Since making the semi-finals at the 2002 World Cup in their home country, South Korea has taken an active interest in the game worldwide. Having players like Park Ji-Sung in European teams has led to many fans following players progress in their overseas teams. However, certain information about overseas soccer such as game schedules were hidden within news articles and sports sections of portal sites. One of the more frustrating problems was the lack of information about which channels were showing games. Additionally, finding live coverage or highlight videos wasn’t easy unless links were provided on the front page of portals.
DJ Lee, CEO of YAM STUDIO noticed this problem in January released the app “Today’s Overseas Soccer”, which brought together all the desired information for users.
“With our app, users can find all the schedules, results, live coverage info and highlight videos in one place without having to look around for it. We also provide information on Korea players who are playing in overseas teams through the theme tab. For videos or articles where content is protected by copyright, instead of offering it directly we provide a link which connects the user with the content holders page.”
In June the company also released “Today’s K-League” which covers the news and results of Korea’s domestic soccer teams. The two apps are designed to bring together information from internet portals, media, teams, leagues and official websites so users can easily view the content they want without searching multiple places for it.
Lee says that YAM STUDIO plans to continue expanding the “Today’s …….” series beyond sports and into other areas of life. The next app in the series will be targeted at office workers. Like most developers which offer free apps, revenue is gained through advertising. Nevertheless, instead of using only one advertising platform, the company has also made contracts with major sporting brands and other companies such as soccer retailers.
Lee founded the company in October 2011 and the company is now in its tenth month. With seven members, YAM STUDIO has a mission statement of creating “things people need” and focuses on developing mobile apps and web services. The company’s apps are available on both iOS and Android and can be downloaded from the website.