LG, Samsung, Doosan, Lotte 'Average 20,000'... KBO Attendance Surpasses Last Year

*This content was translated by AI.

There is no brake on the popularity of professional baseball. It is literally soaring to the sky, unaware of how high it goes.

With the 2026 KBO League regular season having completed 107 of 720 total games (14.9%), both attendance and broadcast viewership have been recorded as higher than last year.

According to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), cumulative attendance through the 23rd reached 1,901,757, a 6.9% increase compared to 1,779,040 during the same period last season. The average attendance per game was 17,773, an increase of more than 1,100 from last year's 16,627. This pace is on track to surpass the all-time record of 12,312,519 set in 2025.

In terms of average attendance per team, LG Twins led with 23,705, followed closely by Samsung Lions with 23,593. Doosan Bears (21,550) and Lotte Giants (20,039) also surpassed the 20,000 mark, trailing behind. All 10 teams recorded an average attendance of over 10,000.

In terms of growth rate, KT Wiz, currently in first place, showed the highest increase at 36%, while Kiwoom Heroes also saw a 23% rise in attendance. Attendance increased for eight teams compared to last year, excluding KIA Tigers and SSG Landers.

Broadcast viewership is also surging. TVING, which broadcasts professional baseball, announced on the 22nd that its KBO League broadcast service users increased by approximately 30% compared to the previous year.

TVING stated, "User numbers on opening day increased by about 8% in 2025 compared to 2024, and this year saw a sharp 30% surge compared to last year."

The power of women in their 20s, who have transformed baseball culture, is also evident in viewership numbers. TVING explained, "The proportion of female users in the early part of this season was about 43%, a 5% increase from the same period last year. Notably, among those in their 20s, the female proportion surpassed that of males. The trend of increasing female attendance in their 20s visiting stadiums appears to be reflected in TVING's user data."

A TVING official said, "We will continuously enhance the broadcast environment so that people of all ages and genders can enjoy baseball more richly. Going forward, we will focus on strengthening viewers' viewing experiences through stable service environments and distinctive content."

Meanwhile, this year's attendance is expected to surpass 20 thousand won by this weekend, despite the fewest games played in history. With only 98,243 short of the milestone, if the current trend continues, it is expected to be reached as early as the 24th (112 games) or the 25th (117 games). The previous record was 118 games last year.

Earlier, on the 10th, the league reached 10 thousand won attendance in just 55 games, the fewest in history, beating the previous record of 60 games (2025) by five games. Simply applying the current average attendance (17,773) to all 720 games results in 12,796,560, which is approximately 480,000 more than last year.

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*This content was translated by AI.