With the opening of the 2026 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) Cup on Jan. 14 approaching, new tension is building in South Korea’s e-sports broadcast market. Global platform YouTube, which has led LCK broadcasting, has dropped out, setting up a head-to-head between domestic platforms Naver’s Chzzk and SOOP.

Riot Games Korea signed exclusive five-year broadcast rights deals through 2030 late last year with Naver and SOOP, respectively. As a result, from this year Korean-language live streams of the LCK can be watched only on Chzzk and SOOP.

Last year the LCK’s average minute audience (AMA) in South Korea was 634,000, up 42 percent from a year earlier. With YouTube gone, the two companies can split the large audience now left without a home. Audience size is a key indicator directly tied to platform influence and advertising revenue. The two are rolling out opposing strategies to maximise a "lock-in" effect that keeps viewers within their ecosystems beyond simply carrying broadcasts.

SOOP seeks to lock in fandoms, maximising lock-in by linking to player streams

SOOP has put "connected content" at the heart of its competitive pitch. It aims to increase viewing time by moving from match broadcasts straight into players’ personal streams and team original content.

To do so, SOOP signed partnerships with 7 teams, a majority of the 10 LCK clubs, including T1, Gen.G and KT Rolster. It is calculating that it can prevent fandom churn by internalising off-the-field narratives as platform-exclusive content, such as the case when popular player Faker, Lee Sang-hyeok, held a joint stream in November after inviting fans to T1’s headquarters as a pledge tied to winning the world championship.

As part of that strategy, SOOP began recruiting "supporter streamers" from Jan. 9 for the 7 partner teams. Selected streamers will run reaction and cheering broadcasts, serving as a bridge between fans and teams. SOOP plans to extend online enthusiasm into offline fandom culture by offering them chances to join home-ground events and viewing parties.

SOOP is aiming for a virtuous cycle that naturally leads viewers from official broadcasts to players’ personal streams or team content. It also planned various collaborative content, including visits to team headquarters and talk content with streamers. For LCK content, it made its previously paid "Time Machine" replay feature free, shoring up viewing convenience that had been a YouTube strength.

It has also strengthened its position as an "e-sports hub" by adding overseas league rights. SOOP said on Jan. 8 that, following the LCK, it will provide Korean-language broadcasts for major overseas leagues including the LPL (China) and LEC (Europe). It aims to keep users on the platform even when there are no domestic matches.

Chzzk breaks down barriers, boosting accessibility with free replays and AI

Latecomer Chzzk is positioning itself to stand its ground on content volume as well as "branding" and "technological accessibility" using parent Naver’s infrastructure.

To overcome its weaker number of partner teams, 3, it sharply strengthened the platform’s basics. Chzzk made the "Time Machine" replay feature for LCK broadcasts fully free on Jan. 8, countering SOOP’s offensive. It also plans to lower entry barriers for light users by introducing an "AI chapter" feature that automatically analyses and offers key moments from VOD replays using Naver’s AI technology.

Its content lineup is also solid. Chzzk said in its 2026 roadmap that it will livestream year-round not only the LCK but also League of Legends e-sports leagues and events worldwide, including the LPL, LEC, LCS (North America), LCP (Asia-Pacific) and CBLOL (Brazil). It has signalled it does not intend to fall behind in the competition for things to watch by securing extensive broadcast rights comparable to SOOP’s.

Its push to raise awareness by securing offline footholds also stands out. Naver joined as a naming sponsor of the dedicated LCK arena, LoL Park, and changed the official name to "Chzzk LoL Park". From the regular season in April, Chzzk-branded spaces and seating zones will be set up inside the arena. It is a strategic move aimed at instilling the idea that "LCK equals Chzzk" among on-site spectators and viewers.

First season without YouTube, the contest is over who keeps viewers longer

With the buffer zone of YouTube gone, competition between the two is expected to be decided by "viewing convenience" and "user retention".

According to Softconviewership, Chzzk last year posted peak concurrent viewers of 698,933, up 60.6 percent, and average viewers of 113,392, up 39.3 percent, showing explosive growth. SOOP recorded peak concurrent viewers of 541,663, up 5.1 percent, and average viewers of 141,576, up 1.2 percent. Its growth was smaller, but it still holds an edge in absolute average viewer scale.

The issue is the overall market size. According to IGAWorks Mobile Index, the combined monthly active users (MAU) of SOOP and Chzzk last year stagnated between 4,610,000 and 5,320,000. In a saturated market where it is hard to create new demand, the two are effectively in a fierce fight to draw in rivals’ users and prevent their own users from leaving.

An industry official analysed the situation by saying, "With YouTube’s exit, users are inevitably in a period where they have to form new viewing habits," and "Rather than a simple competition to bring in traffic, a key indicator that will determine future market share will be how long derivative content and convenience features provided by each platform can keep viewers."