TVING is a South Korean digital streaming service that has been making waves in the streaming industry. And with Korean content becoming increasingly popular, you might be wondering if you can access the platform outside South Korea.
Unfortunately, the service is only available in South Korea. However, there have been talks about expanding the service to other countries.
Below is everything to know about TVING’s availability and other exciting facts about the streaming service.
TVING is only available in South Korea
The TVING service is a South Korean platform that is only available in the country (Korea).
The platform was launched in 2010 by CJ HelloVision (Now LG HelloVision). At the time, the service offered access to 53 live TV channels.
Then, in 2016, CJ HelloVision transferred the platform to another CJ subsidiary, CJ ENM. Following the acquisition, CJ ENM undertook to revitalize the streaming service to improve the content and experience offered to users.
In 2020, CJ ENM and JTBC Studios (now SLL) agreed to launch a joint venture, TVING Corporation, to operate the streaming platform.
In 2021, Naver, a South Korean digital company, invested in TVING Corporation, initially becoming the second-largest shareholder in the streaming platform, after CJ ENM.
However, since then, several other companies and entities have invested in TVING Corporation, including KT Studio Genie and JC & Partners.
It uses a subscription-based revenue model
When TVING was launched, it offered a free, live TV service. However, in 2021, the platform switched to a paid service, citing the growth of its user base and the need to manage real-time traffic.
Today, it is a subscription-based streaming service that offers several subscription tiers for users. These include:
- Ad-supported tier: ₩5,500 ($3.96)
- Basic tier: ₩9,500 ($6.83)
- Standard tier: ₩13,500 ($9.71)
- Premium tier: ₩17,000 ($12.23)
Besides these subscription tiers, you can also get bundled plans that combine the streaming platform with other services. The most popular ones are:
TVING with WAVVE plans
The bundled plans offer users access to TVING and Wavve streaming platforms. The various tiers under this package include:
- Double Slim: TVING ad tier + Wavve Basic at ₩13,400 ($9.64)
- Double Basic: TVING Basic + Wavve Basic at ₩17,400 ($12.52)
- Double Standard: TVING Standard + Wavve Standard at ₩24,400 ($17.55)
- Double Premium: TVING Premium + Wavve Premium at ₩30,900 ($22.23)
Note: The above prices are the combined subscription fees when subscribing to TVING and Wavve services separately. However, under the bundled plans, users can get a discount of up to 39%.
TVING with SKT plans
SKT, a South Korean telecom company, also offers TVING subscription, which can be a standalone or bundled subscription with SKT mobile services.
SKT offers three standalone TVING plans (ad-supported, standard, and premium). Each of these plans is ₩1,000 cheaper than the normal prices (however, users must subscribe to the plans via SKT to enjoy the discount).
SKT customers can also combine SKT mobile services with a TVING subscription, with the following bundles available:
- 5GX Prime Plus, which comes with the TVING ad-supported plan at ₩99,000 ($71.21)
- 5GX Premium, which comes with the TVING standard plan at ₩109,000 ($78.41)
- 5GX Platinum, which comes with the TVING premium plan at ₩125,000 ($89.92)
TVING offers a wide variety of content
TVING has an impressive library, with over 160,000 titles of TV show episodes, films, and documentaries. In addition, the streaming platform offers originals and live TV channels.
Below is a breakdown of the various types of content you can enjoy on the platform:
- Movies: It has a large collection of movies, which includes Korean and international films.
- Dramas: The streaming service’s primary focus is K-dramas.
- Documentaries: The platform offers a collection of documentaries, with most of them focusing on Korean culture and society.
- Variety shows: It offers several variety shows, including game shows, reality dating shows, music shows, and more.
- Originals: It offers original and exclusive content, which includes dramas, films, documentaries, and variety shows.
- Live TV: The streaming platform offers live broadcasts of Korean TV channels, including JBTC and tvN.
One of the reasons why TVING has managed to build such an impressive content library is through content partnerships. For example, when CJ ENM and JBTC Studios joined to create TVNG Corporation, they combined their libraries, expanding the content offered.
Additionally, in 2021, it entered a partnership that combined CJ content with Paramount Global, even offering a Paramount+ content hub on the streaming platform. While the deal was cancelled in 2024, it allowed users to access expanded content offerings.
Possible plans to launch the streaming service in Japan and Taiwan
TVING may only be available in South Korea, but there are talks about expanding the platform’s availability.
In 2021, the platform announced global expansion plans to launch the streaming service in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and other Asian countries by 2022.
They also revealed further expansion plans that would see the platform become available in 10 countries in Europe and North America.
Unfortunately, the expansion plans seem to be on hold, as the streaming service has yet to expand outside South Korea, despite the 2022 timeline for the Asian market.
However, the planned expansion is good news for Korean content fans worldwide, as it means that the service might soon become available internationally.
Is there a way to watch TVING outside South Korea
Currently, there is no legal way to stream outside South Korea.
Some users online recommend using VPN or proxy services to access the service outside Korea. However, using such applications to access geo-restricted content could be illegal or unethical at best.
Additionally, most streaming platforms now have strict anti-VPN policies, which often include banning accounts associated with the use of a VPN.
But, even if your account is not banned, using a VPN to access the streaming platform can lead to several issues, including throttled speeds, constant buffering, and playback errors, which can significantly affect your streaming experience.
Therefore, the best thing to do if you are outside South Korea is to find an alternative streaming platform that offers similar content.