KBS secures free to air 2026 World Cup coverage via JTBC deal
KBS has agreed a sublicensing deal with JTBC to jointly broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup in South Korea, restoring free-to-air access after a prolonged rights dispute.
South Korean public broadcaster KBS has struck an agreement with pay-TV network JTBC to jointly broadcast the 2026 FIFA World Cup, ending uncertainty over whether the tournament would be available on free-to-air television.The agreement is a significant commercial and political reset in a market where major events have traditionally been carried by terrestrial broadcasters, and where exclusive pay-TV coverage has drawn criticism around public access.JTBC holds the South Korean rights for the tournament and has been negotiating sublicensing arrangements with the country’s terrestrial networks.A JTBC spokesperson said: “Following negotiations to resell broadcasting rights to terrestrial networks, we have reached an agreement with KBS.”KBS said it accepted JTBC’s final offer to secure coverage “in order to fulfill its responsibilities as a public broadcaster”, after efforts to balance access with the value of the licence fee paid by households.A KBS statement said it took the deal “despite the significant losses expected under the terms”, underlining the pressure on broadcasters as global rights costs rise.The deal is reported to be worth about 14bn won, or around US$10m, and JTBC has said it made the same offer to the other terrestrial broadcasters MBC and SBS, which are still considering whether to participate.The arrangement ensures the World Cup will be available across both JTBC and KBS, giving FIFA and sponsors broader reach while also giving KBS an event property that can support advertising demand and audience share during the tournament window.The World Cup will run from June 12 to July 20 Korea Standard Time across 16 stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will be the first men’s World Cup to feature 48 teams.KBS said it plans to dispatch presenter Jun Hyun-moo and former national team player Lee Young-pyo as part of its on-site coverage, signalling an intent to package the tournament with premium talent and studio programming.The background to the deal has been a wider shift in South Korea’s sports media market, with JTBC building a portfolio that includes Olympics and football rights and then seeking to monetise via sublicensing.The negotiations have been closely watched because they set the pricing and control benchmark for future event cycles, and because the outcome affects how quickly broadcasters can sell advertising, create branded content, and secure partner activations tied to live coverage.The next step is whether MBC and SBS also take sublicensing agreements, which would further widen distribution and reduce single-network exposure risk for FIFA’s key global event.