Disney+ is pushing more into esports, as the streaming service is expanding their partnership with the Korea e-Sports Association, or KeSPA, for 2026.
The deal will bring more Korean and pan-Asian competitions to Disney+ viewers around the world, starting with the Esports Championships Asia Jinju 2026, scheduled for April 24 to 26 in South Korea.
The tournament will feature national teams from seven countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Mongolia, with competitions in Street Fighter 6, The King of Fighters XV, Tekken 8, and eFootball, and will also carry matches from PUBG: Battlegrounds and Eternal Return.
Disney+ and KeSPA’s partnership is more than one tournament
Disney+ will also stream the 2026 League of Legends KeSPA Cup later in the year, including the coverage of Korea’s national esports team as it prepares for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan from Sept. 19.
Disney+ is treating esports like a recurring sports property, while also giving Korean esports a bigger stage. The expanded deal builds on an earlier partnership announced in September 2025 between Disney Korea and KeSPA, where the agreement included exclusive streaming rights for the 2025 KeSPA Cup and content tied to Korea’s national esports team ahead of the Asian Games.
The 2025 KeSPA Cup was streamed on Disney+ across several APAC regions, including South Korea, Japan, and Australia. For KeSPA, the deal opens another path to global visibility for Korean esports, and for Disney+, it strengthens a growing live sports and events platform that reaches beyond just traditional entertainment.
“Building on strong support from viewers at home and abroad, we are pleased to present a broader range of dynamic esports content on Disney+ this year. We hope this collaboration will help further promote the value of Korean esports globally and contribute to the growth of the industry,” Kim So-yeon, head of The Walt Disney Company Korea, said.
The move also lands at a time when other platforms are circling the Korean scene. The reporting notes that SOOP has become the exclusive Korean broadcast partner for the 2026 OWCS season and has also worked with LG Electronics to bring esports events to TV.
