Soompi
Soompi is an English-language online media platform, founded in 1998 and operated by Viki, Inc. (Rakuten Group), delivering comprehensive K-pop, K-drama, and Korean entertainment news, exclusives, and community forums to a global fan audience across 150 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Soompi does
Soompi is an English-language online media platform providing comprehensive coverage of Korean pop culture, including K-pop music, K-dramas, Korean celebrities, TV shows, movies, fashion, and beauty. Founded in 1998 and operated as a division of Viki, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Rakuten Group, Inc.) since August 2015, the platform serves a dedicated, English-speaking global audience of K-pop and K-drama fans across 150 countries. Its core product is a web-based content management and delivery platform organized into categories (Latest, Trending, Popular, Breaking, MV/Teaser, Drama, Culture, Exclusives, Music, Celeb, Style, TV/Film, Features, Quizzes, Video), supplemented by community forums and branded mobile applications for iOS and Android. Editorial operations require Korean-language proficiency at TOPIK level 5 or higher to translate and contextualize Korean entertainment content for global English-speaking audiences, and the company maintains offices in San Francisco, California and Seoul, South Korea.
The platform distributes content through owned digital properties (soompi.com, mobile applications) and a multi-channel social media presence spanning Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok, and YouTube, with cross-promotion through parent Rakuten Viki's K-drama streaming platform. Revenue is generated almost entirely through advertising and sponsored content/partnerships: third-party display advertising, cookies-based targeted remarketing, and partnership proposals routed through [email protected]. Content is provided free to consumers with no subscription tier or paywall; pricing for advertising and partnerships is not publicly disclosed. The two documented customer segments are global K-pop and K-drama enthusiasts (primary, consumer) and advertisers/marketing partners seeking access to the K-entertainment fan demographic (secondary, business).
Soompi's competitive positioning rests on legacy brand recognition built since 1998, an extensive multilingual content archive, active community forums, and direct relationships with major Korean entertainment agencies that yield exclusive content. Its strategic fit within the Rakuten Group provides corporate stability, streaming-platform integration with Viki, and operational infrastructure, but Soompi itself remains a small editorial operation (11–50 employees) without disclosed financial metrics, recent funding rounds beyond a 2010 seed-style event of $282,077, or publicly verifiable revenue figures.
Soompi firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Soompi
- Legal name
- Viki, Inc.
- Website
- https://soompi.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Soompi is an English-language online media platform, founded in 1998 and operated by Viki, Inc. (Rakuten Group), delivering comprehensive K-pop, K-drama, and Korean entertainment news, exclusives, and community forums to a global fan audience across 150 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Soompi industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Entertainment Media
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising (MPAAAKAB)
Keywords
Where Soompi is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Soompi business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising: Soompi generates revenue through advertising on its website and mobile applications. The site displays third-party advertisements and uses cookies for targeted advertising and remarketing purposes as described in their cookies policy.
- Sponsored Content/Partnerships: Partnership proposals are handled through [email protected], suggesting sponsored content or branded partnership opportunities as a revenue stream.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free access to all content |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Soompi product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Soompi is an English-language online media platform providing comprehensive coverage of Korean pop culture, including K-pop music news, K-drama updates, Korean celebrity news, TV/film coverage, fashion and beauty content, and exclusive interviews. The platform organizes content into multiple sections (Latest, Trending, Breaking, Drama, Music, Celeb, Style, TV/Film, Culture, Exclusives, Video, Quizzes) and maintains active community forums serving a dedicated user base across 150 countries.
