Soompi

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.

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

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

• K-pop news
• K-drama coverage
• Korean entertainment media
• Celebrity news site
• Online fan community

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. Sponsored Content/Partnerships: Partnership proposals are handled through [email protected], suggesting sponsored content or branded partnership opportunities as a revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Viki, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2015In 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 GroupcoreOthersViki, 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 AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSoompi 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/soompi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/soompi
• Facebookfacebook.com/soompi
• Instagraminstagram.com/soompi
• TikToktiktok.com/@soompi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soompi-media-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Soompi