"The exclusive broadcast of the Olympics and World Cup is an overreach by JTBC, an excessive bet beyond its financial capacity. Rather than digging in its heels, JTBC will negotiate for a symbiotic relationship." (Yoo Hong-sik, Professor of Media and Communication, Chung-Ang University)
"Recognizing the universal viewing right stipulated by law, it should lead negotiations within a reasonable range rather than pursuing only private interests." (Choi Jin-bong, Professor of Journalism and Broadcasting, Sungkonghoe University)
"JTBC appears to have believed it could generate sufficient revenue through exclusive broadcasting rights, but that misunderstands today's broadcasting environment where OTT (over-the-top) services are proliferating and advertising sales are declining." (An Jeong-sang, Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Communication, Chung-Ang University)
On the 22nd of last month, as the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics came to a close, JTBC has faced mounting calls of responsibility for an "unprecedented failure at the box office for broadcasts." Experts said JTBC's excessive pursuit of broadcast rights, born of a failure to understand the broadcasting environment, infringed on the public's universal viewing right. With concerns that the broadcasting rights issue could spill over to the "2026 North and Central America World Cup" just three months away, the government is moving to block exclusive broadcasts.
The "universal viewing right," introduced through the 2007 amendment to the Broadcasting Act, is a legal right that guarantees anyone can effectively watch major events of high public interest, such as the World Cup and the Olympics, regardless of income or place of residence.
◇ Terrestrial broadcasters' unions say "it's unreasonable to shoulder together the costly broadcasting rights contract"
In 2019, JTBC purchased the broadcasting rights for all Olympics and World Cups to be held from 2026 to 2032. Accordingly, it secured the broadcast rights for last month's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics and the "2026 North and Central America World Cup" scheduled for June this year. The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics was the first Winter Games not broadcast by terrestrial networks. JTBC initially launched an open bid to resell the rights to the three terrestrial networks (KBS, MBC, SBS), but after no agreement was reached during negotiations, JTBC alone carried the Winter Olympics TV broadcasts. JTBC is also negotiating with the three terrestrial networks to resell the domestic exclusive broadcasting rights for the North and Central America World Cup, but the two sides are reportedly far apart on price.
Terrestrial broadcasters' unions argue it is unreasonable to share responsibility for the pricey rights JTBC acquired. A minority KBS union, the Value Labor Union, issued a statement on the 6th titled "We can't pay off JTBC's gambling debt with license fees," saying, "JTBC is said to have promised the IOC and FIFA far more money than the three terrestrial networks' contracts. We do not intend to criticize JTBC management's judgment. It made an all-or-nothing bet, and now it is struggling with that gambling debt," adding, "But the rights-resale negotiations, in a word, are asking us to shoulder together the costly broadcasting rights contract." It continued, "The term 'universal viewing right' sounds plausible, but essentially it is an attempt to make up for a paid private broadcaster's poor management decision with public funds, the viewers' license fees." The MBC chapter of the National Union of Mediaworkers also said, "If, using the disruption in this (Olympics) broadcast as a pretext, public broadcasters must unconditionally accept JTBC's unreasonable demands for the upcoming World Cup, we will have no choice but to firmly oppose it."
◇ "The era of exclusive broadcasting rights is fading… the same is true overseas"
Experts generally judged JTBC's monopoly on broadcasting rights to be an unreasonable decision. The advice is that, going forward, it is desirable to handle sports broadcasting rights in a consortium format.
Choi Jin-bong, Professor of Journalism and Broadcasting at Sungkonghoe University, said, "JTBC's monopoly on broadcasting rights runs afoul of the universal viewing right and was a wrong decision in terms of capital outflow," adding, "Going forward, a way for terrestrial, general programming channels, and OTT to all win is to pursue sports broadcasting rights in a consortium format." Yoo Hong-sik, Professor in the Department of Media and Communication at Chung-Ang University, said, "At a time when the broadcasting industry is on the brink, JTBC overreached, but in today's environment, whichever broadcaster secures the rights should seek to have more people watch by obtaining the rights through partnership," he said. Yoo is a former Commissioner on the universal viewing right guarantee committee under the Korea Communications Commission (KCC). Under the Broadcasting Act, the universal viewing right guarantee committee is tasked with ensuring that all citizens can watch national sporting events.
Overseas, too, the era of a single broadcaster monopolizing rights is fading. An Jeong-sang, Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Communication at Chung-Ang University, said, "The era of making a fortune off broadcasting rights is over," adding, "In the United Kingdom, terrestrial broadcasters once monopolized rights, but that is no longer the case." Yoo Hong-sik said, "In Japan, too, sports broadcasting rights are secured in a consortium centered on public broadcaster NHK," adding, "The consortium format is the way to have more citizens watch and to secure the universal viewing right."
Experts predicted that JTBC will ultimately have no choice but to come to the table. Adjunct Professor An also said, "With time tight until the North and Central America World Cup, it will be difficult for JTBC to insist on monopolizing the rights to the end given its current financial situation." Choi Jin-bong said, "JTBC, too, will ultimately find it difficult to insist on exclusive rights to the end under its current financial situation," adding, "However, the Korea Media and Communications Commission (KMCC) should step in proactively to mediate."
◇ "Solving the exclusive rights issue is the first test for the KMCC chair"
The government has little choice but to step in, centering on the Korea Media and Communications Commission.
President Lee Jae-myung said at a Cabinet meeting last month regarding the Winter Olympics, "Compared with past international competitions, there was a shortfall in building sufficient public excitement," adding, "With the North and Central America World Cup also scheduled, we need institutional improvements that broadly guarantee the public's access to international events."
KMCC Chair Kim Jong-chul also said at the full session of the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee on the 25th of last month that the commission is exercising its administrative guidance authority to enable resale of rights to secure the universal viewing right for the FIFA World Cup in North and Central America. He said, "I personally expressed regret during the last work report regarding the constraints on the public's viewing right," adding, "We are reviewing and preparing institutional improvement measures." The KMCC plans to hold a public citizen forum on the 20th of this month, led by the KMCC chair, under the theme "Broadcasts of the '26 North and Central America World Cup: listening to the people," to discuss the World Cup broadcasting rights issue and measures to guarantee the universal viewing right.
Politics is moving as well. Kim Hyun, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea and a secretary on the National Assembly's Science. ICT. Broadcasting. and Communications Committee, introduced a bill defining a universal broadcasting means as "a broadcasting means that the public can watch live for free." Han Jeong-ae, also of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 2nd led the introduction of an amendment to the Broadcasting Act to allow the general public to watch events such as the Summer and Winter Olympics and the World Cup without using pay TV.
An Jeong-sang, Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Communication at Chung-Ang University, said, "There is a legal basis for the KMCC to mediate sports events of high public interest," adding, "Solving the exclusive rights issue will be the first test for KMCC Chair Kim Jong-chul."