AI Dubbing Stra Eyes South America, Backed by K-FAST Project

AI dubbing innovation company Straga has emerged as a key player to accelerate the global spread of K-content. Straga, selected for the Ministry of Science and ICT's 'AI Dubbing-Specialized K-FAST Support Project,' will produce 80 hours of Latin American Spanish AI dubbing and 160 hours of AI translated subtitles. These will be supplied to FAST channels worldwide starting from the fourth quarter of this year, thereby breaking down language barriers. K-FAST, a government-led project, is a large-scale initiative that broadcasts over 4,400 K-content titles with local language dubbing to over 20 countries, including North America, Europe, and Latin America, through 20 channels pre-installed on Samsung and LG smart TVs. Currently, dubbing is supported in over 20 languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and Straga is particularly focusing on the Latin American Spanish market, which has significant potential. Straga, an AI audio technology specialist company established in 2019, has accumulated unique technological expertise by providing multilingual dubbing services to K-pop agencies and audio drama platforms. The web service 'stra.ai,' launched in April this year, is an innovative platform that automates the entire process from audio source separation to script transcription, translation, and TTS (Text-to-Speech), enabling even individual creators to easily produce multilingual dubbed videos. The reason Straga has chosen Latin American Spanish as a strategic stronghold is the overwhelming local market preference for dubbing. In a 2023 survey of 1,002 Mexican adults, 58% of respondents preferred AI dubbing over subtitles, and this percentage surged to a remarkable 71% among those who spend less time watching foreign language videos. Furthermore, the Hispanic population in the US is 65.2 million, accounting for 19.5% of the total population and driving 71% of the US population increase, demonstrating immense market potential. Kim Yong-ho, CEO of Straga, stated his ambition: "We will form a dedicated Latin American team to create customized AI voices that perfectly reflect local culture and accents," adding, "Using K-FAST as a stepping stone, we will popularize AI dubbing and significantly contribute to K-content expanding worldwide without language barriers." Straga's core technology integrates audio source separation and emotional TTS into a single workflow. Users can not only modify dialogue but also finely adjust speed, tone, and emotion in the web editor. Furthermore, a hybrid method of converting human voice actor audio into AI is available if needed, adding to the technology's flexibility.