On the 22nd of last month, as the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics came to a close, JTBC began negotiations to resell the broadcast rights for the North and Central America World Cup to be held in June, but criticism continues inside the terrestrial broadcasters. JTBC purchased the broadcast rights for all Olympics and World Cups to be held from 2026 to 2032. However, the first broadcast, the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, failed to draw viewers.
On the 6th, the minority union at KBS, "Gati Nojo," said in a statement titled "We cannot repay JTBC's gambling debt with the license fee," that "(JTBC's proposal to negotiate the resale of broadcast rights) is an attempt to cover the poor management decisions of a paid private broadcaster with public funds, the viewers' license fee."
The union said, "JTBC is said to have promised the IOC and FIFA far more money than the existing contracts of the three terrestrial broadcasters," and added, "We do not intend to criticize JTBC management's judgment. They made an all-or-nothing gamble, and now they are struggling with that gambling debt. It is now time for JTBC to be evaluated by the capital market and creditor banks."
It continued, "The phrase 'universal viewing rights' sounds plausible, but the Korea Communications Commission has mentioned universal viewing rights without presenting a concrete direction," and added, "Before the company even listens to requests for broadcast rights negotiations, it should think again about the role of public broadcasting and the value of the license fee. That license fee barely regained in a life-or-death crisis."
The union added, "Rather than coveting the license fee, JTBC should immediately stop the outflow of national wealth and return the broadcast rights."
Earlier, the National Union of Mediaworkers MBC Headquarters also said in a statement titled "We cannot be JTBC's sidekick," "If, using the disruption in this (Winter Olympics) broadcast as a pretext, public broadcasters are required to unconditionally accept JTBC's excessive demands for the upcoming World Cup, we have no choice but to oppose it firmly." It continued, "In 2019, JTBC unilaterally dismantled the 'Korea Pool' joint negotiation framework that the three terrestrial broadcasters had maintained for decades," and added, "Not only did it muddy the broadcasting ecosystem through a hasty deal, it also provided the starting point for a vicious cycle that led to an abnormal surge in overseas broadcast rights fees."