KT works with American book publisher to release digital IPTV TV English education content

[Courtesy of KT]

SEOUL -- South Korea's major telecom company KT has worked with Scholastic, an American children's book publisher, to create internet protocol television English education content for kids. Video content designed to teach commonly used English words will be released every week on Genie TV, an internet cable TV service run by KT.
 
According to KT, Scholastic has distributed books to 165 countries and about 83 percent of public schools in the United States use the book publisher's textbooks and programs. KT forged a partnership with Scholastic in 2019 to produce various digital education content by combining KT's information and communication technology (ICT) and internet infrastructure. The two companies have recreated three Scholastic textbooks into animated video content.
 
KT said in a statement that the company will roll out new content named "Scholastic Season 2" through the company's internet protocol TV (IPTV) platform on June 1. The content was created based on Sight Word Stories, textbooks published by Scholastic. After showcasing 100 videos for free by the end of July, the company will offer video content for users with membership starting in August. Anyone can watch the video content every Thursday. "The Scholastic series was created to alleviate parents' concerns regarding English education," KT's media platform business head Kim Hoon-bae said in a statement.
 
South Korean schools adopted education technology (edutech) in 2011 by providing tablet PCs to schools in remote rural areas. Some schools have adopted digital textbooks for students using augmented reality and virtual reality headsets. Data cited by KT showed that the global edutech market which stood at 3 billion in 2019 is projected to reach 4 billion in 2025.
 
Various domestic companies are providing digital English content for children. U+ Elementary Country service, run by mobile carrier LG Uplus, is offering English newspaper-based content. Children can improve their English skills by reading English articles and their Korean translations as well as listening to MP3 files recorded by native speakers.