Production Company Behind "When The Camellia Blooms" Pursues Legal Action Against KBS For Uneven Profit Distribution

There appears to be a discrepancy between KBS and the production company of last year’s “When the Camellia Blooms” over the distribution of profit.

According to a report by The Fact released on January 7, Fan Entertainment, the production company responsible for producing the drama, is currently pursuing legal action against KBS. The report stated that based on current practices, KBS will distribute only 10 percent of the total production cost to Fan Entertainment, since they hold the copyright to the drama.

Since the drama’s end in November, Fan Entertainment has reportedly reached out to KBS three times in an attempt to negotiate profit distribution.

Fan Entertainment claims that it is unfair of KBS to hold such a monopoly on the profits the hit drama brought in solely on the basis of copyright. The production company invested 11 billion won (approximately $9.3 million) in the drama, and was involved in everything from script writing to casting. Based on this evidence, the company claims, they deserve a larger share of the profits.

A representative from Fan Entertainment told Star Today, “We’re currently in the middle of negotiations, and we will make a statement when a decision has been made.”

In a statement released later by the company, Fan Entertianment said that they had yet to receive any revenue at all from KBS. “We paid the total production cost for all 20 episodes of ‘When the Camellia Blooms.’ We paid the actors and the staff their wages without commission. However, since we were still negotiating the terms of the copyright with KBS, we still haven’t received any payment from the broadcaster.”

The statement continued, “According to the standard broadcasting agreement, copyright is distributed based on the contributions of the broadcaster and the producer. However, negotiations of that copyright distribution has become difficult because [KBS] has not disclosed the exact amount of revenue the drama made. We are asking for the revenue to be distributed fairly.”

“When the Camellia Blooms” wrapped up in November of last year and was one of the most popular dramas of the year. It was the best mini-series of the second half of 2019, closing with a 23.8 percent viewership rating, and lead actress Gong Hyo Jin won the grand prize at the 2019 KBS Drama Awards. The drama is estimated to have brought in 30 to 40 billion won (approximately $25.5 million to $33.9 million) in revenue.

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