Product overview
Soompi is a division of Viki Inc. (a Rakuten Group company) offering a comprehensive K-pop and K-drama entertainment news platform. The core product is the Soompi news website, which provides complete coverage of Korean pop culture including K-pop music, K-dramas, Korean celebrities, TV shows, movies, and style. The platform features multiple content sections including Latest News, Trending, Breaking News, MV/Teasers, Drama, Music, Celeb, Style, TV/Film, Culture, Features, Exclusives, Video, and Quizzes. Soompi also maintains community forums for user discussion, serving a dedicated user base from 150 different countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Soompi News Platform
- Soompi Community Forums
- Soompi Branded Mobile Applications
Companies that use Soompi
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Soompi technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Soompi partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Viki, Inc.coreIn August 2015, Soompi was acquired by Viki, Inc., the leading streaming video service for global TV. Soompi operates as a division of Viki Inc., which is itself part of the Rakuten Group. This acquisition integrated Soompi's news and community platform with Viki's streaming services.
- Rakuten GroupcoreViki, Inc. (operator of Soompi) is part of the Rakuten Group, which includes affiliates and subsidiaries of parent company Rakuten Group, Inc., based in Tokyo, Japan. Rakuten Group provides the corporate umbrella and resources for Soompi's operations.
- Major Korean Entertainment AgenciesminorSoompi works closely with major Korean entertainment agencies to bring exclusive content to its readers. This includes access to interviews, news, and content directly from entertainment companies in Korea.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Soompi competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Allkpop: Allkpop is one of the largest English-language K-pop news sites, covering similar content categories (music, drama, celebrity) and serving the same global K-fan audience. Direct competitor in advertising-supported K-entertainment news publishing.
- Koreaboo: Koreaboo is a major K-pop and Korean culture news platform with multi-region editions and social video presence. Direct competitor covering K-pop news, drama, and celebrity content for English-speaking global audiences with a comparable advertising-supported model.
- Dramabeans: Dramabeans is a long-running K-drama recap and news site known for episode-by-episode commentary from a trusted editorial team. Comparable in being a community-trusted English-language K-drama destination with deep reader engagement.
- Kpopmap: Kpopmap covers K-pop, K-drama, and Korean entertainment news for a global English-speaking audience, with a comparable mix of news, features, and fan-focused content and an advertising-supported business model.
- Asian Junkie: Asian Junkie is an opinion-driven K-pop and Korean entertainment blog covering news, reviews, and commentary for the global K-fan community. Comparable in niche focus, audience demographic, and editorial voice.
- KDrama Stars: KDrama Stars (part of the Stardust/SheKnows media network) is an entertainment news vertical covering Korean dramas, K-pop, and celebrity news for English-speaking audiences, comparable in category coverage and advertising-supported model.
- HallyuNoona: HallyuNoona is a K-drama review and news site covering Korean entertainment for English-speaking audiences, with similar editorial focus on drama commentary and a fan-community orientation.
Regional players
- Arirang TV: Arirang TV is a Korean publicly-funded English-language broadcaster covering Korean culture, news, and entertainment. Comparable in serving global English-speaking audiences interested in Korean content, though delivered via broadcast/digital video rather than text-first publishing.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Soompi social profiles
Digital presenceSoompi financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Soompi leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Soompi funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Soompi M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Soompi
What does Soompi do?
Soompi is an English-language online media platform providing comprehensive coverage of Korean pop culture, including K-pop music news, K-drama updates, Korean celebrity news, TV/film coverage, fashion and beauty content, and exclusive interviews. The platform organizes content into multiple sections (Latest, Trending, Breaking, Drama, Music, Celeb, Style, TV/Film, Culture, Exclusives, Video, Quizzes) and maintains active community forums serving a dedicated user base across 150 countries.
Is Soompi a public or private company?
Soompi is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Soompi founded?
Soompi was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Soompi based?
Soompi is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Soompi make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are sponsored Content/Partnerships.
Who are Soompi's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Allkpop, Koreaboo, Dramabeans, Kpopmap, Asian Junkie, KDrama Stars and HallyuNoona. Arirang TV is listed as a regional player.
Does Soompi have an API?
No public API is recorded for Soompi.
What industry is Soompi in?
Soompi's product category is Online Entertainment Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAKAB, Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) Advertising. Its NAICS code is 51621 and its SIC code is 7310.