Next Entertainment World
Next Entertainment World is a South Korean media group active in film, television, music, digital content, sports, visual effects, talent management, international distribution, and cinemas.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Next Entertainment World, commonly known as NEW, is a South Korean media content production and distribution group. Its roots are in film investment, marketing, and theatrical distribution, but the business has expanded into a broader entertainment portfolio covering television and film production, music, international rights, sports content, visual effects, digital channels, talent management, and movie theaters. The group’s film investment and distribution operation was established in 2008 by Kim Woo-taek, a former president of Showbox. Seo Dong-wook and Jang Kyung-ik are also identified as founding members. The original holding company was known as Domeo Holdings. Following a merger by absorption with the wholly owned Next Entertainment World subsidiary, the company adopted the NEW name in 2012. The company’s early growth was driven by a series of commercially successful Korean films. In 2013, Miracle in Cell No. 7, Hide and Seek, and New World helped NEW exceed larger established distributors in audience performance for that year. Miracle in Cell No. 7 was particularly important to the company’s profile, reaching approximately 12.81 million viewers in South Korea. The group also participated in the distribution of major titles including The Attorney, Train to Busan, The Villainess, and Peninsula, strengthening its position as a significant Korean film investor and distributor. NEW began building a multi-division structure during the 2010s. Music&NEW was established in 2012 to handle music production, artist management, and music distribution. Contents Panda was established in 2013 as an international distribution and rights business. In 2014, Chinese media company Huace Media Group invested in NEW, and NEW became listed on the KOSDAQ market. The group subsequently expanded into sports through Bravo&NEW, created a Korea-China joint venture with Huace, and established Studio&NEW in 2016 for film and television production. Studio&NEW became associated with projects such as Descendants of the Sun and The Great Battle and later developed a significant relationship with Disney+. The group has also pursued vertical integration around exhibition and technical services. Its Cine Q brand opened its first theaters in Gyeongju in 2017, followed by a Gumi location and a Seoul Sindorim branch in 2018. In music, Music&NEW acquired shares in Windmill Entertainment in 2017 and later absorbed the company through a merger. NEW established the visual-effects company eNgine and the digital-content business NEW ID in 2019. eNgine provides visual-effects services and has worked with Korean 3D-graphics companies, while NEW ID develops and distributes digital broadcasting channels through partnerships with consumer-electronics companies, streaming platforms, broadcasters, and entertainment agencies. NEW’s business model combines content ownership, investment, production, distribution, licensing, exhibition, and technology services. Movie&NEW remains the group’s core film division, while Studio&NEW provides scripted-content production and Music&NEW addresses the music value chain. Contents Panda supports overseas sales and remake opportunities, Bravo&NEW focuses on sports rights and athlete-related activities, Cine Q operates cinemas, and NEW ID distributes digital channels. The group therefore occupies a position between a conventional film distributor and a diversified Korean entertainment company, with activities spanning domestic theatrical releases and international exploitation of Korean cultural content.
History
Next Entertainment World began as a Korean film investment and distribution business in 2008. The venture was founded by Kim Woo-taek, a former president of Showbox, with Seo Dong-wook and Jang Kyung-ik among its founding members. The holding company was initially called Domeo Holdings. In 2012, following a merger by absorption with the wholly owned Next Entertainment World subsidiary, the company adopted the NEW name. That same year it established Music&NEW, marking an early move beyond film into music production, artist management, and music distribution. The company’s most important early turning point came in 2013. Its releases included Miracle in Cell No. 7, Hide and Seek, and New World. Miracle in Cell No. 7 became a major Korean box-office success, attracting approximately 12.81 million viewers, while the other two titles also achieved substantial audiences. Together, these films enabled NEW to surpass CJ E&M in annual audience performance and established the company as a significant force in Korean film distribution. NEW also created Contents Panda in 2013 to handle international copyright distribution and support overseas exploitation of Korean content. In 2014, Huace Media Group invested in NEW, and NEW became listed on the KOSDAQ market. The investment strengthened the company’s connection with the Chinese media market and was followed in 2015 by the creation of a Korea-China joint venture with Huace. NEW also established Bravo&NEW in 2015, broadening the group into sports broadcasting-rights distribution, athlete management, and event planning. NEW continued its diversification in 2016 with the creation of Studio&NEW, a production company focused on film and television content. Studio&NEW became associated with projects including Descendants of the Sun and The Great Battle. It later expanded into management and attracted substantial investment during its first several years. In the exhibition sector, NEW launched the Cine Q cinema brand. Its first branch opened in Gyeongju in 2017, followed by a Gumi branch in the same year and a Sindorim branch in Seoul in 2018. The music business was enlarged through Music&NEW’s investment in Windmill Entertainment. Music&NEW acquired shares in 2017 and completed a simplified merger absorbing Windmill Entertainment in June 2018. In 2019, NEW established eNgine, a visual-effects company, and NEW ID, a digital-content business. eNgine pursued cooperation with Korean 3D-graphics companies including Wysiwyg Studios and Vive Studios. NEW ID developed digital broadcasting channels and content-export solutions through relationships with companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Vizio, Amazon, and Roku, as well as broadcasters, entertainment agencies, and telecommunications-related partners. The group’s later strategy emphasized international partnerships and streaming distribution. Movie&NEW signed a three-year agreement with Hollywood investment company Library Pictures International in March 2021. Studio&NEW signed a five-year agreement with Disney+ in April 2021, with a commitment to supply at least one project per year. Projects associated with the studio included the live-action adaptation Moving and the series Rookie Cops. Through its subsidiaries, NEW operates across the content lifecycle: investment and production, marketing, theatrical and international distribution, music, licensing, digital channels, technical services, exhibition, and sports content. Its history reflects the transition of a Korean film distributor into a diversified entertainment group built around Korean and internationally marketable media.
