LCK signs massive deal with Naver, SOOP for domestic Korean broadcasts

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On December 16, Riot Games and League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) had some big news for League of Legends fans. They signed a new five-year partnership with Naver, a leading South Korean search engine and Korean livestreaming platform, SOOP.

The agreement, set to run from 2026 to 2030, will see the top regional league in MOBA's esports calendar broadcast for Korean viewers on these two platforms. As a result, Korean-language livestreams will no longer be available on YouTube, a move expected to have a big impact on how fans watch and experience the LCK.

The move, first reported by Korean news outlets, has been hailed as one of the largest ever in esports history and comparable to some of the biggest domestic broadcast deals in professional sports. Starting from the 2026 season, livestreams of LCK matches in the Korean language for domestic audiences will be available only on Naver's CHZZK and SOOP Korea.

  The LCK is arguably the biggest regional league across all esports today (Image via SPOTV News)   

Moreover, while highlights and behind-the-scenes content will continue to be provided on the existing official YouTube channels, they will first be released on the two official platforms: CHZZK and SOOP Korea. The global championships — First Stand, Mid-Season Invitational and World Championship — will also remain accessible on YouTube.

This deal proves just how far the LCK has come in the last few years, with its viewership numbers comparable to not just the most prominent international competitions in esports but also some of the biggest livestreamed sports tournaments. With a long-term, large-scale partnership in place, the regional Korean league's evaluation as a sports and entertainment IP with high market value in the digital platform environment could grow further in the upcoming years.

CHZZK and SOOP Korea are among the more prominent livestreaming platforms domestically in the East Asian nation. Even though they are relatively new to the esports broadcasting field, they have established loyal audience bases.

With esports live broadcasting witnessing a boom, the two companies are undoubtedly looking to strengthen their positions in the livestreaming ecosystem, with Korea emerging as one of the most crucial markets. As part of this agreement, CHZZK and SOOP Korea plan to develop the fan experience three-dimensionally through interactive events that connect online and offline.

CHZZK and SOOP Korea have already been among the most-watched platforms at domestic and global events

Their position as official livestreaming partners for Korean-language broadcasts of the LCK domestically is also set to dramatically alter the platform dynamics of the LoL esports. While many Korean-speaking viewers have been using these platforms to catch the action, the livestreams of global events were hitting high numbers on LCK's official YouTube channel.

For example, the recent LoL Worlds 2025 saw the LCK YouTube channel end as the only one with over a million Peak Viewers. While that was driven by the amazing performances of Korean sides, as three of the top four came from here, it shows just how far ahead this channel was of the others in terms of audience reach.

The LCK YouTube, which emerged as a top livestreaming destination for viewers across tournaments, is bound to be a miss

A look at the peak concurrent viewership records for these platforms paints a similar story. For CHZZK, the current record for Korean LoL broadcasts is 544,604 Peak Viewers (PV), set during the recent 2025 World Championship's Grand Final between T1 and KT Rolster. The same milestone for SOOP Korea remains the 2023 Worlds, when the finals pitting T1 against WBG peaked at 534,516 viewers.

The YouTube record stands at a massive 3.7 million PV during the telecom war Grand Final from this year's Worlds. In fact, the platform has peaked at least 3 million viewers during the summit clash at the last three League of Legends World Championship finals, led by LCK broadcasts, showing just how crucial it has become to the game's viewership success in recent years.

Whether CHZZK and SOOP Korea can challenge these numbers from the off, starting in 2026, is an interesting question that fans and pundits will not doubt be asking. However, the move is certain to shake up not just domestic livestreaming but also global broadcasts, and Esports Charts will ensure to track any such changes and report these insights in our news section.