Voddler is not a name too familiar to the Korean ear, but the Swedish company soon expects to entice device manufacturers and film studios here who see great business opportunities in it.

Voddler’s president and CEO, Marcus Bcklund, indicated that he is aware of such growing interest from Asia, which is why he is on the lookout for new partners.

Voddler is one of Europe’s top services for film and TV streaming that’s both cheap ― for consumers ― and shareable. 

In an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul, he signaled that he believed Korean-born global electronic bellwethers such as Samsung and LG, to find Voddler to be a viable and commercially significant partners soon enough.

“We are contacting financial partners all over Asia, and the big device manufacturers (in Korea) should do something with companies that are open source like us,” said Bcklund, who is currently touring Asia.

Voddler has enlisted the support of strong investors in Europe including handset maker Nokia, and the company has now turned to this region.

Being open source on both the front and back end is the key element distinguishing Voddler from its competition, and also why the company can afford to stay independent.

What’s more, Voddler has recently launched the Voddler LiveShelf, which can connect viewers and content owners directly with each other for video streaming to connected devices anywhere.

With it, Voddler officially became the world’s first legal film sharing service.

“We let (rights) holders publish their content on our LiveShelf. We take small commission. Our mission is to play out this shelf,” Bcklund said.

Anyone who wants to join can simply install Voddler’s free app on the device of their choice.

Another beauty of LiveShelf is ViewShare, which allows the paying customers to share the content they paid for. Up to 10 people can share via this feature, Bcklund said.

Emphasizing the importance of content, the chief executive called on Korean device makers to work toward making contents more easily accessible, especially given the changing patterns of younger consumers who prioritize screen size and Internet connectivity.

“They have to adjust their strategy accordingly. They need to access all content for consumers and make it super easy,” Bcklund said, adding that so-called next-generation televisions such as smart TVs have too many limitations and restrictions.

He expressed confidence that Voddler, being so cheap and open, will persuade Koreans who are still reticent to pay for online content, to pay up to create a win-win situation for all participants.

Last but not least, Korea holds a special place in his heart, Bcklund said, since it was his birthplace. The CEO saw himself to have taken something from both the West and East, saying he can identify with both sides of the cultural spectrum.

By Kim Ji-hyun  (jemmie@heraldcorp.com)