[Exclusive]'Anti-protest' after 12 years.. Jeon Hyun-moo's first World Cup broadcast, 'Sadaeng-gwi' also goes along [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

KBS 2TV variety program "The Donkey Ears of the Boss" (hereinafter "Sadaeng-gwi") is heading to the site of the "2026 FIFA North American World Cup" alongside MC Jeon Hyun-moo. Attention is focused on Jeon Hyun-moo, who is making his first attempt at World Cup broadcasting.

According to a StarNews report on the 21st, the "Sadaeng-gwi" production team is planning to cover the live broadcast of the North American World Cup, which opens on June 11. With KBS and JTBC reaching a dramatic agreement on the World Cup broadcasting rights, Jeon Hyun-moo, a former KBS announcer, joined the broadcast team, leading "Sadaeng-gwi" to positively consider accompanying the team on-site for coverage.

A broadcasting official told StarNews, "It is true that 'Sadaeng-gwi' is going to the North American World Cup because of Jeon Hyun-moo," but added, "The specific format has not yet been decided. We need to continue discussions."

This marks Jeon Hyun-moo's first time participating in World Cup broadcasting. Previously, during the 2014 Brazil World Cup, he received a broadcasting proposal from KBS but declined, stating, "I am not suited for the role of a caster." At the time, it had been less than two years since he left KBS to become a freelancer, and his recruitment sparked internal backlash, even leading to picket protests.

After the ban on his appearances on KBS was lifted, Jeon Hyun-moo made his first attempt as a KBS sports caster during the 2024 Paris Olympics. At that time, "Sadaeng-gwi" focused on weightlifter Park Hye-jeong, a national team athlete, to support less popular Olympic sports, and Jeon Hyun-moo personally covered the competition, generating significant attention. With "Sadaeng-gwi" having supported Jeon Hyun-moo's challenge as a sports caster, attention is now on what stories the program will present at the World Cup stage.

Meanwhile, KBS announced on the 20th that it had reached a final agreement with JTBC, which had previously held exclusive broadcasting rights, for the North American World Cup broadcast rights.

KBS explained, "Although a significant deficit is expected, we accepted JTBC's final offer to fulfill our responsibility as a public broadcaster. Through efforts to realize the value of the reception fee, we reached a dramatic agreement." As a result, North American World Cup matches will be viewable on both terrestrial and comprehensive cable channels.

JTBC reportedly conveyed the same terms to other terrestrial broadcasters, including MBC and SBS. The amount accepted by KBS is reported to be around 14 billion won.

Previously, after securing broadcasting rights for approximately 125 million dollars (about 190 billion won), JTBC proposed a plan to bear half of the amount excluding digital resale revenue, with the remaining half shared among the three terrestrial broadcasters (approximately 16.7% each). However, negotiations faced difficulties. Subsequently, JTBC presented terms of around 14 billion won to each broadcaster, and it is reported that KBS has now accepted this offer.

With the World Cup opening in just over a month, the preparation period is tight. KBS plans to dispatch commentator Lee Young-pyo and Jeon Hyun-moo to the North American site following detailed technical discussions with JTBC for the live broadcast. Song Jae-hyuk, head of KBS Sports Center, stated, "Considering that World Cup preparations typically take a year, the current timeline is tight. However, leveraging KBS's long-standing sports broadcasting expertise, we will deliver high-quality broadcasts to viewers."

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*This content was translated by AI.