Why Comprehensive Sports Enthusiasts are Flocking to SOOP

Free Sports Content Diversification
Expansion of Niche Sports such as Dance and Go, ‘[Edaily Reporter Kim Areum] In the fierce competition to secure paid sports broadcasting rights, SOOP (067160) is diversifying its free sports content as a niche targeting strategy. ‘,
,
, ‘According to SOOP on the 3rd, the company is expanding its coverage of sports for general sports enthusiasts and increasing its support for sports content, including live broadcasts of amateur and casual sports leagues and event competitions, as well as producing its own original content to secure diversity among users. ‘,
,
, Inclusion of Breaking, Fishing, Billiards, Martial Arts, and Mind Sports,
,
, ‘Breaking, which was selected as an official event for the 2024 Paris Olympics following its inclusion in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, is a dance sport that has enthusiasts worldwide. Starting in September last year, SOOP has been directly hosting and live broadcasting the largest dance battle competition in Korea, ‘X2: SOOP DANCE BATTLE (hereafter X2),’ with a total prize money of 139 million won.’,
,
, The photo shows participants performing a dance battle at ‘X2 SOOP Dance Battle VOL.4’ held on the 21st of last month. (Photo=SOOP)
,
, ‘”Double or nothing.” This slogan represents ‘X2’s’ cumulative prize system, where if the winning team wins the next competition as well, the prize money doubles. SOOP is capturing attention from street and breaking dancers both domestically and internationally by adopting formats like ‘Breaking 3 ON 3,’ where three dancers form a team competing in the breaking genre, and ‘All Style 2 ON 2,’ where two members perform a dance battle regardless of genre.’,
,
, ‘The ‘Shortyforce, Zootyzoot, Siri’ team won the Breaking division at ‘X2: SOOP Dance Battle VOL.4’ held on the 21st of last month, securing a prize of 12 million won by winning consecutively from the second tournament held last October. In September this year, the ‘X2 Final Championship’ will be held, where the winning teams from the main competitions will compete for the ultimate champion title.’,
,
, ‘Moreover, SOOP has started live broadcasting various professional and amateur Go tournaments to promote Go content, a mind sports game. Starting with the ’47th SG Cup Hankook Ilbo Myeongin’ last month, they have been streaming events like the amateur Go festival ‘2024 KBF Go League’ postseason and the ‘Sh Bank’s Love Sea Navy vs Women’s Win-streak Challenge,’ attracting Go enthusiasts.’,
,
, ‘In addition, they plan to consistently present event Go competitions like ‘Black and White Go Destruction Match’ and signature Go content such as ‘Stone-smashing Streamers,’ where professional Go players teach beginner streamers, offering the pleasure of learning while watching Go, even for beginners.’,
,
, ‘Martial arts sports content, which has a strong fanbase in Korea, also gains a lot of love at SOOP. Since 2022, live broadcasts of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) content have become popular on SOOP’s free VOD page ‘Cinetee.’ They are conducting original martial arts content and organizing mixed martial arts competitions in collaboration with domestic MMA organization ‘Road FC.’,
,
, ‘SOOP has contributed to the popularity of fishing content in Korea by launching the sports fishing league GFL (Global Fishing League). After acquiring Five&Six, the official marketing partner of the World Carom Federation (UMB), they have consistently broadcast global UMB competitions like the 3-cushion World Cup and have collaborated with billiard streamers and influencers from various countries to present diverse billiard content.’,
,
, Casual Soccer Tournament Broadcasts Also Popular,
,
, ‘”Controlling players and giving orders was how Director Gamst started with FIFA games. Now, moving forward, I’m preparing more seriously than ever before in my 35-year life.”‘,
,
, ‘This is the statement shared by streamer ‘Gamst,’ who served as the coach of Team Korea participating in the ‘Kings World Cup 2025’ held in Italy since the 2nd, during a departure ceremony exclusively streamed by SOOP on the 17th of last month. ‘Kings World Cup’ is a tournament hosted by the 7-a-side soccer league ‘Kings League,’ which was created by former FC Barcelona player Gerard Piqué together with famous Spanish streamers after his retirement. SOOP is live broadcasting every match in the ‘Kings World Cup 2025,’ including commentary in Korean for major matches such as those of Team Korea.’,
,
, ‘By diverging from traditional soccer rules, the Kings League incorporates futsal formats and entertainment elements into its proceedings, offering various fun to soccer fans and is wildly popular in Europe and South America. The ‘Kings World Cup 2025′ involves 16 countries, including Korea, the US, Spain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Argentina, and Japan. Korean soccer legend Park Ji-sung (general manager) and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) player Lee Kang-in are participating as ambassadors for Team Korea.’,
,
, ‘Previously, the simultaneous broadcast on Korean and global SOOP platforms of the ‘2024 Nexon Icon Match,’ held last October, also drew considerable enthusiasm from soccer fans, recording a peak concurrent viewership of 260,000 and cumulative viewers of 3 million. Match scenes featuring global soccer legends like Kaka, Didier Drogba, Edwin van der Sar, Andrea Pirlo, Dimitar Berbatov, and Luís Figo, who participated in the Icon Match, gained massive attention as they were shared across several social media platforms.’,
,
, ‘The ‘SOOPER LEAGUE,’ a casual sports tournament open to participation regardless of platform—with participants ranging from SOOP-affiliated streamers to YouTubers and influencers—also enjoys considerable affection from users. Launched in March last year to lead a healthy streaming culture through sports competition, the ‘SOOPER LEAGUE’ started with the Season 1 soccer event, followed by the 3X3 basketball event in July for Season 2, and successfully concluded the Season 3 soccer event held last October.’,
,
, ‘After spreading a biased communication culture in sports content including pro baseball, SOOP is now transforming into a comprehensive and casual sports content platform, producing, broadcasting, and live-streaming niche sports content that’s hard to see on other platforms. With the synergy from its globally launched live streaming platform ‘SOOP’ last November, they are preparing to rise as an attractive sports broadcasting platform for global users, featuring billiards, fishing, breaking, and more.’,
,
,