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Soop (service)
Soop (stylized in all caps; Korean: 숲코리아), previously known as W Player (Korean: W플레이어) and AfreecaTV (Korean: 아프리카TV), is a video live streaming service. It is owned and operated by SOOP Co., Ltd. in South Korea, which was rebranded from Nowcom's AfreecaTV Co., Ltd, itself split with ZettaMedia in 2011.
Launched in 2005, the platform was listed fourth in the "Asia's 200 Best Under A Billion" list by Forbes in July 2019. Initially focused on Korean viewers, it began offering an English-language interface for international users in 2012. In 2024, with its parent company's rebrand, AfreecaTV was relaunched as Soop, offering two distinct services for Korea and Global users.
Soop initially started as a W beta service on May 11, 2005, and was officially named "Afreeca" on March 9, 2006.[clarification needed] The site mainly re-transmits TV channels but also allows users to upload their own videos and shows. Functions such as broadcasting, viewing, channel listing, live chatting, and discussion boards are provided. Users are required to install 'Afreeca Player' for grid delivery. Independent broadcasters called broadcasting jockeys (BJs) deliver live broadcasts to viewers, who can add them to their list of favorite channels using an Afreeca Player tool. Some channels have tens of thousands of viewers at any given time. Paid services such as quick views or channel relays allow BJs additional sources of revenue.[citation needed]
The platform ranges anywhere from TV broadcasts, live video game broadcasts, taxi driver monitoring, artist performances, and personal daily-life video blogs and shows for actresses and professional broadcasters.
The head of AfreecaTV's parent company Nowcom, Mun Yong-sik, was arrested in 2008 for illegally distributing copyrighted films. Some alleged the arrest was politically motivated due to Afreeca being used by protesters to coordinate.
On September 27, 2012, AfreecaTV English was released on the Google Play store.
One example of expansion of Afreeca's role is the hosting of a live talk session with Mayor Park of Seoul, broadcast live online and via mobile on AfreecaTV. He used the platform as a way to conduct a community scanning forum to collect public opinions and allow bloggers with various areas of expertise to participate in the dialogue. The bloggers were able to address the problems facing Seoul and propose solutions in their areas of expertise, while also exchanging ideas with Mayor Park in an in-depth discussion on the administration of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Depending on rising of power of AfreecaTV, many Idol Groups participate in AfreecaTV for their fans, for example, Nine Muses.
In 2024, AfreecaTV was relaunched as SOOP by splitting the platform into two distinct versions: Korea and Global. The Global version was launched as a separate platform early in the year, with user interface and design different from AfreecaTV, and secures rights deals with major sporting events such as the international streaming rights of the Korea Baseball Organization, as well as becoming the exclusive streaming provider of Valorant Challengers SEA (which SOOP runs as the tournament's official organizer). On October 15, months after non-Korean languages were removed from the platform following the Global version's launch, AfreecaTV itself changed its name to SOOP, becoming the Korea version of the service.
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Soop (service)
Soop (stylized in all caps; Korean: 숲코리아), previously known as W Player (Korean: W플레이어) and AfreecaTV (Korean: 아프리카TV), is a video live streaming service. It is owned and operated by SOOP Co., Ltd. in South Korea, which was rebranded from Nowcom's AfreecaTV Co., Ltd, itself split with ZettaMedia in 2011.
Launched in 2005, the platform was listed fourth in the "Asia's 200 Best Under A Billion" list by Forbes in July 2019. Initially focused on Korean viewers, it began offering an English-language interface for international users in 2012. In 2024, with its parent company's rebrand, AfreecaTV was relaunched as Soop, offering two distinct services for Korea and Global users.
Soop initially started as a W beta service on May 11, 2005, and was officially named "Afreeca" on March 9, 2006.[clarification needed] The site mainly re-transmits TV channels but also allows users to upload their own videos and shows. Functions such as broadcasting, viewing, channel listing, live chatting, and discussion boards are provided. Users are required to install 'Afreeca Player' for grid delivery. Independent broadcasters called broadcasting jockeys (BJs) deliver live broadcasts to viewers, who can add them to their list of favorite channels using an Afreeca Player tool. Some channels have tens of thousands of viewers at any given time. Paid services such as quick views or channel relays allow BJs additional sources of revenue.[citation needed]
The platform ranges anywhere from TV broadcasts, live video game broadcasts, taxi driver monitoring, artist performances, and personal daily-life video blogs and shows for actresses and professional broadcasters.
The head of AfreecaTV's parent company Nowcom, Mun Yong-sik, was arrested in 2008 for illegally distributing copyrighted films. Some alleged the arrest was politically motivated due to Afreeca being used by protesters to coordinate.
On September 27, 2012, AfreecaTV English was released on the Google Play store.
One example of expansion of Afreeca's role is the hosting of a live talk session with Mayor Park of Seoul, broadcast live online and via mobile on AfreecaTV. He used the platform as a way to conduct a community scanning forum to collect public opinions and allow bloggers with various areas of expertise to participate in the dialogue. The bloggers were able to address the problems facing Seoul and propose solutions in their areas of expertise, while also exchanging ideas with Mayor Park in an in-depth discussion on the administration of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Depending on rising of power of AfreecaTV, many Idol Groups participate in AfreecaTV for their fans, for example, Nine Muses.
In 2024, AfreecaTV was relaunched as SOOP by splitting the platform into two distinct versions: Korea and Global. The Global version was launched as a separate platform early in the year, with user interface and design different from AfreecaTV, and secures rights deals with major sporting events such as the international streaming rights of the Korea Baseball Organization, as well as becoming the exclusive streaming provider of Valorant Challengers SEA (which SOOP runs as the tournament's official organizer). On October 15, months after non-Korean languages were removed from the platform following the Global version's launch, AfreecaTV itself changed its name to SOOP, becoming the Korea version of the service.