- 2021
International film and streaming partnerships
[1]Movie&NEW signed a three-year deal with Library Pictures International, while Studio&NEW signed a five-year content-supply agreement with Disney+.
- 2019
eNgine and NEW ID are launched
[1]NEW added visual-effects and digital-content businesses to its group structure.
- 2018
Cine Q expands to Seoul
[1]The brand opened its Sindorim branch in Seoul after adding a Gumi location in 2017.
- 2017
Cine Q opens in Gyeongju
[1]NEW launched its cinema exhibition brand with its first branch in Gyeongju.
- 2016
Studio&NEW is established
[1]The group created a dedicated film and television production company.
- 2015
Bravo&NEW and Huace&NEW are created
[1]NEW expanded into sports and Korea-China joint operations.
- 2014
Huace investment and KOSDAQ listing
[1]Huace Media Group invested in NEW, which also became listed on KOSDAQ.
- 2013
Breakthrough year in Korean film
[1]Miracle in Cell No. 7, Hide and Seek, and New World drove exceptional audience performance and made NEW the leading distributor by annual audience.
- 2013
Contents Panda is established
[1]NEW created a global distribution corporation focused on international rights and remake opportunities.
- 2012
Domeo Holdings adopts the NEW identity
[1]After a merger by absorption with a wholly owned subsidiary, Domeo Holdings changed its name to Next Entertainment World.
Products and positioning
A diversified Korean entertainment and content group that combines film investment and distribution with production, music, international rights, digital platforms, sports, visual effects, and cinema exhibition.
Film investment and distribution
Movie&NEW
Movie&NEW is NEW’s core film division. It invests in, markets, promotes, and distributes Korean feature films, and has handled titles such as Miracle in Cell No. 7, The Attorney, Train to Busan, The Villainess, and Peninsula. The division also pursues international relationships intended to support financing and wider exploitation of film properties.
Music production and distribution · 2012
Music&NEW
Music&NEW is the group’s music business, covering music production, artist management, and distribution. Its expansion included an investment in Windmill Entertainment in 2017 and a subsequent merger that absorbed Windmill ENT in 2018.
Film and television production · 2016
Studio&NEW
Studio&NEW produces film and television content and has also expanded into management. Its associated projects include Descendants of the Sun and The Great Battle. The studio later developed an ongoing supply relationship with Disney+ for original and streaming-oriented projects.
International content distribution · 2013
Contents Panda
Contents Panda manages international copyright distribution for Korean and other media works. The business has handled hundreds of works and has pursued overseas remake arrangements, extending NEW’s rights business beyond the domestic Korean market.
Sports media and management · 2015
Bravo&NEW
Bravo&NEW focuses on the distribution of sports broadcasting rights, athlete management, and event planning. It represents NEW’s expansion from scripted entertainment into sports-related content and commercial activities.
Cinema exhibition · 2017
Cine Q
Cine Q is NEW’s movie-theater brand. It began operations in Gyeongju in 2017 and expanded to Gumi and Seoul’s Sindorim district, giving the group a direct presence in theatrical exhibition as well as film distribution.
Visual-effects services · 2019
eNgine
eNgine provides visual-effects and related digital-production services. It has pursued business agreements with Korean 3D-graphics companies including Wysiwyg Studios and Vive Studios.
Digital content and channel distribution · 2019
NEW ID
NEW ID develops digital content and distributes digital broadcasting channels. Its reported partnerships include consumer-electronics and streaming companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Vizio, Amazon, and Roku, along with broadcasters and entertainment companies involved in exporting Korean content.
Brand decisions
2021
Secure a long-term Disney+ production relationshipStrategyBackground
Studio&NEW was developing scripted content for an increasingly streaming-oriented market.
Action taken
Studio&NEW signed a five-year agreement with Disney+ committing to supply at least one project per year.
Aftermath
The agreement increased the studio’s role as a supplier of Korean-language and Korea-related streaming content.
2018
Merge Windmill Entertainment into Music&NEWM&ABackground
Music&NEW was expanding its role in the music business and had acquired shares in Windmill Entertainment in 2017.
Action taken
Music&NEW completed a small-scale simplified merger absorbing Windmill ENT in June 2018.
Aftermath
The transaction consolidated music-related operations within the NEW group.
2017
Enter cinema exhibition through Cine QStrategyBackground
NEW already operated in film investment and distribution and sought greater participation in the theatrical value chain.
Action taken
The group opened the first Cine Q theater in Gyeongju and subsequently expanded the chain.
Aftermath
NEW gained a cinema-exhibition business alongside its film-distribution activities.
2015
Diversify into sports and China-linked operationsStrategyBackground
NEW sought to broaden its entertainment portfolio beyond film distribution.
Action taken
The group established Bravo&NEW and created the Huace&NEW Korea-China joint venture.
Aftermath
NEW added sports rights, athlete management, event planning, and cross-border content cooperation to its business scope.
2014
Accept strategic investment from Huace Media GroupM&ABackground
NEW was expanding its financing base and international connections as a Korean content company.
Action taken
Huace Media Group invested in NEW and acquired a reported minority stake, while NEW became listed on KOSDAQ.
Aftermath
The investment strengthened NEW’s links with the Chinese media market and preceded further Korea-China cooperation.
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