In vehicles equipped with Tmap Auto, a new service will commence next year that allows users to view various media content without needing to connect external devices. In the future, it is expected that new technologies will allow watching the latest movies while soaring through urban landscapes via urban air transportation.
Tmap Mobility has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Wavve, a leading online video service platform in South Korea, to facilitate ‘OTT application for future mobility.’
Wavve, established in 2019 through a joint investment by SK Telecom and three terrestrial broadcasters, is a premium content platform boasting over 340,000 video-on-demand (VOD) titles, with a total subscriber base of 12 million.
Through this MOU, both companies will push for the development and provision of a ‘vehicle OTT’ service applicable to cars equipped with Tmap Auto, the automotive embedded navigation service. Currently, Tmap Auto is installed in multiple brands including Renault, Volvo, and Polestar. Tmap Mobility plans to expand collaboration for Wavve’s vehicle OTT service supply, focusing on brands that feature Tmap Auto.
They will also closely cooperate in developing a ‘global integrated infotainment (IVI)’ service that combines Tmap Auto and Wavve OTT. Considering that many of Tmap Auto’s key clients are imported car brands, this initiative aims to proactively respond to opportunities in overseas markets. The demand for K-content, rooted in the Korean Wave, further enhances Wavve OTT’s competitive edge in international markets.
Both companies will channel efforts into developing and supplying dedicated Wavve OTT services in the ‘autonomous vehicle’ and ‘urban air mobility (UAM)’ sectors, which are the biggest trends in the domestic and global mobility markets. This is expected to position autonomous vehicles and UAM as innovative cultural spaces for consuming media content such as movies and dramas in the future.
Lee Tae-hyun, CEO of Wavve, stated, “Cars are transforming from merely a means of transportation into a new ‘home theater’ where media content can be conveniently watched anywhere.” He added, “This MOU will empower Wavve’s rich K-content to meet Tmap Mobility’s vast data accumulated over 20 years, creating momentum to develop new markets.”
Lee Jong-ho, CEO of Tmap Mobility, emphasized, “This collaboration with Wavve will play a central role in expanding Tmap Auto beyond South Korea to the world. We expect this to offer partners more advanced services while also being a growth momentum that proactively responds to future mobility markets such as autonomous driving and UAM.”
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr