Tving and Coupang Play lead the charge in transforming sports viewership from free to subscription-based models

Courtesy of Coupang Play

Korean streaming services are increasingly obtaining exclusive rights to broadcast major sports events as they seek to expand their subscriber base, leading to a shift from free to paid access that has stirred significant criticism among fans.

Starting in May, Tving secured exclusive online broadcasting rights for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), offering KBO-related content solely to its subscribers. Tving will also exclusively live-stream the Euro 2024 and the 2024 Copa America soccer tournaments, scheduled for June 14 to July 14 and June 20 to July 14, respectively.

Coupang Play has become the exclusive broadcaster for several prominent international soccer leagues, including Germany's Bundesliga for the 2024-25 season and Spain's La Liga for the 2023-24 season, with rights secured for the next five years. The platform also holds exclusive online rights to broadcast K League matches and provides additional fan-oriented services. These include the "Coupang Play Series," which features matches between top overseas clubs in Korea, and "Coupang Play Pick," offering previews, enhanced game footage, and post-match reviews.
 

▲ Poster for "Coupang Play Series," featuring Tottenham Hotspur vs. Bayern München / Courtesy of Coupang PlayMany Korean sports fans see advantages in the trend toward streaming service-led sports broadcasts. "Unlike SpoTV, streaming service sports broadcasts utilize more cameras and drones to improve the viewing experience," said Oh Jin-ho, a 25-year-old sports fan from Gyeonggi Province. SpoTV is Korea's largest sports broadcasting network. Oh also noted the convenience of watching games on streaming platforms without time or location constraints.

Streaming services have also started organizing fan events, a practice not commonly seen with traditional TV networks. "Platforms like Coupang Play arrange exclusive matches, such as the August game between Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur. This type of fan-centered event wasn’t available when games were broadcast on TV," said Lee Nam-won, a 24-year-old sports fan from Seoul.

Despite these benefits, a survey by the Korea Press Foundation in May revealed that 77.9 percent of respondents held a negative view of paid sports streaming. The survey, conducted between April 17 and 21 with 1,000 participants, highlighted concerns over subscription costs, with 79.5 percent of respondents deeming the fees inappropriate. Currently, Coupang Play’s monthly subscription costs 7,890 won (approximately $5.71), while Tving starts at 5,500 won.

"Previously, games were freely accessible on platforms like Naver and KakaoTalk, but now we have to pay for content that was once free. This has led to backlash from sports fans," Oh added.

Industry officials argue that the transition to paid sports streaming is an inevitable trend. "Paid broadcasting is common globally. For K-League content, paying a reasonable fee for broadcasts can help increase its value," said a streaming service official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Sayart 

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