Naver’s streaming platform CHZZK announced on the 8th that it has secured exclusive broadcasting rights in Korean for the global esports event ‘EWC’ (Esports World Cup) for three years, from 2025 to 2027.
The EWC, which opens today, is the largest esports event in the world, hosted by the Esports World Cup Foundation in Saudi Arabia. This year’s event will run for a total of 48 days until Aug. 24. The total prize pool is over $70 million (approximately 100 billion won). A total of 25 matches featuring 24 games will be held, with the team that scores the highest points crowned as ‘club champion.’
Naver noted, “CHZZK, which has secured exclusive broadcasting rights in Korean for the EWC, will provide an immersive viewing experience for esports fans,” adding, “We plan to establish ourselves as a comprehensive streaming platform that allows users to enjoy the tournament in even more diverse ways.”
Naver CHZZK will provide real-time streams of matches in 14 genres with high viewing demand among domestic esports fans, such as ▲League of Legends ▲PUBG ▲Valorant. In particular, this year’s event will feature a variety of domestic pro teams, including ▲T1 ▲Gen.G ▲Hanwha Life ▲DRX ▲Nongshim.
Naver CHZZK also recruited professional commentators for the event. Influencer ‘MimiMinoo’ and popular CHZZK streamers will be dispatched to Saudi Arabia to convey the enthusiasm and atmosphere of the tournament in an engaging manner.
In addition to official broadcasts, Naver CHZZK prepared ‘watch together’ content, allowing viewers to watch commentary by their preferred streamers or engaging with viewers' chats. There will also be promotions like a ‘drops’ event where specific rewards can be earned by watching certain matches for an extended time, and a stamp collection promotion during the tournament that automatically enters participants into a draw for prizes, including flight tickets.
Kim Jung-mi, leader of Naver CHZZK, said, “EWC is the world’s largest esports tournament, recording 500 million online viewers and 2.6 million visitors last year. We expect that securing exclusive broadcasting rights in Korean will provide esports fans with a more differentiated viewing experience and diverse content,” adding, “In the future, CHZZK will continue to expand the content ecosystem as a platform where streamers and viewers can enjoy and participate together.”