The State of Korean Live Streaming

The South Korean live-streaming landscape has undergone a significant transformation following the departure of Twitch in early 2024. The exit of the global platform created a 95-million-hour monthly viewership void, which has since been absorbed by local incumbents and new entrants. While the industry has stabilized, the total volume of hours watched across all platforms declined by 16% between 2023 and 2024, suggesting that a portion of the casual audience exited the ecosystem alongside Twitch.

The primary beneficiaries of this market shift are SOOP Korea—the rebranded version of AfreecaTV—and the Naver-backed newcomer Chzzk. Chzzk successfully captured a large share of former Twitch users by adopting a familiar user interface, eventually reaching 100 million hours watched by the end of 2024. Despite this growth, Korean audiences remain highly loyal to domestic platforms rather than migrating to global alternatives like YouTube Gaming. Content preferences remain distinct: SOOP Korea continues to dominate with traditional staples such as League of Legends, Minecraft, and the long-standing esports phenomenon StarCraft, while Chzzk has cultivated a community more aligned with Western-style gaming content, including Grand Theft Auto V and various MMORPGs.

The industry shake-up has also benefited domestic game publishers. Between 2023 and 2024, viewership for titles from major Korean publishers—including Krafton, Nexon, NCSoft, and Pearl Abyss—increased by 52%, rising from 106 million to 162 million hours. This trend highlights a growing demand for locally produced content. For brands and publishers, the current environment necessitates a strategic focus on these domestic platforms, particularly through partnerships with influential streamers and engagement with culturally specific content formats like Mukbang, to effectively reach the Korean gaming audience.