wavve

What wavve does

Wavve (웨이브) is a South Korean over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform operated by Contents Wave Co., Ltd. (콘텐츠웨이브 주식회사), headquartered in Post Tower, Yeouido, Seoul. The platform offers on-demand video content across multiple categories including dramas, movies, entertainment shows, anime, foreign series, news and educational programming, and live TV. Content is sourced primarily through distribution partnerships with all four major Korean broadcasters—KBS, MBC, JTBC, and CJ ENM—which collectively form the structural backbone of Wavve's library. The platform previously operated under the name POOQ before rebranding to Wavve, and employs 101–250 people operating exclusively in South Korea.

Wavve generates revenue through subscription streaming services and individual content purchases. Consumer-facing subscription access is offered directly through wavve.com, and the platform participates in a three-platform bundle with Disney+ and TVING priced at 21,500 KRW monthly (a 37% discount versus individual subscriptions). The company also operates Wavve ON, a B2B service delivering licensed content packages to PC bangs (internet cafes), libraries, hospitals, accommodations, and general businesses. Underlying infrastructure runs on Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform Korea, and Amazon Web Services Korea. Go-to-market emphasizes local content depth and cross-platform bundling to compete with Netflix, Coupang Play, and TVING in the Korean market.

Recent strategic activity has centered on capital deployment, distribution consolidation, and original content production. In November 2024, Wavve raised approximately $179.5M led by SK Square with participation from CJ ENM. In November 2025 it joined the Disney+/TVING bundle, and in June 2026 it premiered "Stand Bi Me" (스탠바이미), Korea's first original bisexual dating reality show. Specialized content verticals include Wavve Golf featuring live KLPGA and KPGA tour coverage, and Movie Plus for premium films. The company holds no disclosed venture capital funding rounds beyond the SK Square–led investment, operates without a parent company, and is privately held with no public listing.

Name

wavve

Legal name

콘텐츠웨이브 주식회사

Website

https://wavve.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wavve is a South Korean OTT streaming platform offering on-demand Korean dramas, variety shows, movies, news, and live TV through content partnerships with KBS, MBC, JTBC, and CJ ENM, serving domestic consumers via subscription and bundled offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Streaming Services

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Live TV Streaming (vMVPD/IPTV OTT) (MPACAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Virtual MVPDs (Live TV Streaming Bundles) (MPABAGAD), Aggregator/Platform Channels & Marketplace Bundles (Channel Stores, Super-Aggregators) (MPABAHAM)

Keywords

• Video streaming service
• OTT platform
• Korean drama streaming
• Live TV streaming
• Subscription video

Headquarters

HQ city

Yongdungpo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Subscription Streaming Service: Wavve generates revenue through subscription streaming services offering access to Korean dramas, variety shows, movies, and live content from broadcast partners including KBS, MBC, and JTBC.
2. Individual Content Purchase: Wavve offers individual movie purchases for content such as '카리브해의 정사' (Caribbean Affair), allowing users to buy specific titles separately from subscription plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wavve is a South Korean over-the-top (OTT) subscription streaming platform offering on-demand and live video content including Korean dramas, variety shows, movies, anime, foreign series, news, and live TV channels. The service operates as a unified streaming destination licensed from major Korean broadcasters (KBS, MBC, JTBC) and CJ ENM, supplemented by Wavve original productions. Beyond consumer subscriptions, Wavve distributes content to B2B clients through its Wavve ON sub-brand, providing specialized content packages for PC rooms, libraries, hospitals, hotels, and general businesses.

Product overview

Wavve (웨이브) is a South Korean over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform operated by ContentsWave (콘텐츠웨이브 주식회사). The platform functions as a unified streaming service offering on-demand video content across multiple categories including dramas (드라마), movies (영화), entertainment shows (예능), anime (애니), foreign series (해외시리즈), news and educational content (시사교양), and live TV (LIVE). Content is sourced through partnerships with major Korean broadcasters including KBS, MBC, JTBC, and CJ ENM. Wavve produces original content such as the dating reality show 'Stand Bi Me'. The platform also offers specialized content verticals including Movie Plus for premium films and dedicated golf programming featuring KLPGA and KPGA tour coverage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wavve ON: Business-oriented subscription service offering specialized content packages for various professional environments including PC bangs (PC방), libraries, hospitals, hotels, and general business services.

