Naver confirmed the growth potential of its streaming platform, Chijijik, during the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup. Despite the South Korean national team losing its final group stage match on June 25, Chijijik recorded a peak of 500,000 concurrent users.
According to Naver, the influx of users during the World Cup will be leveraged to expand the platform through streamer broadcasts, clips, and esports coverage.
On June 26, Naver reported that Chijijik consistently achieved high user numbers during key matches throughout the tournament. The platform recorded 4.825 million users during the opening match against the Czech Republic, 4.78 million during the second match against Mexico, and 4.938 million during the final group stage match against South Africa, with a peak of approximately 494,000 concurrent users.
Industry experts attribute this success to the effectiveness of streamers and the 'watch together' system. Naver highlighted the 'watch together' feature with streamers as a key content offering coinciding with the World Cup's opening.
The expansion of the streamer pool attracted a diverse audience beyond just soccer fans. Notable streamers for the second and third matches included partners like Han Dong-suk and Poongwollyang, as well as soccer-focused channels such as Shoot for Love and E-Star TV, along with various broadcasters and artists.
This engagement has also led to increased community activity and secondary content consumption. As of June 24, a total of 1,422 streamers had participated in 'watch together' sessions, with 4,706 related broadcasts. The cumulative views for World Cup-related clip content surpassed 310 million.
However, it is still too early to determine if this success will translate into a long-term user base for Chijijik. The interest in World Cup broadcasts is largely driven by the South Korean national team's matches, making it essential to secure viewership for remaining games not involving the national team.
Following the loss to South Africa and the results of other group stage matches on June 26, the South Korean team's chances of advancing to the Round of 32 have diminished. Naver is considering strategies to maintain broadcast interest during the remainder of the tournament, even in light of the potential elimination of the national team.
The broadcast performance during this North America World Cup is significant as a test of Chijijik's long-term growth potential. Attracting new users during the tournament is part of a broader strategy to sustain interest in streamer broadcasts, clips, and esports coverage post-World Cup.
Naver's integration of Naver Pay point rewards with a Coca-Cola prediction event during the tournament is seen as an effort to enhance the 'lock-in effect' by expanding Chijijik viewers' consumption within the platform ecosystem. Since its launch, Naver has combined Chijijik's virtual currency, 'Cheese,' with Naver Pay points and included ad-free options for Naver Plus membership. The opening of the 'Streamer Shop' in February, linked to Smart Store, aligns with this strategy.
Naver is also securing major intellectual properties (IPs) with high viewership demand, such as the League of Legends esports tournament 'LCK,' to broaden Chijijik's content base. The upcoming global esports event, 'Esports World Cup (EWC),' scheduled for July 6, will also be broadcast exclusively. Collaborations with Nexon for 'FC Online' related content are expected to further expand the Chijijik platform in the gaming sector.
A Naver representative stated, "New viewer engagement occurred during the group stage match on June 25. Regardless of the national team's advancement to the Round of 32, we plan to strengthen the streamer and Chijijik community ecosystem during the North America World Cup period."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.