A government-backed AI dubbing initiative unites Doost11, Hybe’s Supertoon, SMR, and three broadcasters to release 14 Korean dramas on Samsung’s FAST channels in North America and parts of Europe starting in December.

Three terrestrial broadcasters are turning to artificial intelligence to carve a new path in a changing media landscape. On November 14, they announced that, as part of the AI dubbing-focused K-FAST expansion initiative supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and KAIT, they will accelerate their North American market push.

Doost11, the AI strategy subsidiary, leads the project, with Hybe’s subsidiary Supertoon handling voice conversion technology and SMR managing global distribution. The consortium also includes the three broadcasters, forming a joint effort.

Through this collaboration, 14 Korean dramas, including SBS’s Romantic Doctor Kim Sa-bu (Seasons 1–2), KBS’s Healer, and MBC’s Criminal Minds, are slated to roll out on Samsung’s FAST channels across North America and parts of Europe starting in December. AI-hybrid dubbing marks a first for domestically produced television content to reach the North American market.

The core technique combines “one actor, multiple characters” recording with AI-based voice conversion, preserving emotional nuance while reducing production costs to well under half of traditional dubbing.

This project has evolved into a broader ecosystem: 68 companies have joined the K-FAST alliance to advance dubbing, translation, and distribution technologies, with a total budget of 8 billion won from the ministry and KAIT.

Officials say the effort could help create a new global distribution model for Korean content and serve as a catalyst for a broader reshaping of the broadcasting ecosystem, with policy support to sustain overseas expansion.