Something Special, the Seoul-based format agency, enters ATF with momentum following the successful premiere of its new reality music series Unforgettable Duet and the appointment of Hayoung Rhee as Vice President, Head of Sales. The agency confirmed that the series producer and Head of Productions, Jacob Han, will join Rhee and sales executive Courtney Boyett at the market next week to present the program to international buyers.
Premiere performance
Unforgettable Duet premiered in Korea on November 5, 2025, on MBN. The first two episodes ranked highest among all cable channels in their time slots for pay-TV households, surpassing competitors such as JTBC, KBS2, MBC, and SBS. Viewership demonstrated immediate growth; for the second episode, household ratings rose 27% WoW, while peak ratings increased by 9% compared to the prior week. The series also generated double the typical launch visibility on social media for similar cable music-reality shows.
Executive appointment
Rhee joins Something Special this month, bringing over 13 years of experience from CJ ENM, where she served as General Manager of the Entertainment Division. The executive began her career at Mnet and OCN, specializing in programming and acquisition, and later oversaw operations for ENM America within the Global Division. Her experience also includes international music marketing at Universal Music Korea.
The format
Unforgettable Duet is an emotional unscripted series that follows a dementia patient and a family member on a journey to recover memories. Guided by a «Memory Singer,» participants board a «Memory Bus» filled with photos and personal items, listening to significant songs from the patient’s life11. The episode culminates in a staged finale where the patient performs a duet with their family member, followed by a tribute song from the Memory Singer. The first season is hosted by Jang Yoon-jeong.
Jin Woo Hwang, President & Executive Producer, stated: ‘After two weeks on air, the show earned top ratings and continues to attract new viewers… Our team is stronger than ever, and we look forward to furthering our mission of spreading Korean formats around the globe’.
Incoming VP Rhee added: ‘I am very excited to join the amazing team at Something Special… I can’t wait to share our latest content lineup at ATF and other upcoming content markets worldwide’.
