The crisis of broadcasters in the "2026 EBS Reorganization" aims for 300 billion won worth + surplus through AI innovation [synthesis]

*This content was translated by AI.

EBS will introduce a large number of new contents along with the reorganization in the spring in 2026.

On the morning of the 25th, a briefing session on the 2026 EBS reorganization was held at the Gwanghwamun Press Center National Press Club in Sejong-daero, Jung-gu, Seoul. EBS President Kim Yoo-yeol, Broadcasting Production Director Nam Sun-sook, and Programming Center Director Kim Kwang-ho attended.

At this briefing session, EBS introduced new programs that are innovative while focusing on the nature of educational public broadcasting, such as educational programs necessary to live in the AI era along with the direction of reorganization in 2026.

EBS President Kim Yoo-yeol said, "I remember holding 18 press conferences for reorganization while serving as the head of the programming planning department three times. I personally feel new today. He has been a producer in the golden age of broadcasting. I have mixed feelings these days when I see the broadcasting industry itself shaking. At one point in 2002, there was a time when advertisements for four terrestrial broadcasters exceeded 2 trillion won. Last year, it fell to the 500 billion won level. It has continued to fall this year. My fear is ahead of me," he said.

"The AI-era broadcasting industry is at a crossroads of life and death. EBS has grown through innovation whenever new media emerges. In 1992, when I joined the company, EBS's annual budget was only 17 billion won. EBS conducted Korea's first satellite broadcasting in 1997. At that time, EBS quickly grew into a broadcaster worth 83 billion won per year in five years. After launching the Internet SAT service for the first time in 2004, it introduced a remote education system in 2020, and recently was reborn as a comprehensive public education media group worth 300 billion won through AI innovation. We are also continuing our surplus management," he said.

President Kim said, "EBS, which has been growing rapidly every time new media emerges, sees the AI era as an opportunity, not a crisis, and is focusing on AI innovation and AX. EBS did not end with AX innovation as a slogan while working on the reorganization of the program, but wanted to make "specific reorganization reforms through AI innovation." Almost all departments, including organization, production, school, technology, video, and business, plan and produce AI contents. You will be able to enjoy a variety of experimental AI content today. EBS wants to be reborn as a new public education media group through AI innovation. The effects of this AI challenge and experiment will soon be felt on the skin. As soon as the effect is confirmed, we will fully expand and produce AI content," he added.

Kim Kwang-ho, head of the organization center, said EBS will largely seek "grand planning projects using AI technology," "lifelong education contents for personality development," "expand global market for K-education contents," and "social community recovery contents" this year.

"The 'Great Planning Project Using AI Technology' will strengthen the AI Humanities and Culture Project that implements immortal classics with AI, history series for elementary school students that reproduce our history with AI, new format programs using AI, creation of AI literacy contents and opening AI education platforms, and strengthening YouTube-style series using AI technology," said Kim, head of the center.

"We will strengthen philosophy education programs, parental education contents, and 'Docu Prime' series with 'Lifelong Education Contents for Character Development'," he said. "In order to expand the global market for K-education contents, we will expand 'space empathy' through cooperation with 'Great Classes, Great Mines' supplied to universities and libraries around the world, 'Last Humanity' and Google."

In addition, "Social Community Recovery Contents" includes a barrier-free program with social minorities, a barrier-free program with social minorities, a migration background resident program for social community recovery, "Sammany-ri Finding Global Dad," and "Here We Are! There are 'my grandchildren' and 'round the world to see my grandchildren - my grandmother is going!' he explained.

When asked why he is focusing on AI programs this year, center director Kim said, "Recently, terrestrial broadcasters are in crisis. The same goes for EBS, which I thought AI would break through the crisis. Last year, EBS formed an AI Innovation Promotion Committee and is planning to promote AI in earnest this year. I thought that long-term large-scale projects could also be implemented with AI. I thought I would be able to achieve such an effect, so I even organized it regularly. We were able to create new content by applying the advantages of AI technology to content," he said.

There are also concerns that some deficiencies in AI may cause confusion when they are broadcasted. Director of the center Kim said, "This is the most important point that EBS has considered. When implemented with AI, we thought deeply about whether we could deliver content properly and thoroughly prepared for this. AI guidelines were established, and content supervision was thoroughly conducted for each program. He explained, "I decided to take the best authority in Korea." In the case of puppet shows, he said, "In the past, we invested about 8 million won to 10 million won, but since it was outsourced to AI, the production cost was set at less than 7 million won."

When asked about the scale of production costs to be reduced through this reorganization, he said, "We did not go only with a cost approach because it is an experimental stage in developing AI programs. After this year, we will look at the performance of each program and approach it systematically," he said. President Kim said, "If Adam Smith talks about 'the theory of national wealth', it could cost hundreds of millions of won if he produces historical works in a 15-minute animation. The production cost will be reduced by approximately 10 times compared to the existing contents," he estimated.

The reduced production costs will be used to produce better quality content. Referring to "EBS Space Empathy," which invests 30 billion won for four years with Google's win-win fund support, Nam, head of the broadcasting production division, said, "Space Empathy was actually taking a break from the performance because of the burden of production costs. Under the 30 billion won support this year, "Space Empathy" will be able to perform about four times a month, 50 times this year, and 80 times next year. The show will resume from April 3. Jang Ki-ha, silica gel, and Akmu will perform."

There are also concerns about the possibility of controversy over intellectual property rights due to the use of AI. Kim, the head of the center, said, "We spend more than 5 billion won annually on AI animation. A quarter of that will be spent on experimental content. AI cannot be used everywhere because we have to act as a priming water in the broadcasting ecosystem. We also formed an AI content advisory committee. We are carefully checking not only the program's content review, but also the impact on humans when it is broadcasted," he said.

