The dispute over the online streaming rights for THE BOYZ’s concert is heating up. Their agency in the middle of an exclusive-contract clash, One Hundred, and entertainment-tech company knowmerce have issued opposing statements and are trading blame.
On the 15th, knowmerce claimed it signed an exclusive deal with One Hundred for the online broadcast of “THE BOYZ CONCERT <INTER-ZECTION>” and paid the agreed fees, but then received a unilateral notice refusing to perform the contract. The company added that, although it believes it is the legal rightsholder, it will immediately halt livestream sales and issue full refunds to prevent confusion for the artists and fans.
One Hundred countered via its legal representative that entrusting the stage to an “unverified, unstable system” would be a betrayal of fans and managerial negligence. It said it chose to partner with a provider that has a stable system to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality streaming―calling it a reasonable decision to protect fans’ viewing rights and the concert’s quality.
One Hundred also pointed to knowmerce’s past service outages. It claimed that on the fandom platform fromm’s live service, servers failed even with low concurrent users and did not improve despite requests for fixes. It further alleged that during concert preparations, poor communication and an insincere attitude damaged trust―arguing that knowmerce bears responsibility for any nonperformance of the contract.
The standoff may spill into legal action. One Hundred warned that a private forensic review found many of knowmerce’s claims to be untrue and said it will pursue civil and criminal measures over the spread of false information.
The controversy is widening amid THE BOYZ’s ongoing exclusive-contract dispute with their agency.
Previously, THE BOYZ’s side said they notified termination of the exclusive contract due to a material breach and a breakdown of trust, raising issues over unpaid settlements. One Hundred maintains the contract remains valid and says it continued support, which members rejected.
Meanwhile, THE BOYZ are set to hold the “INTER-ZECTION” concert at KSPO DOME in Seoul from the 24th to the 26th.
Photo: Baik Seung-Chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)