Disney+ is leveling up its commitment to live esports. The streamer announced Thursday its expanded partnership with the Korea eSports Association (KeSPA), set to bring a wider slate of major Korean and pan-Asian tournaments to global audiences through its platform.
The new deal kicks off April 24–26 with the Esports Championships Asia Jinju 2026, a three-day showdown in Jinju, South Korea. National teams from South Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Mongolia will compete across fighting, simulation, and battle royale titles including Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, Tekken 8, Konami’s eFootball, PUBG Mobile and Eternal Return. The event will stream live worldwide on Disney+, featuring ESPN branding across its broadcast.
The Jinju championships also act as a high-stakes warm-up for the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026—where esports will return as a full medal sport for only the second time. With 11 medal events spanning 13 titles this year, national squads across Asia are treating these tournaments with the gravity once reserved for Olympic disciplines.
Beyond Jinju, Disney+ will exclusively carry the Korean national team’s send-off ceremony and evaluation matches ahead of the Games, alongside coverage of this year’s 2026 LoL KeSPA Cup. Korea’s leadership in global esports remains undisputed—the country’s League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is regarded as one of the world’s premier circuits, and KeSPA continues to serve as a benchmark for institutional esports development.
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The expanded KeSPA deal is part of Disney’s wider strategy to secure premium live sports and esports rights across Asia-Pacific. Following the 2025 integration of ESPN into Disney+ in Australia and New Zealand, the company also inked a multi-year agreement with the NBA to deliver live basketball coverage to subscribers in the Philippines. At the same time, Disney+ has been strengthening its Korean scripted slate, tapping into the region’s cultural export momentum.
Disney isn’t alone in its live event ambitions. Rival streamer Netflix recently broadcast the 2026 World Baseball Classic exclusively in Japan—a move that shattered local viewership records and underscored streaming’s growing role in Asian sports fandom.
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With esports entering mainstream competition circuits and global streaming giants investing deeply in the region, Korea once again finds itself at the center of gravity for both digital entertainment and athletic innovation.
