2026 WBC: How Korea's Thrilling Win Over Australia Captured 83% of OTT Viewership

[JoyNews24 Reporter Lee Mi-young] It was more thrilling than a drama.

Streaming viewers poured into the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) do-or-die game against Australia, producing the tournament's highest traffic.

Tving reported the decisive round-of-eight clash between South Korea and Australia on March 9 accounted for 83% of Tving's total live viewers (UV), setting a new tournament viewership record.

With Korea's spot in the quarterfinals on the line, the match became must-see TV as the team clinched a dramatic return to the final eight for the first time in 17 years. Tving's data show the Australia game outpaced the Korea–Japan matchup on March 7, which had drawn nationwide attention, ranking first by a wide margin among the four WBC qualifying games.

As the nail-biting contest stretched into the late innings, real-time traffic spiked. Tens of thousands of fans used Tving's live chat service, Tving Talk, to cheer together, fueling a fervent digital cheering culture.

The WBC's popularity translated directly into platform growth for Tving. During the tournament, key metrics—new subscriber contributions, DAU (daily active users), and viewing UV (unique viewers)—all climbed sharply.

Tving rolled out the first-ever on-site live pregame show at an international baseball tournament and offered differentiated coverage, including fandom broadcasts that paired special hosts with fans cheering Korea in real time.

"Our WBC coverage confirmed the strong interest of domestic sports fans," a Tving spokesperson said. "We will continue to deepen engagement with sports fans through diverse sports content and distinctive broadcast experiences."