KBS, JTBC to Jointly Broadcast North, Central America World Cup

JTBC and KBS have agreed to jointly broadcast the '2026 North, Central and South America World Cup,' which kicks off in June. JTBC announced on the 20th that it has agreed to a joint broadcast with KBS among the three terrestrial broadcasters it had been negotiating with for broadcast rights.

KBS and JTBC reportedly settled the negotiations for 14 billion won. SBS and MBC are said to be contemplating whether to negotiate under the same terms as KBS.

Regarding the settlement of negotiations, KBS stated, "Although significant deficits are anticipated, we accepted JTBC's final proposed amount for the North, Central and South America World Cup to fulfill our duty as a public broadcaster," and added, "​We achieved a dramatic agreement as a result of our continuous best efforts to realize the value of the reception fee."

KBS further added that they are continuing detailed technical negotiations with JTBC to prepare for the World Cup, which is about a month away from its opening, and plan to assemble a broadcasting team consisting of announcer-turned-broadcaster Jun Hyun-moo and commentator Lee Young-pyo.

Previously, JTBC secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the 2026-2032 Summer and Winter Olympics and the 2025-2030 World Cup and attempted to resell them to the three terrestrial broadcasters. However, after negotiations broke down, they exclusively broadcast the Milan Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics in February. Following criticism from civic groups and others that the public's universal right to view was infringed upon, JTBC has been renegotiating with the three terrestrial broadcasters for the resale of the 2026 North, Central and South America World Cup broadcasting rights.