On the 29th, CJ ENM announced that it successfully hosted the semi-final judging for the '2026 International Emmy Awards' in Seoul for the second consecutive year.
Established in 1973, the International Emmy Awards is a globally prestigious ceremony honoring outstanding television programs produced outside the United States. Alongside the Banff Rockie Awards and the Monte Carlo TV Festival, it is recognized as one of the world’s top three broadcasting awards ceremonies. The semi-final judging, which determines the final entries in each category, is held in various locations worldwide under the sponsorship of Seon Do-ha-neun (CEO) companies.
The fact that the International Emmy Awards semi-final judging was held in Seoul for two consecutive years demonstrates both the global stature of K-content and CJ ENM’s global influence in connecting it to international stages. Following last year, CJ ENM once again hosted the semi-final event as a Han Guk-eul (CEO) global entertainment company.
The judging took place on the 23rd at Cine D Chef screening hall within CGV Yongsan i-Park Mall. Judges included key executives from major global entertainment companies such as CJ ENM, Warner Bros. Discovery, Walt Disney Company Japan, Rakuten Viki, Ynex, Nippon TV, ViewTV, Physton, Knock On Wood, and Media Prima.
The judging focused on the Drama Series category, with comprehensive evaluations conducted on all global entries. The final shortlist will be announced in September, and the awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 23 in New York.
Seo Jang-ho, Head of CJ ENM’s Platform Business Division, who served as host, stated: “For over 30 years, CJ ENM has led the global expansion of K-content with pride and vision for Korean culture, building K-culture into a sustainable global industry. By hosting this year’s International Emmy Awards semi-final judging, we have fulfilled our role as a global cultural bridge, which is deeply meaningful. Going forward, we will do our utmost to ensure that K-content becomes even more beloved in the global market through our global value chain encompassing planning, production, distribution, and platforms.”
Prior to this, on the 22nd, CJ ENM held the 'CJ ENM Partners Day' event to strengthen content cultural exchange and cooperative relationships with its partner companies. Approximately 130 global entertainment industry figures, including CEO Yoon Sang-hyun of CJ ENM and judges, attended the event.
During the event, in the Global Market Insights session, Paul Erickson, Senior Analyst at Omdia, shared market outlooks. In the Creator Talk session, directors Jang Tae-yu of the 2025 breakout hit <The Chef of the Tyrant>, Park Shin-woo of <Unknown Seoul>, which was selected as one of TIME’s 'Top 10 K-Dramas of 2025', and Lee Jang-hoon of the K-academy drama <Study Group>, currently producing its second season amid global box office success, attended to share behind-the-scenes insights on their global hits.
Following this, three panel discussions were held: introducing new lineup projects and the transmedia case study of the drama <Creepy Love>; sharing stories about the global co-production and distribution of the Japan-Korea joint drama <Mary Berry Love> in collaboration with Nippon TV and Walt Disney Company Japan; and finally, Kim Do-hyun, BU Head of CJ ENM’s Content Distribution Business Unit, and Dong-il Seo of Deutsche Telekom Korea Ji (President) attended to jointly share strategies for building new market distribution partnerships and expanding K-content globally.
in TECH