Products and services

• Wavve Streaming Platform (웨이브) Subscription streaming service offering on-demand Korean dramas, variety shows, movies, anime, foreign series, news, and live TV channels. Aggregates content from major Korean broadcasters (KBS, MBC, JTBC) and CJ ENM, supplemented by Wavve originals, for individual Korean consumers via web and mobile applications.
• Wavve LIVE TV Live television streaming service providing real-time broadcast of multiple channels including news, entertainment, and sports content, integrated within the Wavve platform for subscribers.
• Stand Bi Me (스탠바이미) Wavve original dating reality show launched June 2026, Korea's first dating show centered on bisexual singles. Produced in-house by Wavve and made available to platform subscribers.
• Wavve ON B2B subscription service offering specialized content packages for commercial and institutional environments including PC rooms (PC bangs), libraries, hospitals, hotels, and general business use. Provides rights-cleared video content distribution for commercial operators and public institutions.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Disney+coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2025Disney+ partnered with TVING to launch Korea's first bundle subscription combining a global streaming service with local OTT platforms. Wavve is included in the three-platform bundle at 21,500 KRW monthly with 37% discount. The partnership also positions Disney+ as a global gateway for Korean content.
• TVING (CJ ENM)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2025Disney+ partnered with CJ ENM's TVING to offer bundled access to Disney+, TVING, and Wavve at discounted rates in South Korea. Two plans available: three-platform bundle at 21,500 KRW and two-platform Disney+/TVING bundle at 18,000 KRW.
• KBScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKBS (Korean Broadcasting System) content is distributed on Wavve platform, providing access to KBS dramas, variety shows, news, and live broadcasts.
• MBCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation) content is distributed on Wavve platform, providing access to MBC dramas, variety shows, news, and live broadcasts.
• JTBCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJTBC content is distributed on Wavve platform, providing access to JTBC dramas, variety shows, and cable programming.
• CJ ENMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCJ ENM content is distributed on Wavve platform. CJ ENM is also the parent company of TVING. Over 60 titles from CJ ENM are scheduled for release on Disney+ Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Netflix Korea: Global SVOD leader's Korean operations, competing with Wavve for Korean subscribers and aggressively investing in Korean original content. Netflix is the dominant foreign player in the Korean OTT market and a primary share-taker against local platforms.
• Amazon Prime Video Korea: Amazon Prime Video's Korean offering, a global streaming incumbent with growing investment in Korean originals (e.g., 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' partnership marketing, plus Korean originals). Competes with Wavve for premium Korean subscriber dollars and content rights.
• Disney+ Korea: Disney+'s Korean market operations, currently partnered with Wavve in the Disney+/TVING/Wavve bundle. Disney+ competes with Wavve for premium Korean and global content subscribers while serving as a distribution channel via the bundle.

Regional players

• Rakuten Viki: US/Singapore-based streaming service specializing in Asian (including Korean) dramas, movies, and TV shows with a strong global Asian-content community. Viki is comparable to Wavve in its focus on Asian/Korean content distribution, though primarily serving international rather than Korean domestic audiences.
• Viu: Hong Kong-headquartered pan-Asian OTT streaming service from PCCW, focused on Korean drama and Asian content distribution across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Viu is a regional Asian content streaming peer competing for the same Korean content library rights and viewer demand.

Direct peers

• Watcha: Korean subscription streaming platform offering curated movies, dramas, and originals to Korean audiences. Watcha competes with Wavve for the same Korean consumer subscription wallet, with a stronger curation-driven brand and growing original content slate.
• TVING: CJ ENM-owned Korean OTT streaming platform directly competing with Wavve in the same Korean subscription streaming market. TVING is both Wavve's co-participant in the Disney+ bundle and its closest domestic rival for premium Korean drama and entertainment content.
• Coupang Play: E-commerce giant Coupang's OTT streaming service competing directly with Wavve in Korean subscription streaming. Backed by Coupang's logistics/retail ecosystem and aggressive content spend, it is one of Wavve's primary direct competitors for Korean consumer subscriptions.
• Seezn (KT): KT Corporation's Korean OTT streaming service, offering subscription video with a content mix overlapping Wavve's library of Korean dramas, entertainment, and live TV. Seezn competes with Wavve for the same domestic Korean consumer and leverages KT's telecom distribution.
• Wavve ON: Wavve's own B2B sub-brand distributing Korean streaming content to PC bangs, libraries, hospitals, and hotels. This is the company's B2B vertical and not strictly a peer, but illustrates the B2B institutional streaming category Wavve operates in alongside offerings from KT Olleh and others.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wavve
• Instagraminstagram.com/wavve.official
• Xx.com/wavve_official
• Facebookfacebook.com/wavve.official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about wavve