Naver's Chzzk to charge 4,900 won a month for full World Cup coverage in HD

Son Heung-min plays for LAFC ahead of the North and Central America World Cup. [Reuters]

"I want to watch every World Cup match on my phone — but now I have to pay 4,900 won?" said Lee, a 30-year-old football fan.

Naver's streaming platform Chzzk holds exclusive online and mobile broadcast rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which opens this month — but viewers who want to watch all the matches will have to pay.

According to Naver, Chzzk will stream every match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup live, from June 12 through July 20. The company secured exclusive domestic online and mobile broadcast rights for FIFA World Cups from this year through 2032 through a deal with the JoongAng Group.

The Naver Chzzk logo. [Provided by Naver]

However, Naver has placed some of its World Cup streaming content behind a paywall, using the tournament as an opportunity to push its Naver Plus membership. Viewers who want to watch all matches in high definition (1080p) must subscribe to Naver Plus membership at 4,900 won per month, or purchase Chzzk's ad-free "Cheat Key" plan at 14,300 won (about $9) per month. For most users, the Naver Plus membership is the cheaper option.

Non-paying users can only watch South Korea's national team matches — not the full tournament — and are limited to standard definition (480p) with no access to HD streams.

Naver is estimated to have paid at least tens of billions of won, and possibly up to 100 billion won or more, to secure the World Cup broadcast rights.

Naver's separate business report shows the company's intangible assets stood at roughly 271.1 billion won as of last December, a surge of approximately 181.6 billion won — or 203 percent — from about 89.5 billion won the year before. A Naver official attributed the increase to "the acquisition of broadcast rights for events such as the World Cup and the Olympics."

Naver's headquarters. [Provided by Naver]

Some analysts say Naver is using the World Cup broadcast as the starting gun for a full-scale monetization push on Chzzk. The company is rolling out a range of perks for Naver Plus members who watch the tournament on the platform, with membership growth a clear priority. Incentives include coupons that refund the first month's subscription fee and additional Naver Pay point rewards.

Naver CEO Choi Su-yeon signaled the direction during the fourth-quarter earnings call last year. "Chzzk plans to enhance the user experience — including through membership integration — and develop new revenue models to match," she said, adding that the company would work to ensure improvements in user experience translate into sales growth.

chami@heraldcorp.com