Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) said on the 6th that it will join hands with the global streaming platform Disney+ to strengthen fandom-based live content.
Starting on the 24th for three days, Disney+ will livestream the national team competition "2026 Asia Esports Championship" from Jinju Indoor Gymnasium in South Gyeongsang. Launched as the 2021 Korea-China-Japan Esports Championship and expanded to the broader Asia region last year, this event will feature seven countries this year, including Korea, the sport's birthplace, as well as China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia.
Disney's sports brand ESPN is set to provide esports fans with a differentiated sports broadcasting experience alongside live coverage on Disney+. Of the six official disciplines, Disney+ will carry global exclusive live coverage for four: "Street Fighter 6," "The King of Fighters XV," "Tekken 8," and the "eFootball" series (PC and mobile). It will also participate as an official broadcaster for two additional disciplines, "PUBG Mobile" and "ETERNAL RETURN."
In the second half of this year, Disney+ also plans to offer exclusive live streaming of the national team launch ceremony and evaluation matches for the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
With this collaboration, Disney+ plans to work with Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) to contribute to the global expansion of Korea's esports industry and to enhance the value of esports content.
Kim So-yeon, head of Disney Korea and general manager of Korea DTC (direct-to-consumer), said, "We hope this expanded collaboration will help broadly raise the value of our country's esports content."