Riot Games has announced a new five-year partnership with South Korea’s search engine Naver and Korean live-streaming platform SOOP for the League of Legends Champions Korea, known as the LCK. The agreement will run from 2026 to 2030 and is expected to bring major changes to how fans watch and experience the league.
The exact financial details were not shared, but the deal is being described as the biggest partnership ever in esports. Starting in 2026, live broadcasts of LCK matches in Korea will be available only on Naver and SOOP.
Fans will still be able to watch highlights and behind-the-scenes videos on the official LCK YouTube channel, but all content will be released first on Naver and SOOP. International events such as First Stand, the Mid-Season Invitational, and the World Championship (Worlds) will continue to be streamed on YouTube as usual.
Riot Games said this new broadcasting setup is meant to keep the league easy to access while also helping it grow in the long term. The partnership is not just about broadcasting matches. The three companies plan to work together to improve fan experiences both online and at live events, with new ideas rolled out step by step.
As part of the deal, Naver has also become an official sponsor of the LCK and secured the naming rights to LoL Park, the league’s main stadium. The venue will be renamed “Chijijik LoL Park.” The stadium will include special Naver Chijijik branding spaces and Chijijik branded seating areas.
LCK Secretary General Lee Jung-hoon said, “This partnership is an important milestone that will elevate the trust and scale of the entire LCK ecosystem to the next level, bringing us closer to the goal of providing premium content that can be enjoyed by multiple generations. We will work together with Naver, Korea’s representative platform, and SOOP to provide better value to fans who enjoy the LCK.”
Naver and SOOP will also focus on costreaming, which allows fans to watch matches through their favorite streamers. They plan to add interactive events that connect online viewing with offline activities.
The partnership announcement comes at an important time for the league. According to a report based on disclosures from South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service on April 20, the LCK recorded total losses of 42.7 billion KRW, or about 29.8 million dollars, over the past three years. This new partnership might turn out to be a key step toward improving the league’s long-term financial stability.
Meanwhile, the reach of the Korean League of Legends continues to expand beyond local platforms. Most recently, Disney+ signed a new media partnership with the Korea e-Sports Association to exclusively stream the 2025 League of Legends KeSPA Cup worldwide.
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