Korea Professional Baseball (KBO League) has drawn more than 10 million fans for two straight years through last year, extending its box office run. With the regular season set to open this year, collaboration marketing in the food and retail sectors is also expected to expand. Going beyond simple sports sponsorships, "fandom-based consumption" that combines food, merchandise, and experiential content is emerging as a new marketing approach.
According to related industries on the 25th, the KBO League surpassed 10 million spectators for two consecutive years recently. Last year, it drew more than 12 million fans, achieving a record for the most spectators ever. This year, the exhibition games have already recorded 440,000 spectators, the most ever for preseason games. With the regular season opening on the 28th, attention is focused on whether the league will break the all-time attendance record again this year. As the culture of watching games in person spreads, the scale of spending in and around stadiums is also growing.
Major corporations are launching a variety of products and conducting marketing through collaborations with the KBO and clubs. Starbucks Korea collaborated with the KBO to release baseball-themed beverages, food, and merchandise. This is the first time Starbucks has collaborated with the sports industry.
Lotte Wellfood signed an official sponsorship agreement for the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League" with the KBO and introduced limited packages of flagship products featuring team designs, along with merchandise bundles. Lotte affiliates had previously collaborated only with the Lotte Giants, which they operate, but this is the first time they are releasing merchandise for all 10 clubs.
Haetae Ice, an affiliate of Binggrae, also strengthened stadium-centered promotions through an official KBO sponsorship. During the All-Star Game and postseason, it will run product giveaway events and ticket verification promotions for spectators at the ballpark. Collaboration methods are also becoming more sophisticated. Beyond simply using logos, they are diversifying into product packaging, merchandise bundles, experiential spaces, and connections to digital content.
Convenience stores and the dining industry are also expanding collaborations. Convenience store 7-Eleven collaborated with the Lotte Giants to release merchandise such as photo cards and stickers. Convenience store E-MART 24 joined hands with SSG Landers, a club operated by Shinsegae Group, to create an experiential consumption space through a pop-up store at its Seongsu-dong, Seoul location. The pop-up sold about 50 types of products, including uniforms and merchandise, and enhanced fan experience elements.
Shinsegae Food is launching "lemon cream shrimp," a dish that had been popular at ballparks, as an official side menu item and plans to first introduce it at the Landers Field location on opening day before expanding sales to stores nationwide.
CJ OnStyle plans to set up a pop-up booth at the site of the "2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League Media Day & Fan Fest" on the 26th and unveil collaboration merchandise with all 10 clubs. It also prepared a merchandise display, a photo zone, and baseball-themed name stickers.
Industry observers say professional baseball has established itself as a major consumption platform beyond a simple sport. In particular, among Millennials and Gen Z, the spread of merchandise collecting and certification consumption culture is amplifying brand exposure effects. In fact, collaboration products last year sold out quickly after launch, and a "merch tour" phenomenon emerged in which people visited multiple stores to find specific team items. Notably, "KBO bread," which SPC Samlip released in collaboration with the KBO last year, surpassed cumulative sales of 10 million packs in 41 weeks after launch. At the time, convenience stores saw "open runs" (lining up before opening) to buy the KBO bread.
Analysts say sports collaborations are effective at attracting new customers and boosting brand loyalty. A retail industry official said, "The KBO League has the strongest drawing power among domestic professional sports, and since a season runs for more than seven months, it is easy to drive repeat purchases," adding, "Also, since each team has an entrenched fandom culture, marketing through collaborations has a clear customer acquisition effect. It tends to convert quickly into consumption."
Lee Jong-woo, a professor in the Department of Distribution Marketing at Namseoul University, said, "With the economy recently slowing and competition intensifying in the domestic market, targeting consumer groups with established fandoms is a good strategy," adding, "Fandom consumers have diverse needs beyond simple consumption, such as collecting, which helps raise conversion rates and induce repeat purchases." He added, "It is necessary to think about diverse collaboration methods, such as expanding experiences, rather than simple model endorsements."