Soop

SOOP Corp. is a South Korean information-technology and media company whose current flagship business is the SOOP live-streaming platform, formerly known as AfreecaTV. Its corporate history reaches back to Nowcom, a company established in 1994 around Nownuri, a VT-based online bulletin-board service. Over time, the business expanded from networked community services into web storage, content distribution, online games, and internet broadcasting. The company’s principal streaming service began as AfreecaTV in 2005. The platform enabled users to upload recorded video and broadcast live content, creating a participatory online-television model built around independent creators, communities, and real-time interaction. It became the most visible consumer-facing business associated with the company and provided the foundation for its later positioning in live media and digital entertainment. Nowcom underwent a major corporate restructuring in 2008 when it was merged with Wins Technet, a listed information-technology company. The companies worked together for several years before a further separation was announced in 2011. The July 2011 split divided the former Nowcom assets between a publicly traded company focused primarily on webcasting and online-game development and a privately held company focused on content, media, and web-storage activities. The publicly traded successor was renamed AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. and retained businesses including AfreecaTV, TalesRunner, and O2Jam. ZettaMedia was established as the other successor and took on services such as Nownuri, PDBox, and ClubBox. AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. later broadened its corporate identity beyond the original streaming brand. In 2024, it adopted the name SOOP Co., Ltd. as part of a global expansion strategy. The SOOP service was organized into Korean and global versions, reflecting an effort to serve its established domestic audience while developing a more internationally oriented platform. The company’s portfolio also includes or has included online games such as TalesRunner and O2Jam, community and storage services such as ClubBox and Nownuri, and NOWCDN, a content-delivery-network service intended for large-scale file distribution including game clients. The business therefore combines platform operations, creator-led live video, online entertainment, gaming, and internet infrastructure. Its strongest strategic identity is as a live-content and community platform, with gaming and legacy internet services forming important parts of its development. The transition from Nowcom to AfreecaTV and then SOOP illustrates a progression from a diversified Korean internet-services company toward a media-platform group seeking broader international recognition.

SOOP Corp.’s history begins with Nowcom, a South Korean IT company founded in 1994. Its first identified service was Nownuri, a VT-based online bulletin-board system. This early focus on networked communities established a foundation for later activity in consumer internet services, digital content, and online entertainment. The company expanded its portfolio over the following years. Its services came to include AfreecaTV, a user-generated and live-video platform launched in 2005; TalesRunner, a racing game; O2Jam, a music game; ClubBox, an online storage service used by internet communities; and NOWCDN, a content-delivery service designed for distributing large files such as game clients. This mix gave Nowcom exposure to both consumer media and the technical infrastructure supporting digital distribution. A major change occurred in January 2008, when Nowcom was merged into Wins Technet, a listed IT company. The combined businesses operated together for approximately three years. In July 2011, Nowcom announced a new division of its assets into two successor organizations. One was a publicly traded company directed toward webcasting and online-game development; the other was privately held and focused on content, media, and web storage. The split formally took effect in July 2011. The publicly traded successor adopted the name AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. and retained the Afreeca streaming service together with TalesRunner and O2Jam. A separate company, ZettaMedia, was created for services including Nownuri, PDBox, and ClubBox. This restructuring ended the earlier unified Nowcom structure while preserving many of its businesses in distinct corporate homes. AfreecaTV became the central identity of the publicly traded successor. The platform’s model combined live broadcasts, uploaded video, creator participation, and audience interaction, making it an important Korean example of internet broadcasting. The company continued to operate a portfolio that connected streaming with games and other digital services. In 2024, AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. changed its corporate name to SOOP Co., Ltd. The rebrand was linked to international expansion and a broader global presentation. The former AfreecaTV service became SOOP and was made available through Korean and global versions. The new identity positioned the company as an international live-content and digital-entertainment platform while retaining the infrastructure and audience relationships developed under the AfreecaTV name. Today, the company is best understood through its SOOP streaming business, although its historical development includes online games, community services, storage, and network-distribution technology. The Nowcom name is therefore principally associated with the company’s earlier corporate phase, while SOOP represents the current corporate and platform identity.

• 2024

  AfreecaTV becomes SOOP

  [1]SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org

  AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. adopts the name SOOP Co., Ltd. and introduces Korean and global versions of its streaming service as part of an international expansion effort.

• 2011

  Nowcom assets are divided

  [1]SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org

  The former Nowcom assets are split between a public company focused on webcasting and online games and privately held ZettaMedia, which takes on content, media, and storage services.

• 2008

  Nowcom merges with Wins Technet

  [1]SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org

  Nowcom is merged into the listed IT company Wins Technet and operates within the combined business.

• 2005

  AfreecaTV launches

  [1]SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org

  AfreecaTV launches as an online television and video platform supporting user-uploaded content and live broadcasting.

• 1994

  Nowcom is established

  [1]SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org

  Nowcom is founded in South Korea and begins with Nownuri, a VT-based online bulletin-board service.

A South Korean digital-media and technology group centered on creator-led live streaming, online communities, and interactive entertainment, with a strategy that combines a strong domestic platform heritage with international expansion.

• Live-streaming platform · 2005

  SOOP

  SOOP is the company’s principal live-content platform and the successor to AfreecaTV. It supports live video broadcasting, uploaded video, creator-led programming, and audience interaction. Since the 2024 rebrand, the service has been presented in Korean and global versions, reflecting the company’s effort to extend its established online-broadcasting model beyond South Korea.

• Racing video game

  TalesRunner

  TalesRunner is an online racing game associated with the company’s post-2011 publicly traded successor. It represents the gaming component of the group’s portfolio alongside its streaming and media businesses.

• Music video game

  O2Jam

  O2Jam is a music-oriented online game included among the assets retained by the publicly traded successor after the 2011 Nowcom split. It complements the company’s broader focus on interactive entertainment.

• Web storage service

  ClubBox

  ClubBox is a web-storage service designed for internet communities and file sharing. It was among the services associated with the content, media, and storage side of the 2011 corporate separation.

• Online bulletin-board service · 1994

  Nownuri

  Nownuri is a classic VT-based online bulletin-board service and the earliest identified service in Nowcom’s history. It reflects the company’s origins in Korean online communities before its expansion into streaming and digital entertainment.

• Content-delivery network

  NOWCDN

  NOWCDN is a content-delivery-network service intended for large-scale file distribution, including delivery of game clients. It represents the infrastructure side of the company’s historical technology portfolio.

• 2024

  Rebranding from AfreecaTV to SOOPStrategy

  Background

  AfreecaTV Co., Ltd. sought a broader international identity for its streaming and media business.

  Action taken

  The company changed its corporate name to SOOP Co., Ltd. and organized the streaming service into Korean and global versions.

  Aftermath

  SOOP became the company’s principal corporate and platform identity, while AfreecaTV remained the historical name of the service and its Korean heritage.

  Source

• 2011

  Corporate separation of Nowcom assetsStrategy

  Background

  After the 2008 merger with Wins Technet and several years of joint operation, the businesses were reorganized into separate public and private entities with different strategic focuses.

  Action taken

  The publicly traded successor retained webcasting and online-game activities and became AfreecaTV Co., Ltd., while ZettaMedia was formed for content, media, and web-storage services.

  Aftermath

  The split ended Nowcom as a unified operating structure and established the corporate lineage that later led to SOOP Corp.

  Source

1. 1SOOP Corp.en.wikipedia.org