on vocal talent. The show stands out not only for its scale but also for its production setup. Unlike previous cross-border projects where broadcasting formats were simply licensed, 'Veiled Musician' is a co-produced venture spearheaded by the participating nations, alongside South Korea. 'In fact, there aren't really any broadcasters in other countries that actually do co-productions," claimed Kim Yong-jae, chief revenue officer at SBS' Prism Studios, the entertainment production division of the broadcaster, during an interview with The Korea Herald. "They've only ever bought the format. ... Co-producing like this is probably something that has never happened before,' Kim said. Kim, a veteran of the Korean entertainment industry, whose career includes stints as a producer and deputy head of SBS' entertainment division and who is widely credited with exporting the popular Korean variety show "Running Man" to China, where it became a megahit, is helming the production of "Veiled Musician." According to Kim, 'Veiled Musician' will serve as a powerful platform for cultural diplomacy and create music industry connections across Asia. 'If we do well together with this kind of content, it's an amazing opportunity to really elevate our national image. Also, the show's judges and contestants may even collaborate on producing an album. Our music market could expand as a result as well. For example, a song like 'The Way Back' (translated) could be produced in 12 different versions and exported, creating a powerful ripple effect,' said Kim. Kim emphasized that for him, a win-win structure was key from the outset. For Season 1, he said SBS is waiving format fees and offering financial aid to select nations. 'For the first season, we're essentially offering support. In fact, we're planning to provide 100 million won ($73,000) each to countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, since they (the broadcasting companies) are struggling financially.' Going forward, as SBS' head of globalizing K-content, Kim said he has identified Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand as key growth markets. 'Among them, Indonesia is the best — it all comes down to population size. For example, the Korean film 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' made 20 billion won in Indonesia." Kim is also strategically focusing on Myanmar, where Korean content previously held strong cultural sway. 'Before the coup, Hallyu was really strong in Myanmar. Why? Because they aired Korean dramas from Monday to Thursday right before the 9 o'clock news. As a result, a lot of young people there can speak Korean. And the country is quite large geographically, too." He added: 'Anyway, we need to move quickly and localize ourselves in these Asian countries — be on the ground with them. We need to support them, not just for 'Veiled Musician,' but also by helping develop their music industries while promoting ours. That's how they come to think positively of Korean content and Korea as a whole."
Korea Herald
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'Veiled Musician' expands globally with SBS, Spotify
Asia-wide audition show selects top vocalists based solely on voice, with 12 countries joining Season 3 of the blind music competition The audition program "Veiled Musician," which selects top singers based solely on their voices, is expanding into a global project in partnership with Korean broadcaster SBS. "Veiled Musician" is a blind audition program where participants sing from behind a curtain, concealing their face, age and all other identifying details. The competition focuses purely on vocal talent and musicality. The series launched in 2018 under the title "Blind Musician" through Naver TV and YouTube. In 2023, the show was rebranded as "Veiled Musician" for its second season, which aired on Wavve and YouTube. This year, the show returns for its third season, teaming up with SBS and Spotify. Season 3 is set to unfold across 12 Asian countries. Hidden vocal talents will be discovered in Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos. The top three contestants from each country will gather in Korea to compete in a final round. Kim Yong-jae, head of the Global Business Center at SBS Prism Studio, stated, 'This is the first time in Asia that 12 countries will participate simultaneously in the same format, with leading local broadcasters airing the show. It marks a shift in the global stage for musical exchange -- from the West to the East -- with SBS at the center.' Season 3 of "Veiled Musician" is set to premiere in the second half of this year.
Korea Herald
10-04-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
Samsung AI robot Ballie to feature Google's Gemini
Samsung Electronics announced Thursday that its home AI companion robot Ballie will integrate Gemini, Google Cloud's generative AI technology, to enable more natural and conversational interactions to work through everyday tasks effectively. Announcing the expanded partnership at this year's Google Cloud Next 2025, Samsung said it plans to launch Ballie this summer. The collaboration follows the successful integration of Gemini on Google Cloud into Samsung's Galaxy S24 smartphone series last year. Designed to assist users in managing their home environments, Ballie can perform a range of tasks, from adjusting lighting and greeting visitors at the door to personalizing schedules and setting reminders, according to Samsung. 'Through this partnership, Samsung and Google Cloud are redefining the role of AI in the home,' said Kim Yong-jae, executive vice president of the visual display business at Samsung Electronics. 'By pairing Gemini's powerful multimodal reasoning with Samsung's AI capabilities in Ballie, we're leveraging the power of open collaboration to unlock a new era of personalized AI companion — one that moves with users, anticipates their needs and interacts in more dynamic and meaningful ways than ever before.' Samsung said Ballie will use Gemini's multimodal capabilities along with its in-house language models to process and understand a variety of inputs, including audio and voice, visual data from its camera and sensor data from its environment. With the enhanced artificial intelligence capabilities, the AI companion robot will be able to adapt its behavior and responses in real time. For example, if a user asks what to wear to work in the morning, Ballie could offer personalized outfit suggestions. With Gemini's advanced reasoning, Ballie will also assist with health and wellness, Samsung said. If a user says they feel tired, the robot could use insights from Google Search to provide tailored tips on improving their energy levels, including recommended exercises and sleep monitoring suggestions. 'With Gemini on Google Cloud, Samsung is demonstrating how to deploy generative AI at scale, integrating it directly into the heart of their popular products,' Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian said. 'This expanded partnership with Samsung underscores our commitment to delivering reliable, enterprise-grade AI that drives lasting value for our customers — and their customers.' According to Morgan Stanley Capital International, the global home robotics market is expected to grow from $8 billion in 2023 to $18.9 billion in 2028, showing a compound annual growth rate of 18.8 percent.