Kim Hyung-joon, head of the organization and planning department, said, "We have formed an AI-related committee since last year, and we have also implemented pilots in various forms. The relevant laws were also checked in advance. AI products may be inconvenient for some viewers, but we try to approach EBS's bright and warm tone by avoiding such reluctant tones as much as possible, he added.

EBS breaks down barriers to production costs with AI technology and organizes a number of large projects. It focuses on K-educational content targeting the global market and restoring publicity to care for the socially underprivileged. EBS is carrying out a large-scale spring reorganization with the aim of "enhancing competitiveness through AI innovation and content innovation." "AI classics, 100 books that changed history," "AI characters Korean history (tentative), "AI drama – revival class," "AI drama - youth literature center (tentative), AI animation series co-production project, "YouTube Original" AI content, and "EBS Documentary Prime - AI Sapiens" will be organized.

Even though it is a public broadcaster, the development of AI technology is a decisive opportunity to break through the existing limitations for EBS, which has been limited in promoting long-term large-scale projects due to insufficient public financial conditions. EBS will use AI technology as a key means of production in this reorganization, introducing a number of large-scale projects and new format programs that were difficult to try before.

Representative examples are "AI classics, 100 books that changed history," a plan for humanities and culture that embodies 100 masterpieces from the East and the West with AI, and "AI Person Korean History (tentative) for elementary school students who embody our history from Gojoseon to the Joseon Dynasty with AI technology. Both programs are long-term projects that produce hundreds to 1,000 pieces over a multi-year period, and they would not have been possible due to production cost conditions without AI technology. In addition, AI drama - Resurrection Class, which reproduces messages left by historical figures at a specific point in time with AI, and AI modern and contemporary Korean literature imaging project 'AI Drama - Youth Literature Hall (tentative)" will be realized with overwhelming visual beauty. AI is also actively introduced in the overall production of AI animation series co-production projects and 'YouTube Original' AI contents that are sent only online due to highly experimental production.

Beyond innovation in the production site, EBS is also taking the lead in "cultivating AI utilization capabilities across the country" so that anyone can handle AI skillfully. It produces and broadcasts a variety of "AI literacy contents" from children to adults, including "AI Learning for the First Time," a curriculum-based AI education content for elementary school students, and "EBS Documentary Prime - AI Sapiens," which considers various topics in the AI era. In addition, the "AI Education Platform for All Nations," which will be newly introduced in the second half of this year, will provide optimized learning content based on a customized curriculum for each generation. By supporting practice-oriented AI education services beyond theory, the policy is to establish an inclusive educational environment in which all generations can use AI as a daily tool.

The essential value EBS pays attention to is "human growth" as "young philosopher," "parent's first sex education," "age witness: Then I (tentative)" and "EBS documentary prime" technologies replace the human domain. From philosophical thinking in infancy to humanistic reflection through adult life, lifelong education for each life cycle, which cultivates human-specific thinking power and sensitivity, has been established as one of the key pillars of the organization and reorganization.

The philosophy education program "Young Philosopher," which systematically fosters "thinking power" for infants and children, has been newly established since March, and the new concept of parental education program "Parents' First Sex Education," which starts from children's eyes, will also premiere on March 30. Starting in June, "Times Witness: Then I (Gaze)" will be broadcast, which presents insights through the times by illuminating the history projected in the life of the Korean cultural and artistic masters from various angles. EBS's leading documentary brand, "EBS Documentary Prime," also highlights essential topics that humans and society in our time, such as children's growth, generational conflict, the front line of cancer treatment, and reading in the AI era, as a large series.

Programs to expand the global education market through the development of high-quality 'K-education contents' are also attracting attention. There are 'The Great Classes, The Great Maines', 'The Last Humanity', and 'EBS Space Empathy'. EBS also set content development targeting the global education market beyond domestic viewers as the main direction for reorganization. This is based on the recognition that K-educational content, which has both educational value and public interest, is a key competitive edge that EBS can differentiate itself in the global market.

"The Great Class, Great Maines," which has signed a contract with ProQuest, the world's largest academic information service company, and is supplied to universities and research institutes around the world, will continue to produce at a global level in Season 6, which will be broadcast in the second half of the year. Survival Science Reality, which survives as science in climate disasters, and "The Last Humanity" will first air in June and target global viewers with an unconventional format called filming a local all-roke in Biosphere 2, an artificial ecosystem project in Arizona. EBS Space Empathy, which invests 30 billion won for four years with Google's win-win fund support, expands performance operations, discovers new indie musicians through "Hello Rookie," and plays a central role in promoting K-music.

It will also strengthen its steps to care for the socially underprivileged, which is the original calling of public broadcasting. EBS intends to contribute to restoring viewers' sense of community by sincerely capturing the lives of minorities such as migrants, the elderly, and the disabled in this reorganization. "Global Dad Finding Samman-ri," which produces a new season in six years, seeks to improve awareness of residents from migrant backgrounds through the lives of migrant workers in Korean society. "Here I am! My grandson" and the spinoff program "Around the World to See My Grandmother!" which aired in February continue to warm eyes on members of society from various cultural backgrounds, and "Spinning the World," which truly contains the daily lives of young people with disabilities, will steadily expand social understanding of disabilities.

EBS said, "We expect this spring 2026 reorganization to be a meaningful challenge to show how we can expand the mission of public educational broadcasting through a powerful tool called AI. While using artificial intelligence technology creatively, we will fulfill our mission as Korea's representative educational platform through unique content that does not lose a warm look at humans and society.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.