Illegal Streaming Site Noonoo TV Poses Major Challenge to South Korea's OTT Platforms

South Korean over-the-top (OTT) video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Wavve, Tving, Coupang Play, and others are experiencing significant losses due to the illegal streaming site Noonoo TV. The pirated site offers paid content from these platforms for free, which poses a significant challenge to the country's growing media industry, according to industry officials. As per the officials, this has resulted in a loss of around 4.9 trillion won ($3.7 billion) for the industry.

To address this issue, streaming service providers, broadcasters, and other organizations in the media industry formed a video copyright protection council on March 2 and filed a criminal complaint against Noonoo TV on March 9. The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency has also reportedly launched an investigation into the pirate streaming site.

According to industry insiders, Noonoo TV is not just an individual but an organized website, as the user experience (UI-UX) has been professionally implemented. While the Ministry of Science and ICT has been working with the industry to shorten the cycle of takedowns of bypass domains, the response to Noonoo TV has been limited. The industry believes that the only solution is to catch the main Noonoo TV management team.

"We are closely communicating with broadcasters, telecommunications companies, and the government to root out this illegal website. The worry is that the issue could grow to the point where it shakes the very foundations of the country's media industry if the situation is left unresolved," an official in the OTT industry said.

Noonoo TV started its streaming service in 2021, providing movies, dramas, and animations for free while making a profit by advertising illegal gambling sites. The site reportedly has about 1.5 billion views with around 10 million monthly users.

As the number of users has increased, the industry is concerned that it will negatively impact legal streaming services. In particular, online messages posted directing people to watch popular shows such as Netflix's "The Glory" on Noonoo TV have raised concerns among industry officials.

The industry official cited the case of Bamtoki, an illegal website that provided online cartoons for free and was ordered in 2021 to pay compensation to comics creators for using their works without permission. They emphasized the need to punish Noonoo TV's operators according to the law and to raise awareness among users to steer them away from using illegal streaming sites.