Big Hit Entertainment Acquires ZICO’s KOZ Entertainment!
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There will be a new face joining the Big Hit Labels banner, with ZICO‘s KOZ Entertainment becoming the newest face.
According to Big Hit Entertainment‘s announcement made on November 18, they will be acquiring KOZ Entertainment, formed by Block B‘s Zico. Currently, KOZ Entertainment is home to ZICO and DVWN, who was recruited in November.
This is the third agency acquisition by Big Hit Entertainment this year following the acquisition of Big Source Entertainment and Pledis Entertainment. Through the acquisition of KOZ Entertainment, Big Hit Entertainment hopes to further improve its infrastructure, both to expand its artist IP and to use ZICO's products to enhance its music production capabilities.
Both KOZ Entertainment CEO Yoo Seung Hyun and Big Hit Entertainment Chairman Bang Si Hyuk commented on the acquisition.
"The philosophy of both KOZ and Big Hit Entertainment are similar. We value our artists, our content, and aim to be innovators in the music industry and Big Hit is innovating in the business model side. We will work hard to find new talented artists and promote globally under cooperation with Big Hit."
— Yoo Seung Hyun
"We are glad to work with Zico, one of the nation’s top producers and artists. We expect KOZ to also be active in the global market via Big Hit’s global network and systematic music production. We look forward to the synergy that Big Hit and KOZ will have together."
— Bang Si Hyuk
Big Hit Labels now includes Lee Hyun, BTS, TXT, GFRIEND, SEVENTEEN, NU’EST, Nana, and ZICO.
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Seoul Court Reveals 'Produce 101' Trainees Eliminated By Vote Manipulation
The trainees who were kicked out by PD Ahn Joon Young's vote manipulation at Mnet's survival show series 'Produce 101' have been revealed.
At 10 AM KST on November 18, an appeals court held a hearing on PD Ahn Joon Young and CP Kim Yong Beom, who were arrested on charges of fraud and other charges at the Seoul High Court's Criminal Department 1.
On the same day, the court said, "The incident damaged the fairness of the broadcast show and resulted in deceiving and fooling viewers and the trainees who participated in the program. Some of the trainees were unfairly robbed of their chance to debut and become singers."
"The biggest victims were the trainees who were unfairly eliminated by the defendants for ranking manipulation. CJ ENM also made a public apology and promised to compensate for the victims. We thought about what the real remedy for the victims was. We believed that only when the victim was identified could compensation for the damage be made. Material compensation is also important, but only when it is revealed that the defendants unfairly eliminated the victims can it be the start of the damage compensation and the fairness of the audition program be restored," the court explained.
Victimized trainees are revealed as follows:
- Season 1: Kim Suhyun and Seo Hyelin were eliminated right in the first round of voting.
- Season 2: Seong Hyun Woo was eliminated right in the first round of voting. Kang Dong Ho (NU'EST Baekho) was eliminated in the 4th round of voting.
- Season 3 ('Produce 48'): Lee Gaeun and Han Chowon (actual rankings were #5 and #6) were eliminated right in the finale.
- Season 4 ('Produce X 101'): Timothée Anzardi was eliminated in the first first round of voting. Kim Kooheon and Lee Jin Woo were eliminated in the 3rd round of voting. Koo Jungmo, Lee Jin Hyuk and Geum Donghyun (actual rankings were #6, #7 and #8) were eliminated in the finale.
However, the court decided not to disclose the trainees whose rankings were manipulated in favor of the production team. The court said, "It seems that the trainees whose rankings were manipulated to their advantage were also unaware of the fabrication, and they can be seen as victims, too. There is also a high risk of them becoming scapegoats on behalf of the defendants if we make their names known."
"Trainees have no choice but to live with trauma for the rest of their lives, and viewers feel extremely betrayed," the court said. "The results of the audition, in which everyone could have been the winner, were disastrous," PD Ahn Joon Young was sentenced to two years in prison and CP Kim Yong Beom to one year and eight months in prison.
