[Official] The protagonists of the first half of the KBO, who captured half of the top 10 viewership ratings, were neither No. 1 Samsung nor No. 2 LG! Two teams guaranteed to draw crowds when they play — just where are they?

*This content was translated by AI.

Professional baseball teams Hanwha Eagles and KIA Tigers emerged as the two teams that heated up the first half of the 2026 Korean KBO League.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) shared data on first-half attendance and viewership metrics for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League on the 15th.

According to the KBO, a total of 7.63 million 3,775 spectators attended 424 games in the first half, breaking last year's record of 7.58 million 228 spectators (based on 440 games). With 231 of the 424th games sold out, heightened interest was also reflected in viewership data.

All TV viewership metrics rose. The average per-game viewership rate for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League first half reached 1.30%, an increase of about 11% compared to last year's 1.17%. The average number of viewers per game also grew by 9.4%, from 275,205 to 301,089.

The highest single-game viewership rate this season occurred during the June 7 match between Gwangju Samsung and KIA, reaching 3.66% — a 6.4% increase compared to last year's record of 3.44% set on June 8, 2025, in the Gwangju Hanwha-KIA game. The largest single-game audience also rose by 2%, from 814,287 viewers (Daejeon KIA-Hanwha on March 30, 2025) to 832,051 viewers (Samsung-KIA on June 7).

The average number of unique viewers (UV: customers who streamed the game at least once without duplication) across wireless and wired platforms (TVING) for the first half also increased by 12.2% compared to last year, reflecting fans' intense enthusiasm for the KBO League.

Surprisingly, neither Samsung (No. 1) nor LG (No. 2) dominated the top 10 viewership list for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League first half. KIA (4th) and Hanwha (6th) maintained their popularity regardless of ranking. Whenever these two teams played, they drew strong interest from broadcasters, whether on weekdays or weekends.

KIA appeared in 8 of the top 10 most-watched games in the first half, while Hanwha appeared in 7. Among them, KIA-Hanwha matchups accounted for 5 games, representing the largest share.

The KBO League's intense popularity extended beyond stadiums to movie theaters. Since the 2023 Korean Series, the KBO has broadcast major league games live at CGV theaters nationwide. CGV introduced SCREENX LIVE, a three-sided live broadcast format for the first time in cinema history, offering fans diverse visual experiences and delivering an immersive atmosphere comparable to attending games in person.

This season, a total of 30 games were broadcast, including the All-Star Game, with over 7,000 spectators watching KBO League matches at CGV theaters. The All-Star Game's SCREENX LIVE was held in 24 theaters — double last year's number — achieving a seat occupancy rate of approximately 87%.

Even during the star-studded festival, intense popularity was confirmed by numbers. The viewership rate for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO All-Star Game reached 3.05% across five cable channels combined, up 29.2% from 2.36% in 2025. On wireless and wired platforms (TVING), the KBO Futures All-Star Game showed particularly strong performance. The peak number of simultaneous viewers increased by 25.1% compared to last year, and average viewership rose by 16.9%.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.