Twitch exit sparks fierce Naver, AfreecaTV competition

CHZZK logo [Courtesy of Naver]

With Amazon.com, Inc.’s game streaming platform Twitch Interactive Inc. announcing its exit from the Korean market after February 27, 2024, domestic platform companies, including Naver Corp. and AfreecaTV Co., are already competing to fill the spot.

According to industry sources on Sunday, Naver’s video streaming service, CHZZK, selected some streamers with over 10,000 followers from its existing activity platform, scheduling public broadcasts as part of its open beta test (OBT) starting on Tuesday. The company also plans to bring in approximately 6.7 million Twitch users (including duplicate accounts) by sponsoring and broadcasting Twitch streamers’ esports competitions, which it will begin the day after starting the OBT.

[Image source: AfreecaTV’s homepage]

For its part, AfreecaTV allowed streamers and users to automatically synchronize information within when linking their Twitch accounts to AfreecaTV. It has also added a feature that allows users to log in with their Twitch accounts. The company is also reportedly discussing rebranding, and could potentially change the platform’s name to “SOOP.”