(Seoul = News1) Reporter Kim Min-ji reports that the conflict between the broadcaster and the production company surrounding “Strongest Baseball” has intensified, leading to JTBC entering Studio C1’s editing room and cutting off the server.
As a result of News1’s investigation on the 31st, Studio C1, which has been producing “Strongest Baseball” and is headed by PD Jang Si-won, had its editing room server cut off by JTBC on this day. When the server is cut, editing becomes impossible, and existing data cannot even be backed up until it is reconnected.
At about 9 a.m. on that day, a shareholders’ meeting was held at Studio C1, during which JTBC employees visited the office. Using a key meant for server maintenance and repair, five JTBC employees entered the unoccupied Studio C1 editing room and severed the server connection. They also changed the passwords on some editing room computers, preventing employees from accessing them.
Upon discovering this, a Studio C1 representative protested on-site. Studio C1 claimed that JTBC’s act of entering the office without permission and cutting off the server without allowing time for data backup was illegal.
Studio C1 subsequently reported the incident to the police, and both parties underwent investigation at the scene. Studio C1 plans to formally charge JTBC with unauthorized entry and obstruction of business.
PD Jang Si-won told News1, “Where is it normal to secretly cut off an editing room server without prior notice? In my 20-year broadcasting career, this is the first time encountering such absurdity,” indicating a strong response. Additional damage to Studio C1 is yet to be confirmed.
In contrast, JTBC claimed to News1 that their actions were justified.
JTBC stated, “Studio C1 was using JTBC’s server,” and explained, “We believed the contract with Studio C1 had already ended, so we disabled the ID they were using from accessing our server on the morning of the 31st.”
Regarding entering Studio C1’s editing room, JTBC noted, “The editing room is leased by JTBC, so we can enter at any time. Due to the high cost of broadcasting equipment, we intended to check for any loss or damage after the lease,” adding, “We requested Studio C1 to vacate the editing room within a week and delivered the related documents at the shareholders’ meeting.”
Furthermore, JTBC mentioned, “The connection was restored based on Studio C1’s request.”
However, Studio C1 countered to News1, saying, “We are not using JTBC’s server; the server currently in use is a standalone server exclusively used by Studio C1.” They also stated, “JTBC has locked not only the server we leased but also the personal editing gear of the PDs.”
Since 2022, “Strongest Baseball” had been airing through JTBC, but conflicts surfaced after differing views between JTBC and Studio C1 over the tryouts on March 25.
JTBC stated that Studio C1 allegedly overcharged production costs by billions of won across three seasons and claimed that “Strongest Baseball’s” intellectual property rights (IP) are 100% owned by JTBC according to the co-production agreement Article 11. They asserted that Studio C1 was violating JTBC’s IP rights by forcing the production of season 4 and announced plans to form a new production team for “Strongest Baseball.”
Meanwhile, Jang Si-won, the main director of “Strongest Baseball,” argued, “The production contract between C1 and JTBC does not stipulate post-claim or actual expense settlement conditions, making ‘overcharging’ structurally impossible.” He added, “According to Article 11 of the co-production agreement, the IP that JTBC currently holds is limited to the footage of the completed season 3.”
Amidst this turmoil, Studio C1 intends to proceed with the previously scheduled shoot, including interviews with players who passed the tryouts independently from JTBC. Practice videos of the players are currently being released on Studio C1’s YouTube channel.
Copyright ⓒ 뉴스1. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction and redistribution, and AI learning use are prohibited.