Naver said on the 19th that its streaming service CHZZK recorded a peak of 4.78 million concurrent viewers during the Mexico match broadcast of the Korea national soccer team at the North and Central America World Cup. This is the second-highest figure for a CHZZK broadcast at this tournament, following the 4.825 million set during Korea's first match against the Czech Republic on the 12th.
CHZZK said that although users flocked to the service during the Mexico match, it reduced server load by dispersing traffic and provided a relatively stable viewing environment. It said it maintained broadcast quality even as real-time connections surged during a major sports event.
The "watch together" content, where viewers watch matches with streamers, is also continuing to draw interest. The number of streamers who have taken part in watch together so far totals about 953. For the Mexico match, CHZZK partner streamers including Han Dong-suk and Poongwolryang participated, as did TV personality Lee Kyung-kyu, soccer content channel Shoot for Love, and EastarTV.
Watch together is changing sports viewing culture by going beyond simple broadcasts to combine real-time chat, commentary, and fandom participation. In particular, among younger users, a viewing style is spreading that enjoys not only the match itself but also streamers' reactions and community interaction.
CHZZK plans to operate watch together content for the next Korea national team match against South Africa as well. Naver is broadcasting all 104 matches of this North and Central America World Cup live on CHZZK and offering a feature to watch with streamers.