As Twitch shuts down in South Korea, AfreecaTV and CHZZK lead streaming services in Q1

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StreamElements and Streams Charts released a report today showing how the live streaming market split in South Korea and who is taking advantage of Twitch's departure from the country.

Streaming platforms AfreecaTV and CHZZK are filling the gap, per their hours watched during Q1 performances.

Last month, AfreecaTV was still in the lead with 98 million hours watched, while CHZZK came in second with 59 million hours. Meanwhile, Twitch Korea pulled 5 million hours watched.

Twitch announced in December that it was shutting down in South Korea, citing high-performance costs.

AfreecaTV announced that it will be launching a beta of SOOP, its global streaming service, during the first half of 2024.

Naver, the company behind CHZZK, also has a beta that is planned to launch worldwide this year.

"This past year, the discourse on live streaming platforms has been rooted in Twitch, YouTube, and Kick as content creators weigh options for reaching the broadest audience," said StreamElements co-founder Or Perry.

"In South Korea, AfreecaTV and Naver are looking to join the conversation by launching global platforms this year, with Naver's CHZZK currently in beta and AfreecaTV's SOOP beta announced for the first half of 2024."