Disney+ has announced an expanded partnership with the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) to livestream more Korean and pan-Asian esports events globally throughout 2026.
As part of the 2026 partnership, Disney+ will exclusively livestream several major events. One of the key events is the Esports Championships Asia Jinju 2026, which will take place from April 24 to 26 in South Korea. The tournament will feature national teams from seven countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia.
The competition will include popular games such as Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, Tekken 8, and eFootball. Disney+ will also stream matches of PUBG: Battlegrounds and Eternal Return.
Disney+ will also stream the 2026 League of Legends KeSPA Cup later in the year. In addition, it will cover events involving Korea’s national esports team as they prepare for the 2026 Asian Games, which will be held from September 19 to October 4 in Japan.
Kim So-yeon, head of The Walt Disney Company Korea, said, “Building on strong support from viewers at home and abroad, we are pleased to present a broader range of dynamic esports content on Disney+ this year. We hope this collaboration will help further promote the value of Korean esports globally and contribute to the growth of the industry.”
The new agreement builds on an earlier deal signed in September 2025 between The Walt Disney Company Korea and KeSPA. That initial partnership included exclusive streaming rights for the 2025 League of Legends KeSPA Cup, as well as content related to Korea’s national esports team preparing for the 2026 Asian Games.
The 2025 KeSPA Cup was streamed only on Disney+ across several Asia-Pacific regions, including South Korea, Japan, and Australia. It was the first time the event was broadcast on a major global streaming platform instead of sites like Twitch or YouTube.
Other streaming platforms like SOOP have also shown interest in the Korean esports scene. They were selected as the exclusive Korean broadcast partner for the 2026 OWCS season, and even took it a step further by teaming up with LG Electronics to bring esports events directly to TV.
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