야구 보러 왔다가 눌러앉는다…‘본방 사수’ 전략 나선 OTT

OTT platforms and 'original content creators' were once thought to be separate entities. OTT platforms are designed for viewers to watch previously broadcast content again, or to immerse themselves in it without any influence from the original broadcast. However, recently, OTT platforms have also realized the need for 'original content creators'.

Recent examples include Netflix's live broadcast of BTS's comeback concert 'BTS: Arirang' on March 21st, which highlighted this trend. The band's return to the stage after a four-year hiatus was celebrated in front of the Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, with the live broadcast reaching 18.4 million viewers across 190 countries, placing it in the top 10 of weekly viewer rankings in 80 countries.

Netflix also live streamed the hand climbing of Alex Hololode, a climber from Taiwan who reached over 500 meters in a high-rise building called Taipei 101, in just 1 hour and 30 minutes on January 24th. Meanwhile, domestic OTT service CJ ENM invested 1350 billion won in KBO League broadcasting rights for 2024~2026, making it accessible through their T-ving app, thus attracting more baseball fans.

T-ving also broadcasted the 2026 French Open tennis tournament, which took place from May 24th to June 7th. Other platforms such as Coupang Play and Disney+ have also entered the fray by broadcasting sports and other events to attract subscribers. Coupang Play broadcasted K League Challenge live matches and the Bigbang 20th Anniversary X Han River Collaboration event held on July 19th, while Disney+ broadcasted the globally exclusive 'League of Legends' CSGO Cup in December 2023, and the Chicago-based music festival 'RollaPalooza' from July 31st to August 2nd.

OTT services are expanding their live content offerings because it has a significant impact on increasing subscriptions. Netflix's relations stated that the live program now accounts for less than 5% of overall content spending but also represents only 1% of time spent watching. However, in the past five years, six of the top 10 dates with the most new subscribers were live events.

This achievement is even more impressive considering that Netflix launched live events in 2023. T-ving has also benefited from live broadcasts of baseball games, leading to a 40% increase in 2nd quarter revenue and a 24.7% increase in subscriptions compared to the same period last year.